If you’ve been on the internet recently, you may (or may not) have seen a video of a Volvo XC60 where by it is claimed the SUV’s autonomous emergency braking system “failed” to function properly.

In the video, the XC60 is seen colliding with two men during an unofficial safety demonstration in the Dominican Republic. However, Volvo Car Malaysia has released an official statement to clear the air on the whole issue.

Firstly, even though the car in the video is equipped with the brand’s City Safety system (active in speeds up to 50 km/h), it did not have the optional Pedestrian Detection functionality (this feature is standard on the XC60 T6 variant sold in Malaysia), which would have prevented the car from colliding with the two men. Therefore, these gentlemen should have known better than to demonstrate a safety feature that isn’t fitted on the car they are testing.

The company explains further, stating that even if the car was equipped with this feature, heavy acceleration (i.e. pedal floored) by the driver could have caused the system to be overridden and deactivated. This is because the system detects that the driver intends to perform the action deliberately, deactivating itself as a result.

Contrary to the title of the video, both men were alright and none of them were paralysed, nor were they a managing directors of Volvo Cars. Volvo Car Malaysia strongly recommends its dealers, partners and customers to never perform test towards real humans.

The video itself isn’t new, with the incident taking place back in 2015. At the time, Volvo issued a statement confirming the accused XC60 did not have the optional Pedestrian Detection feature, and there was nothing wrong with the car itself.

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