The Volvo XC60 is a car that has already carved out a solid market share in the premium sport cross-over segment. With its muscular curves and sharply contoured tail lamps, it attracts attention wherever it goes. The new R-Design option pack that will be presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2009 gives the car an even more purposeful and bold appearance.

“The R-Design model boosts the XC60’s already sporty aura and gives the car an even more refined character in terms of both driving experience and design. These are properties that we know appeal to the discerning buyers of this type of cars,” says Lennart Stegland, president of Volvo Special Vehicles.

Roula Beiruty, Marketing Manager of Volvo Cars Middle East said: “R-Design was launched in 2007 to satisfy the enormous interest among younger car buyers, who want to provide their cars with sporty, personalized options. With R-Design, they got access to stylishly composed options packages featuring exclusive design details and thrilling sport chassis.

Today R-Design is found across almost the entire Volvo product range in the C30, S40, V50, S80, V70, XC60 and XC90 models. R-Design is extremely popular in the Middle East especially amongst young car buyers who are looking for stirring sporty options and athletic looks.”

R-Design has been a great success for Volvo Cars. This sporty, exclusive sales version has helped us attract new customer groups who would perhaps not otherwise have chosen Volvo. The introduction of the XC60 R-Design shows clearly how strongly Volvo believes in this concept.

The elegance of the ww.tc collection is expressed in a watch that is confident to leave rivals in the shade. The ww.tc Shadow’s imposing 43 mm black ceramic case is the fruit of a long and meticulous manufacturing process, the only way to achieve an exceptional result. Its perfectly homogeneous texture gives it some appealing assets: extreme hardness (much higher than steel) i.e. good wear resistance, while also being particularly light and wearable. Indeed,

Like the watchmaking professionals, the electronics and aeronautics industries in particular have also taken full advantage of it.

Advanced technologies are essential to achieve the ww.tc Shadow’s case. Ceramic powder, consisting of over 90 % zirconium oxide, is first mixed with a polymer to give it the characteristics required for injection moulding of the middle. This moulding is followed by several stages, including firing in a furnace heated to over 1500°C, to eliminate any porosity in the ceramic and obtain its hardness. These actions are performed with great precautions and infinite patience, since the material is highly delicate to handle prior to its final state. The machining operations, used in particular for opening up the positions for the push-buttons and crowns, are performed just as painstakingly using diamond tools, the only kind that can work ceramic. Attesting to the care taken with every detail, the case has a meticulous satin-finish to eliminate any flaw and accentuate its shadowy look. Its architecture is superbly structured by graded shadows. The sophistication of this structure is boosted via the use of an internal titanium container and special screws for securing the case-back, with these screws also used for structural assembly of racing car engines. Shortened lugs, rubber coated crowns and push-buttons supplement its sporty characteristics.

True to the Brand’s principles, the ww.tc Shadow also stands out for its mechanism. Designed especially for this model, the Girard-Perregaux self-winding movement GP3387 simultaneously displays the date, the small seconds, the time in twenty-four different time zones, and a fly-back chronograph. These various functions stand out clearly against the black dial: the chronograph seconds hand is easily distinguished by its red colour, while the divisions of the three counters opt for white. A world times day/night indicator, a date at 1:30, luminescent hands and hour numerals help readability. The ww.tc Shadow’s unique style also extends to the back of the watch, which houses a tinted sapphire glass showing off the mechanism.