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Volvo announces new Collision Avoidance Package or V70, XC70, S80

 

Volvo announces new Collision Avoidance Package for V70, XC70, S80

 

TORONTO (January 11, 2008) -- Building on a heritage of innovation in safety, Volvo Cars of Canada Corp. has today announced a new Collision Avoidance System will begin arriving on select Volvo vehicles in February. The company's latest preventative safety technologies focus on minimizing driver distractions that studies show cause up to 90 per cent of all traffic collisions. Based on this statistic, Volvo Cars has developed efficient technologies to help drivers avoid or reduce the severity of collisions caused by distraction and driver fatigue.

 

The Collision Avoidance System is a stand-alone option on the XC70 and V70 with a retail price of $1,795.  The system is part of the $3,445 Security Package on the S80 luxury sedan. The Collision Avoidance System includes a number of leading edge technologies:

 

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) helps the driver by maintaining the distance to the car in front thus contributing to relaxed driving control when the traffic flow is uneven. The driver activates the cruise control, sets the desired maximum speed and chooses a time interval to the car ahead. A radar sensor continuously measures the distance to the vehicle in front and automatically adapts the speed of the car to ensure that the distance is maintained.

 

Collision Warning with Auto Brake (CWAB) includes automatic braking when a rear-end collision is imminent. If the car approaches another vehicle from behind and the driver doesn't react, a red warning light flashes in the head-up display on the windshield and triggers an audible signal. Should the risk of a collision increase despite the warning, brake support is activated. If the driver doesn't brake and the sensor determines that a collision is imminent, the brakes are applied. Auto Brake lowers the impact speed and thereby helps reducing the risk of injury to the occupants of both vehicles.

 

Distance Alert (DA) helps the driver keep a proper distance to the vehicle in front even if the cruise control is disengaged. The system is activated via a button in the center console. As with ACC, the driver can choose between five settings. If the time gap to the car in front becomes shorter than the selected value, the driver gets visual information in the head-up display on the lower part of the windshield.

 

Driver Alert Control (DAC) is designed for situations where the risk of losing concentration is the greatest. For example a straight, smooth road that lulls the driver into a sense of relaxation where the risk of distracting activities or falling asleep is high. A camera continuously measures distance between the car and road lane markings. Sensors register the car's movement while a control unit stores the information and calculates whether the driver risks losing control of the vehicle. If the risk assessed is high, the driver is alerted via an audible signal. A text message appears in the information display with a "coffee cup" symbol suggesting the driver take a break.

 

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) helps prevent single-vehicle road departure accidents as well as head-on collisions due to temporary distraction. LDW is activated via a button on the center control panel. It alerts the driver with a gentle warning sound if the car crosses road markings without an obvious reason - such as use of the turn signal indicator. The system employs a camera to monitor the car's position between the road markings. It steps in at 65 km/h and stays active as long as the speed exceeds 60 km/h.

 

Note: Some of the features' functionality described above depends on the number and quality of visible road markings. The lane markings must be clearly visible to the camera. Poor light, fog, snow and extreme weather conditions can make the system unavailable.

 

Volvo Cars of Canada Corp. is part of the Volvo Car Corporation of Göteborg, Sweden.  The company provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to the 42 Volvo automobile retailers across the country.  The company's product range includes the stylish and sporty C30, the elegant C70 hardtop convertible, the compact S40 sedan, the S60 sport sedan, the S80 flagship sedan, the versatile V50 wagon and the award-winning XC90 sport utility vehicle. For the 2008 model year, the company is introducing two all-new models: the redesigned V70 wagon and the capable and comfortable XC70.

 

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Media Web site:  http://www.media.volvocars.com/ca

 

 

Contact:

Chad Heard

Marshall Fenn Communications

Office:  416-962-3366 x267

Mobile:  416-451-3204

E-mail:  chadh@marshall-fenn.com

 

Erin Farquharson

Marshall Fenn Communications

Office:  416-962-3366 x254

E-mail:  erinf@marshall-fenn.com

 

Keywords:
S80 (2007), V70 (2007), XC70 (2007), 2008, 2009, Product News
Descriptions and facts in this press material relate to Volvo Cars's international car range. Described features might be optional. Vehicle specifications may vary from one country to another and may be altered without prior notification.