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Global rating results confirm Volvo Cars’ leading safety position

9 January 2014

Volvo Car Group (Volvo Cars) keeps on moving towards the vision that by 2020, nobody should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo. In 2013, top results from independent rating institutes all over the world emphasised that the company remains on top when it comes to automotive safety.

The most recent rating result is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for the Volvo S80 in the United States. During 2013, sales of Volvo cars equipped with systems for automatic braking also passed the one million mark.

“Viewed together, all the top ratings during the past year emphasise our world-leading position in automotive safety. We are very proud to offer consumers some of the world’s safest cars,” says Thomas Broberg, Senior Safety Advisor at Volvo Cars.

Previously, the Volvo S60, XC60 and XC90 received a 2013 Top Safety Pick+ ranking, after IIHS extended its scope by integrating the small overlap test in 2012.

The S80 Top Safety Pick+ results include good performance in the small overlap front test, which replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or object, such as a tree or a utility pole – a very severe crash situation. In the test, 25 per cent of the front end on the driver’s side strikes a 5-foot-high rigid barrier at 40 mph (64 km/h).

“Our safety cage features a robust design with a blend of different steel qualities. The new IIHS test programme confirms the exceptional crashworthiness of this patented solution. Similar mixes of steel qualities are used in all current Volvo models and the technology will be further enhanced in the upcoming models developed on our Scalable Product Architecture,” says Thomas Broberg.

2014 IIHS ranking includes crash prevention
During 2013, IIHS extended its scope by introducing a new test programme that rates the performance of front crash prevention systems. The Volvo S60, XC60 and S80 equipped with City Safety and Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian & Cyclist Detection were among the car models awarded a ‘Superior’ rating in the new test.

The crash prevention evaluation has now been incorporated into the 2014 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating. This means that the Volvo S60, XC60 and S80 are among the car models with a 2014 Top Safety Pick+ rating according to this extended scope.

Top score for Volvo auto brake systems in new Euro NCAP test
Euro NCAP has also introduced a test programme covering auto brake technologies. The Autonomous Emergency Brake (AEB) tests focus on system performance and include car-to-car rear end collisions within two categories: City and Interurban.

The Volvo XC60 equipped with City Safety was among the top scorers in the City category – and the Volvo V40 with City Safety and Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian & Cyclist Detection was given a top ranking in the Interurban category, which replicates driving on highways at higher speeds than in the city. The AEB programme will be integrated into Euro NCAP’s rating programme during 2014.

“We welcome that the major rating institutes are now beginning to integrate collision avoiding technologies into their test programmes. This gives consumers a better insight into the advantages of auto brake systems. It will also drive the implementation of these technologies through the vehicle fleet,” says Thomas Broberg.

V40 still number one in Euro NCAP
No Volvo models were crash tested by Euro NCAP during 2013. However, the Volvo V40 holds on to its record from 2012. The V40 still has the best overall result ever recorded by the institute. The V40 scored an all-time high in the pedestrian evaluation by attaining 88 per cent of the total score.

Volvo Cars’ pioneering work on pedestrian protection received the 2013 Global NCAP Innovation Award. The prize was received by Prof. Lotta Jakobsson, Senior Technical Specialist Safety at Volvo Cars Safety Centre, at the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) Conference in Seoul, South Korea.

V60 Plug-in Hybrid safest electrified car in Euro NCAP
The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid also holds on to the highest ever Euro NCAP score for an electrified car. The five stars in the 2012 test, which included a frontal offset collision at 64 km/h (40 mph), demonstrate that the V60 Plug-in Hybrid has the same high safety level as the standard V60.

One million cars with auto brake
The low-speed City Safety system is standard in all new Volvo models on all markets. Most Volvo models are also available with state-of-the-art technologies that detect, warn and brake automatically for the rear end of vehicles as well as moving pedestrians and cyclists swerving out in front of the car. In July, sales of Volvo cars equipped with these systems for automatic braking passed the one million mark – another milestone that confirms Volvo Cars’ world-leading position in automotive safety.

“Several reports have stated that our groundbreaking auto braking technologies help reduce the risk of being involved in a rear-end accident by more than 20 per cent,” says Thomas Broberg.

Outstanding ranking in Sweden
Volvo Car Group had an outstanding position in the Swedish insurance company Folksam’s 2013 safety report. Four Volvo models – the S60, V60, V70 and S80 – are at the top of the rankings with a 12 per cent margin to the next car on the list. The Volvo S60, V60, V70 and S80 are almost 60 per cent safer than the average car in the report.

All models in Volvo’s current range are given a top safety recommendation by Folksam. To obtain this recommendation a car must be 40 per cent safer than the average car.

“We are very proud of the result. The report is built on accident data and real traffic conditions, which have always been the starting-point for our safety work. We focus on areas where our new technologies create significant results in real-life-traffic,” says Thomas Broberg.

Volvo expert received special NHTSA award
Anders Eugensson, Director Government Affairs and key safety strategist at Volvo Cars, was presented with a US Government Special Award of Appreciation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The award was handed out during the 23rd International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles in Seoul, South Korea.

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