Volvo has a new acoustic laboratory

Swedish carmaker Volvo has built a new acoustic laboratory in Torslanda, Sweden, where the core of the Volvo Cars production stands. Volvo’s new sound lab is expected to allow the make’s sound experts to improve their cars’ engine noise, which Volvo claims will be a “unique Scandinavian sound”. Volvo’s new sound chamber consists of sound-absorbing walls and ceiling, along with a floor that represents as realistically as possible the surfaces where the vehicles actually run.

Almost all the most relevant car manufacturers in the market today perceive the acoustic design as a science in car production, giving an increased meaning to it. An acoustic laboratory will allow Volvo employees to develop the idea of what a good engine sound should be like. Regarding the sound lab’s possibilities, Eva Lahti, the acoustic engineer at Volvo Cars, declared that “with our new test chamber we can test four-wheel drive cars in an entirely different environment than we could previously”.

At Volvo’s acoustic lab, sound experts will be able to eliminate annoying and frustrating engine sounds, while developing specific sounds that will inform the driver of what’s going on there. Impressive sounds, like the engine tone or the door-shutting sound, are also included in Volvo’s acoustic design project. The goal is for the driver to hear better the good noises by eradicating the bad ones.