Press Releases

Volvo Named 2002 Concept Car Of The Year

 

For immediate release

 

Automotive News awards top honor to company's Safety Concept Car

 

DETROIT, MI. - January 10, 2002 - Volvo Car Corporation announces that the name renowned for safety - Volvo - has been awarded the 2002 Concept Car of the Year for its Safety Concept Car (SCC). The SCC was selected from among dozens of leading concept styles and vehicles unveiled during the past year at auto shows around the world.

 

"At Volvo, safety is a core value. It is therefore gratifying to receive this prestigious recognition, because the SCC points the way to a new dimension in research and development into car safety," says Hans-Olov Olsson, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation. "The concept not only provides a glimpse of where we're headed, but also shows that safety can be packaged in an exciting design," he said. The vehicle's night vision technology was the basis for the system appearing in the company's new XC90, which will soon go into production.

 

The main theme of the Volvo Safety Concept Car (SCC) is "superior vision." The car also employs a variety of technologies that enhance personal security, improve passive safety systems, and provide evidence that Volvo Cars is at the very leading edge in the development of technology for safer driving.

 

A distinguished panel of judges participated in the selection: Akira Fujimoto of Car Styling Magazine; Professor Ken Greenley of the Royal College of Art; Gordon Murray of McLaren Cars Ltd.; Chuck Jordan, retired GM design chief; and, Chris Wright, correspondent of Automotive News Europe. "All the vehicles featured are the wave of the future," said Peter Brown, Automotive News executive editor and associate publisher. "The brilliant designers and engineers who see new possibilities for the future are just awe-inspiring," he said.

 

The award was presented at the AutoWeek Design Forum held at the Cobo Conference/Exhibition Center, in concert with the North American International Auto Show currently underway in Detroit.

 

Volvo Car Corporation of Gothenburg, Sweden will be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2002. Its subsidiary Volvo Cars of North America, LLC provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

 

The 2002 Volvo automobile line includes the sporty S60 and the new S60 AWD, the flagship S80 luxury sedan, the versatile V70 wagon and rugged Cross Country, C70 Coupe and convertible, and the compact S40 and V40 models.

For More Information, Contact:

 

Roger Ormisher

800.970.0888

VP, Public Affairs, Volvo Cars of North America, LLC

For Photos and Editorial Information visit the Volvo Media Website:

http://www.volvocars-pr.com/index.asp?par=conceptcars&pag=welcome

 

V2002-03

 

FEATURES OF THE SCC:

  • Built For The Eye

 

The forward-thinking Volvo Safety Concept Car is built for the eye. Not merely in terms of aesthetic appearances and lines pleasing to the eye, but rather because the car has been designed around the driver's eye to ensure better vision and visibility.

 

When the driver gets into the seat, a sensor identifies the location of his or her eye. The seat then automatically adjusts to suit the position of the eye so that the driver gains the best possible field of vision. Once this is done, the floor, pedals, steering wheel and center console including the gear lever all move to ensure that all the controls are within convenient reach.

 

The driver thus enjoys the best overview over what is happening both outside the car and in the instrument panel.

  • Number One In Safety

 

The Volvo SCC is the result of close cooperation between Volvo Cars (appointed as the Ford Group's Center of Excellence) and the parent company, the Ford Motor Company. The car, which was designed at the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center in California, displays advances in several research and development projects in the fields of safety and security. It clearly highlights the spearhead competence and the resources that the company has at its command.

  • Curved B-Posts

 

The Volvo SCC has a number of additional functions that improve visibility:

 

The driver can see through the windscreen's supporting pillars - the A-posts - owing to a metal box construction combined with see-through Plexiglas. The B-posts - the pillars between the front and rear doors - curve inwards following the contours of the seat frame to offer an unobstructed field of vision to the offset rear.

 

A radar unit measures the distance to traffic at the rear and to vehicles alongside the car, and alerts the driver to vehicles in the offset rear "blind spot".

 

In addition, rearward-facing cameras integrated into the door mirrors can show the driver what is in the blind spot.

 

The headlight beams adapt to the road, for example by directing the beam in the direction that the driver is turning at a crossroads or in a curve.

 

An infrared light enhancer boosts nighttime vision beyond the reach of the headlights.

 

A forward-facing camera monitors the position of the car on the road and alerts the driver if there is any tendency to veer off course.

 

The brake lights flash to alert following traffic in harsh brake application.

  • Increased Crash Safety And Personal Security

 

In addition, the Volvo SCC features a number of exciting features in the areas of active driving safety, crash protection and personal security.

 

Together with the car's B-posts, the front seat frames form a safety cage that is at least as effective in roll-over accidents and side-impact collisions as conventional B-posts are.

 

The car has two different types of 4-point safety belt: the 'X4 Criss Cross Belt' and a conventional 3-point belt that is supplemented with an additional diagonal chest belt. This V4 Center Buckle Belt is a new 4-point safety harness that has a centrally positioned buckle and shoulder straps that form a "V" across the chest.

 

The rear seat has two electrically adjustable seat cushions whose height can be simply altered to give children the most comfortable and the safest seating position, irrespective of their height.

 

At the front of a car there is a cowl bag - a concealed external airbag that inflates to give pedestrians and cyclists added protection in the event of a collision.

  • The Remote Control Unit Becomes A Communication Center

 

The remote control unit has been developed into the Volvo Personal Communicator (VPC), and it has a number of new features:

 

A fingerprint sensor personalizes the remote control unit.

 

The driver only has to grasp the door handle to unlock the door - and the car can be started without a key.

 

The VPC transmits the driver's personal setting parameters to the car, which automatically makes the necessary adjustments to the driver's seat, steering wheel, pedals and so on.

 

The system can even be pre-programmed with a number of destinations so that the navigation instrument is preset at the same time as the driver unlocks the door.

 

A heartbeat sensor registers both human and animal heartbeats when the car is parked. The sensor is activated if anyone breaks into the car and hides inside it - or if a child or pet is left inside by mistake.

 

If the driver is more than 100 yards from the car, the VPC can still transmit this information - via a cell phone. It is also possible to transfer information from a PC or hand-held computer.

Keywords:
SCC, 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.