The New Noir

THE VOLVO XC60 BLACK EDITION ADDS ITS NAME TO THE LONG HISTORY OF ICONIC BLACK-ON-BLACK DESIGN.

- Asa Canty

What distinguishes a design as iconic, rather than simply in vogue? Expert craftsmanship, understated elegance, materials that age beautifully. Truly iconic designs are those that withstand the test of time, both artistically and physically.

In other words, they become structural achievements unto themselves.

The description applies equally well to design icons from every era. Take the TWA Hotel in New York City, whose singular thin-shell construction still looms as a simultaneous emblem of the past, present, and future of American architecture.

Or, as the latest example, the VOLVO XC60 BLACK EDITION, which, secure upon the Swedish automaker's storied foundation of safety and innovation, asserts itself in a striking Onyx Black that's daringly original without veering into the ostentatious.