𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗼 ‘𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿’ (𝗬𝗖𝗖), 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 ‘𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’...

I’m in Gothenburg at World of Volvo. Just staring at this car.

I don’t get it.

It’s making me angry.

🌸I don’t want customisable interior panels or interchangeable seat covers embroidered with flowers, so I can refresh the cars interior easily.

👜 I really don’t need ‘clever’ interior storage for my handbag in the space between the seats, where you normally find the gear stick and handbrake.

🐎 And don’t get me started on the headrests with an ident for my ponytail.

The YCC never made it into production, it was never meant to.

But several of its ideas and features filtered into mainstream Volvo models — and even influenced wider automotive design thinking.

🔑 Keyless Entry and Start, now common across most brands.

💺 Adjustable and Ergonomic Seating, fully adjustable seats with memory functions, headrest and lumbar support designed specifically around the female body.

🪞 Improved Visibility and Driving Position, raised seating position, narrow A-pillars, and wider field of view to increase confidence and safety.

Now I get it.

Volvo weren’t really designing a car solely for women, they were using a specific customer segment to identify real problems worth solving for a much wider market.

By using the YCC as a starting point, they were actually making their cars safer and more comfortable for everyone.

Which niche could you study to uncover breakthroughs that benefit all your users?