2015 Volvo XC90 – next-gen safety systems detailed

The details of the 2015 Volvo XC90 are slowly being revealed, and now it’s time for the defining characteristic on which the company’s reputation is founded upon – safety.

As characteristic for a Volvo, the new XC90 will come with a number of world-first safety features, the first being an automatic braking function at junctions if the car senses the driver is about to turn into an oncoming car. The company says such incidents are common at busy city intersections and on highways where speeds are higher, and that such a feature can avoid possible collisions or mitigate the severity of such a crash.

Another innovation is Safe Positioning which protects the occupants in cases where the car runs off the road due to fatigue, driver distraction and poor weather conditions. The front seat belts tighten up to keep occupants in position, and energy-absorbing functionality in the seats cuts vertical forces acting on the occupants when the car lands hard onto the terrain by up to a third, reducing spinal injuries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01q0Ewr-70w

The new XC90 also adds a number of features to existing systems, including a rear pre-crash protection system. Rear radars detect is a rear collision is imminent and the seat belts are tightened, lights flash to warn the driver behind and the brakes are activated to reduce the impact on occupants. Seat belt pre-tensioners are now installed on all seven seats.

In addition, the new seven-seater SUV is stronger than before – while high-strength boron steel (said to be the strongest type of steel used in the car body industry) was used in the construction of the original XC90, its successor ups the amount used to around 40% of the car’s body weight. This is approximately five times more than before.

“Committing to safety is not about passing a test or getting a ranking,” says Lotta Jakobsson, senior technical specialist of safety at Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “It is about finding out how and why accidents and injuries occur and then developing the technology to prevent them. We lead, the industry follows.”

According to Volvo, the new XC90 moves the company closer to its goal of reducing the number of fatalities or injuries in its cars to zero by the year 2020. We’ll learn more about the new car when it is unveiled in full next month.

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Jonathan Lee

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

 

Comments

  • Zzzz…boring. Ini semua propaganda sahaja. Safety this safety that..whatever. As if everybody can afford to own volvo specifically x90…yeah we know Volvo safety is no 1. But here Malaysia, u langgar lorry habis regardless ur car brand

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 41
  • gaviny on Jul 23, 2014 at 7:10 pm

    this is the car I would like to have my family in

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 0
  • sonyman on Jul 23, 2014 at 8:12 pm

    wah, wet wet again, haha, bloody nice.

    at least something different.

    respect

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
  • Sam loo. on Jul 23, 2014 at 8:17 pm

    Hardly see a new Volvo on the road ma… Salesman hardly can survive like this..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
    • Gunawan on Jul 24, 2014 at 4:46 pm

      Hi Sam Loo,
      Majority agree nowadays TOYOTA sucks

      Toyota ( foreign brand ) sells as it is bread and butter cars for lower and lower middle income group .

      Elite or upper middle income groups never consider a Toyota even whatever stupid RV. What RV nowadays for TOYOTA , many already lost so much on interest rate besides the normal depreciation value for a sunken assets like TOYOTA or could I say the UGLY toyopet

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Jimmy on Jul 23, 2014 at 10:07 pm

    Innovative.
    Can be further developed in future to cater for frontal and rear collisions.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Skulljuju on Jul 23, 2014 at 11:13 pm

    From the people who invented the modern seatbelt.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Swedish house mafia on Jul 24, 2014 at 10:48 am

    Retracting brake pedal might be dangerous
    if faulty activation during emergency stop..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • drCooper on Aug 15, 2014 at 8:44 am

    I respect on the innovation and the usage of new material but skeptic on the electronics safety system..These are all things that prone to fail on practical level as there are so many accidents scenarios can occurs nowadays.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • sepetang on Jul 04, 2015 at 9:27 am

    In to-day’s world, every modern piece of technology involves electronics, from medical, aerospace, military, automobile to small items like smartphones, wrist watches or even small children’s toys.

    The moment you step into a car, board into a high speed train or a airplane you are involving electronics. The fact that you are reading this article involves electronics.

    Have confidence in this modern technology

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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