Press Release - 12 Apr 2006
• Safety development based on reality
• Volvo redrew the safety map for SUVs
• Highest safety ratings in objective surveys
• Unique safety, also in the third row of seats
• Transversely mounted engines contribute to safety
• Advanced functions for increased driver control
The Volvo XC90, the SUV from Volvo Cars that has won numerous awards, has been on the market since 2002 and has become very popular, not least among large families. The reasons for this are not only the roomy cabin and comfortable seating for seven people. One of the most compelling arguments is the high level of safety, which is based on a number of solutions and systems that were unique for an SUV at the time the car was launched.
Volvo Cars has the world’s most advanced testing facility for automotive safety. The possibilities provided by the facility, combined with the comprehensive research that Volvo has done in the field and a holistic view of safety, form the basis of Volvo’s extensive knowledge about what happens in traffic accidents, and the way in which protective solutions function in actual traffic situations. Based on this knowledge, the different Volvo models can be developed as effectively as possible to help avoid accidents and to provide protection if something should happen. This broad view of safety and solid know-how were among the most important prerequisites for Volvo Cars for entering the SUV segment. Our ambition was to create an SUV that could be compared with the best passenger cars with respect to both driving stability and the capacity to provide effective protection in various types of accidents.
“We would go so far as to say that we redrew the safety map for SUVs when we designed the Volvo XC90,” says Ingrid Skogsmo, head of Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “Our ambition was to achieve a very high level of safety for everyone in the car, and test results indicate that we have succeeded.”
The Volvo XC90 receives consistently high ratings and positive assessments in surveys conducted by independent organisations. The five stars in Euro NCAP are based to a great extent on the comprehensive protection for the occupants of the car, and the well functioning protection for children. The IIHS (Insurance Institute For Highway Safety) reports similar results. They give the XC90 the highest ratings for both frontal offset collisions and rear-end collisions. The Volvo XC90 is also one of the few models among SUVs and pickups to receive the highest rating for protection against whiplash injuries.
Another clear indication of the high degree of safety in the XC90 is the result that the IIHS’s sister organisation, the Highway Loss Data Institute, arrived at when they compared different car models with respect to the costs incurred by insurance companies. In this respect, the Volvo XC90 is the leader among mid-sized SUVs with regard to minimizing the costs incurred by insurance companies.
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