Volvo Trucks Wins Design Award

March 1, 2014: The new Volvo FH from Volvo Trucks beat thousands of international products and impressed a panel of design experts to win one of the prestigious iF product design awards today at the BMW Welt in Munich, Germany.

The awards, instigated in 1953, are among the largest and most important international design awards: the iF label is recognised as a seal of quality all over the world by honouring outstanding design achievement. Around 2,000 guests from the world of international design, media, business and politics are expected to celebrate the iF design award winners.

Only the very best designs in 17 categories were selected by the international jury and the new Volvo FH was awarded the prize in category 1: transportation design and special vehicles. The evaluation criteria included design quality, degree of innovation, environmental impact, functionality and safety.

Professor Fritz Frenkler, the chairman of the jury, said that he was impressed by the consistently high quality of the entries, the passion for innovation and the courage manufacturers showed in pursuing their own design approaches.

“This award represents several years of hard work and it is a tribute to the creativity and innovative spirit we have at Volvo Trucks,” says Rikard Orell, design director at Volvo Trucks.

Design identity

With fuel-saving technology, efficient ergonomics, superior handling and passive and active safety features, the new Volvo FH has been built to set new standards in the trucking industry while embodying the Volvo heritage.

“When creating the new Volvo FH, a great deal of emphasis was placed on the design and emotional aspect of the truck – something that isn’t usually given a high priority in commercial vehicle design,” continues Rikard. “We considered every function, feature line, curve, angle and surface material in order to ensure that we created one cohesive entity. This has resulted in a truck that is both an emotionally and practically satisfying vehicle to work and rest in. There is no conflict between form and function – instead the two work together in perfect harmony.”

“Designed to look as if it’s moving”

When creating the new FH, the design team wanted to retain the dynamic attitude and distinctive personality of the original FH while also expressing the greater efficiency and improved quality of the new truck. “The new Volvo FH has been designed to look as if it’s moving, even when it’s standing still,” explains Rikard. “The truck has a unique profile and appears to lean forward – an agile stance that conveys its eagerness to work. This impression is generated through the angled profile of the roof together with the lines and features on the side of the cab.”

The ECR88D compact excavator from Volvo Construction Equipment also won an iF product design award, making this a double success for the Volvo Group.