Spy shot Volvo S60

So does one of the engineers in the cabin, who was so upset at being caught by the Carparazzi team that he vented his annoyance with a signal to the snappers. The car in question is the all-new Volvo S60 and the reason for the secrecy and concern is that it sets an all-new design and safety direction for the Swedish brand.

It is very close to the concept car shown at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year, complete with a coupe-style rounded roof but without the rear-hinged door on the prototype.

Volvo is relying on the new S60 to revitalise its following and also cement its future by ensuring a viable sale out of the Ford empire. "Unless we deliver on the plan then the ownership doesn't matter," says Steve O'Dell, head of Volvo Cars, speaking to Carsguide at the Frankfurt Motor Show. "Ford has declared and re-affirmed tat Volvo is for sale. But it's not a fire sale.

We are trying to find the right potential owner." O'Dell says Volvo has cut staff and production to get it through the global economic crisis and back into consistent profit. "We'll come through the downturn. But you cannot cost save to a profit, you have to have great products." He believes the S60 will be great, with a high-efficiency DrivE powertrain including a direct-injection, 1.6-litre petrol engine with a twin-clutch transmission.

The target is fuel consumption of just 5.0L/100km with class leading CO2 emissions. The efficient new engines are a centrepiece of Volvo's planning, giving the company the green credentials to match its safety record. "They have been in the pipeline for two to three years. The target is 99 grams/kilometre for the C30," says O'Dell.

"The S60 will be ready in the (European) spring next year." On the safety front, the S60 will be the first Volvo with an all-new system that detects pedestrians and will brake automatically at up to 25km/h to prevent an impact. It will join the existing City Safety system for car-to-car crash avoidance and such Volvo innovations as blind-spot warnings and a system which warns a driver if it detects signs of drowsiness.