Volvo: Naughty Volvos Are Coming

The All-New 2011 S60 is not the sort of Volvo you’d expect from Volvo.

Sure, it’s jam packed with of state-of-the-art safety innovation – it’s a Volvo, after all. But it’s also got a hot new design, a completely re-engineered, sport-tuned chassis, and a turbocharged T6 that delivers 304hp, and 325 lb-ft of torque. It’s sexier, racier, more powerful and dynamic than any Volvo ever made.

It’s everything Volvo is, and it’s up for a little mischief, too.

DIAL YOUR NAUGHTY UP A NOTCH

For the Global Launch of the S60, we enlisted the help of Scott Weintrob – Director of the BBC Top Gear series, along with professional racer/stunt driver Ben Collins (who may or may not be “The Stig”). Together, we trekked off to the Volvo Proving Grounds in the remote forests of Hällered, Sweden to shoot the Naughty Volvo in action.

Inspired by the rigorous testing for which Volvo is known, we recreated three standard track tests, each with three increasingly “naughty” levels.

At naughty.volvocars.com, users can manipulate an interactive “dial” to control the level of naughtiness with which they view the films.

TEASING THE VOLVO FAN BASE

In the days before the Global Launch of the S60 in Geneva, we posted two short web films to Volvo’s Facebook fan page, giving the community of 70,000+ hardcore Volvo loyalists a sneak peek at a sexy, red S60, along with a delightful promise – “Naughty Volvos Are Coming.”

AS NAUGHTY AS YOU WANT IT

The S60 was designed to be one very naughty Volvo. Exactly how naughty it gets depends on who’s sitting in the driver’s seat. So, for the global launch, we also invited Volvo enthusiasts to participate in the campaign and submit their own creative suggestions for an even more naughty fourth test level to be filmed in May, 2010, before the S60 Market Launch.

In the following weeks, we receive hundreds of naughty ideas via the Volvo Facebook page. And an article on Wired.com prompted a slew more. Some of those ideas are inspired, most are downright bananas, and yes, a few are critical, too. But one thing’s for sure: Naughty Volvo has already started a conversation.

And as of this posting, we’ve yet to spend a dime on paid media.