Top results in independent crash tests:
The Volvo S80 is the first car in the world to get top results in both European and American crash tests, carried out by the three independent test institutes: Euro-NCAP, US-NCAP and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The results suggest that the Volvo S80 could be the safest car in the world.
The ongoing NCAP tests are part of the consumer information provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the U.S. traffic safety authority. The cars tested are evaluated in both a frontal crash test and in a side impact test.
In July 1999, the Volvo S80 became the first car in the world to score full points for both driver and passenger protection in side-impact tests. At the end of October 2000, the front-impact test was carried out and, once again, the Volvo S80 came out on top, giving it a second five-plus-five-star rating.
The Volvo S80 had previously been named "Best Pick," the highest possible ranking in the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) frontal impact test. S80 also gained top marks in the European NCAP tests. Euro-NCAP conducts a frontal offset crash test as well as side-impact tests against both a vehicle and a lamppost.
"Here we have a number of different tests, carried out by three independent organisations, all coming to the very same conclusion. As a company policy, we do not generally publicise the results of individual tests since we do not feel that a single test is sufficient to assess a car model's overall safety level. But this clearly shows that the Volvo S80 has achieved an absolutely world class level of safety," says Christer Gustafsson, safety expert at Volvo Car Corporation.
"In fact, the actual safety level of the Volvo S80 is even more comprehensive than these tests suggest. The tests only cover some of the situations that the Volvo S80 is designed to withstand. Most of the tests don't rate the multitude of advanced systems found in the car, systems like the WHIPS whiplash-protection seating," adds Gustafsson.
The elegant Volvo S80 luxury sedan is the flagship of the 2001 Volvo automobile line that includes the versatile V70 wagon and rugged Cross Country, C70 coupe and convertible, the sporty, new S60 sedan and compact S40 and V40 models. Volvo automobiles are sold and serviced through 44 Volvo retailers in major markets across Canada.
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Information:
Lisa Graham
Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd.
(416)490-5834
Doug Mepham
MacDonald & Co.
(416)975-1572
