How's this for an ambitious objective for an automotive manufacturer: "nobody traveling in a Volvo will be killed or suffer serious injury as a result of an automobile crash by 2020." Volvo already has a "crash it and walk away" reputation, but the company isn't going to be satisfied until it knows that nobody driving or riding in a 2020 or newer Volvo will die in a crash.
How can it possibly meet this goal? It starts with a new design process called Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). It's a modular approach that will be used on all Volvo models that is driver centric, and allows for flexibility in safety design without redesigning the entire vehicle.
For example, the electronics world releases new or improved products much more quickly than automotive companies redesign their models. Because of Volvo's modular, interconnected platform, the latest in radar, infrared, cameras and infotainment components can be added to a model midyear if desired, accelerating the availability of "accident avoidance" safety features.
This new modular design will be introduced with the 2015 XC90. The XC90 will be an entirely new vehicle, and thanks to SPA, it will be one of the safest on the street.
2015 Volvo XC90: Safety and Confidence
When the XC90 arrives at our Bonita Springs showroom it will have a safety cage made of 40% more ultra-strong, heat treated boron steel than the current model. Not only does the boron steel add significant strength to the passenger cabin it is light and allows a more even distribution of weight increasing vehicle stability.
Thanks to the totally interconnected electronics module the XC90's "intelligence" goes up significantly. For example if the rear viewing radar detects an impending rear end collision it can tell the seat belt pre-tension system to snug up and activate the headrest whiplash system.
Other safety innovations heading towards Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Naples include:
- A system to prevent unintentional road departures, the cause of over 50% of crash fatalities. Take one look at some of Bonita Springs "shoulders" and you'll know why. The new system will detect the departure, warn the driver and will even "nudge" the vehicle back onto the road.
- New night vision capabilities include the identification of animals and humans and automatically braking.
- Adaptive cruise control which will automatically keep your car a safe distance from the car in front and provide brake assistance if a collision is impending. Essentially the car is driving itself with this technology.
- Intelligent energy absorption. We've already discussed the boron safety cage but the materials and design of the rest of the SUV can "intelligently" absorb the energy of a collision and deflect it from the passenger cabin reinforcing the "crash it and walk away" reputation.
Looking to the future, Volvo sees a day when cars will be autonomous. All of these advances are designed to make driving simpler and safer by allowing the vehicle to deal with the "exceptions" to driving. Someday vehicles may communicate with each other allowing drivers to "see around corners" or identify distant traffic jams in real time. That's a ways off but Volvo's innovative SAP platform will be able to adapt to any new technology quickly.
The XC90 will be the first of the Volvo line to be built on the SPA and we expect it to be a hot item. A newly designed seven passenger SUV with a 240 hp Drive-E turbocharged engine or optional 400 hp hybrid with remarkable mileage is sure to be popular. When they arrive be certain to visit Volvo of Bonita Springs to experience one yourself. We are just a short ride from both Naples and Fort Myers and we will guarantee the trip will be worth your time.