Full marks to Volvo
SWEDISH CAR MAKER ON TOP WITH FIVE-STAR RATING Euro NCAP safety ratings announced as Volvo launches its S90 on SA market
Volvo Cars has cemented its position among the leaders of automotive safety innovation with its new S90 sedan and V90 wagon by being the first car maker to score a full six points in the Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) for Pedestrians test and an overall five-star rating for both cars.
These latest Euro NCAP safety ratings were coincidentally announced just as the new Volvo S90 was launched to the South African market at the end of last month.
The S90 and V90 results surpass the best overall score of any model tested in 2016 and now make Euro NCAP’s top three best-ever performing cars all Volvos. The result follows in the footsteps of the XC90, which was the first car from any manufacturer to score full points in the Euro NCAP AEB Car to Car rear-end tests. The S90 and V90 performed as expected in the 2017 testing cycle, achieving a full five stars each, thanks in large part to the high level of standard safety equipment in the cars.
“We work hard to ensure that our cars fulfil all safety requirements and pass all testing procedures that the ratings agencies develop. Our main focus is, and always has been, real-life safety. Autonomous Emergency Braking systems, such as our City Safety system, also represent a clear step forward on our journey towards fully autonomous cars, which we see as a key element to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries,” says Malin Ekholm, director of the Volvo Car Safety Centre at Volvo Car Group.
Volvo’s success in the AEB tests are a result of the advanced City Safety system, which is standard in all new Volvo cars. It works by identifying potential hazards on the road ahead, such as vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists in certain situations, day and night.
“These five-star ratings and maximum points in the AEB testing An adult runs into the road from the driver’s side of the vehicle An adult walks into the road from the passenger side of the vehicle (two tests are carried out for this scenario)
A child runs from between two parked cars into the road from the passenger side of the vehicle. Volvo Cars has a long-held vision that no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by the year 2020. procedures underscore our ongoing commitment to delivering a safe, enjoyable and confident driving experience in our cars.”
The AEB Pedestrian tests performed by Euro NCAP are designed to check performance of pedestrian detection systems using three road-crossing scenarios, all of which would result in a fatal collision if the AEB system did not intervene.
In the local context, the new Volvo S90, like the XC90, is fitted as standard with Volvo’s complete City Safety and IntelliSafe offerings. The Volvo V90 is not available in SA.