Johnson Controls develops modular floor console for Volvo S80

Johnson Controls has developed a modular floor console for the Volvo S80. The console is said to be easy to assemble and to customize, and better able than previous versions to integrate electronic components. The console is built on a magnesium structure that absorbs side impact in a crash.

The floor console, including the vertical center stack and information screen as well as the central tunnel and gear shift, is delivered as a single, pre-wired unit. The console connects seamlessly with the armrest and the integrated storage compartment.

"Installation on the final assembly line is almost fully automatic," said Hans Rössle, business development manager in Johnson Controls’ Volvo Business Unit. “For the Volvo S80, this means that the module is delivered ‘just-in-sequence’ to the assembly line at Volvo's Torslanda (Sweden) plant. A robot fits the module into the car through the side door, leaving one worker with only five screws to tighten.”