Every year is a safety year at
Volvo Cars. The company is working towards the vision that by 2020,
nobody should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo - and data
from independent rating institutes all over the world emphasise and
reinforce this life-saving philosophy. The most recent results are a Top
Safety Pick+ for both the Volvo S60 and XC60 in the United States and
an outstanding Best in Class ranking for the all-new Volvo V40 in the
Euro NCAP summary for 2012.
"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 Prof. Lotta Jakobsson,
Senior Technical Specialist Safety at Volvo Cars Safety Centre.
At
the recent 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Volvo Cars presented a new world
first in safety. Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection is an enhancement of
the present detection and auto brake technology. The added functionality
detects and automatically brakes for cyclists swerving out in front of
the car.
"Several studies have
documented that our collision-avoiding systems lead to significant
accident reductions in real-life traffic. By continuously introducing
new preventive and protective systems, we keep moving towards our aim
that by 2020 no one should be injured or killed in a new Volvo," says
Lotta Jakobsson.
Here are the most prominent rating results for Volvo cars during the past 12-month period:
Record result for Volvo V40 in Euro NCAP
The
all-new Volvo V40 achieved a five-star Euro NCAP rating and also won
the Euro NCAP's Best in Class Cars of 2012 in the tough Small Family
class - with the best overall result ever recorded by the institute. The
V40 also scored an all-time high in the pedestrian evaluation by
attaining 88 per cent of the total score, which is significantly higher
than the previous highest score.
S60 and XC60 earned new Top Safety Pick+
The
Volvo S60 and XC60 are two of eighteen cars that were awarded the new
Top Safety Pick+ by IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). To be
awarded the new ‘plus' rating, a car must earn good or acceptable
results in the new small overlap test as well as top marks in other IIHS
evaluations (moderate overlap front test, side test, rollover test and
rear test). No less than three Volvo models - the C30, S80 and XC90 -
earned a 2013 Top Safety Pick.
Best rating for the S60 and XC60 in the small overlap crash
In
2012, the Volvo S60 was one of two cars to earn the best rating in
IIHS's new small offset frontal crash test. The test, in which 25 per
cent of the car's front strikes a rigid barrier at 40 mph (64 km/h), is
designed to replicate what happens when the front corner of a car
collides with another vehicle or object such as a tree or utility pole -
a very severe crash situation. The Volvo XC60 was tested in 2013 and it
also received the highest score in this test.
Five-star ANCAP rating for the V40
The
Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) recently gave the
all-new Volvo V40 a five-star rating according to the institute's
stricter criteria, which were introduced in 2013. Emphasising the
excellent pedestrian protection, ANCAP branded the V40 "the stand-out
performer in today's rating".
Five-star Euro NCAP for the V60 Plug-in Hybrid
In
2012, the new Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid achieved the highest ever Euro
NCAP score for an electrified car. The five stars in the 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.
S60 first to get five stars in US-NCAP
In
the United States, the S60 was the first car to be rewarded an overall
five stars in the updated NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration) 5-Star Safety Ratings, also known as US-NCAP. The S60
was the only car awarded five stars in each of the three crash tests
(frontal, side pole and side barrier) - while also being available with
all of the active safety technologies recommended by NHTSA.
Auto brake results in fewer accidents
The
benefits of the groundbreaking City Safety technology - featuring
automatic braking in low speed situations - have been documented in an
IIHS report showing a significant reduction in insurance claim
frequencies. A similar study by the Swedish insurance company Volvia in
2012 shows that Volvo cars equipped with City Safety are involved in 23
per cent fewer rear-end frontal collisions than cars without auto brake.
In the UK, the limousine operator Tristar Worldwide, which serves
Virgin Atlantic, released a study showing a reduction in the number of
rear impact crashes of 28 per cent.
Since
these studies were published, the City Safety technology has been
upgraded. It is now active at speeds of up to 50 km/h (previously 30
km/h).
Courtesy: Volvo Media
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