Volvo’s XC90 keeps the focus on Vision 2020
Volvo’s commitment to automotive safety continues to produce advances.
Long-term corporate plans are nice, but management teams, laws, and consumer tastes tend to change along the way and new visions replace the old.
Not at Volvo.
The automaker continues to work toward its Vision 2020, which is Volvo’s oft-stated goal to deliver cars in which no one is killed or seriously injured by the year 2020.
And the initiative doesn’t end there. The longer term goal is to design and deliver cars that don’t crash.
Don’t bet against them.
The Volvo list of safety innovations goes back to the 1940s and 50s with the introduction of laminated windshields and the three-point safety belt. The latter was introduced to the United States on the 1959 Volvo 122. Volvo considered the development so important to safety that the company made the patent open to all automakers.
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Volvo’s new flagship SUV, the XC90, was presented with the Yankee Cup Technology Award this May, an honor awarded by the New England Motor Press Association with input from the MIT engineering faculty.
“The XC90 has been a New England favorite for its capability in rough weather and its safety features,’’ says NEMPA president Craig Fitzgerald. “We were impressed by the suite of tools in the all-new XC90 that not only protect occupants, but pedestrians as well. The latest systems make great strides in mitigating the distractions that drivers face in modern automobiles.’’
One of the biggest distractions in modern vehicles is the on-board infotainment system. Volvo’s Sensus (a subsidiary company) was designed for the XC90 with the mandate “to keep eyes on the road and hands on the wheel as much as possible.’’
City Safety is the umbrella name for Volvo’s auto braking functions for collision avoidance and mitigation.
The system introduces two advancements in the new XC90. One is auto braking if the driver turns in front of an oncoming vehicle. The second is that it now works at higher speeds. This system was introduced as a low-speed auto brake function in 2008; now it’s active at all speeds above 2.5 mph. “It moves us closer yet to 2020,’’ says Professor Lotta Jakobsson of Volvo’s Safety Center.
City Safety detects oncoming vehicles, including pedestrians and cyclists, other vehicles (including motorcycles) moving in the same direction, cyclists swerving in front or crossing the vehicle’s path, and pedestrians suddenly walking in front of the vehicle.
In the latter two instances, the system is able to avoid collisions at speeds up to 45 kilometers per hour (28 mph) and can mitigate the consequences at higher speeds.
The latest version of the system is based on a combination radar-camera unit that also works in darkness.
In an emergency, the system gives the driver an audible alert with a “haptic’’ brake pulse, and flashing light in the heads up display. If the driver doesn’t react, full braking is applied one second before impact.
“Statistics show about 90 percent of all accidents are caused by distracted drivers,’’ says Prof. Jakobsson. Because City Safety remains alert even when the driver is distracted or tired, it helps bring collision figures down considerably.’’
How well it works is reflected in a study by Swedish insurers that shows the earlier versions of City Safety have reduced insurance claims for “rear-ending’’ collisions by 28 percent.
Volvo last month produced a true special edition—35 identical XC90 SUVs that served as courtesy cars during the June 13 Swedish royal wedding between Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist.
But there’s more to the story.
Prince Carl Philip is a racing driver and has been a member of the Volvo Polestar Team since 2013, competing in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship in a race-prepared S60.
The wedding cars were all D5 (diesel-powered) with a Luminous Sand exterior and light leather interior. Each also sports a special fender badge.
After the wedding, the cars were put on sale as documented special editions.
Etc.
To continue the Volvo theme, Swedish Car Day is imminent at Lars Anderson Museum However, that’s not until August 23. While the lawn is quiet this holiday weekend, the micro cars take over next Sunday, July 12. …Next Saturday, July 11, auto restorer and TV personality Wayne Carini (“Chasing Classic Cars’’) is the featured speaker at the Heritage Museum’s “Under the Hood’’ series from 1-2:30 p.m. Arrive early and get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Sandwich museum’s automotive collection with curator Jennifer Madden. Call Julie Raynor at 508-888-3300 x175 for details … If you have an El Camino or one of its GMC siblings or know someone who does, contact John Harrisat [email protected]. He’s put together the 7th annual El Camino Night next Friday, July 10, at Lee (N.H.) Speedway, followed by a Saturday of activities … One of the highlights of the summer is the Bay State Antique Auto Club’s show at the Endicott Estate on East Street in Dedham. Their 44th annual show is next Sunday, July 12, from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. If you’re looking to buy a special interest vehicle, this show traditionally has a car corral (cars for sale) numbering in the hundreds … Some of the horsepower will belong to the Clydesdales next Sunday, July 12, at the N.H. Mustang Club’s 27th annual Mustang Mania at the Anheuser-Busch plant in Merrimack, N.H.
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