New award
Volvo City Safety receives Euro NCAP Advance rating
Volvo City Safety has received Euro NCAP Advance, an assessment rating for new and exceptional safety technology that was awarded for the first time ever at the Paris Motor Show.
The Euro NCAP Advance rating is designed to complement the Euro NCAP's current assessment system in which car models are tested in a variety of situations and then rated for safety with up to five stars. The method used for assessment in Euro NCAP Advance is based on scientific data provided by the car manufacturers which are then analysed by a panel of experts appointed by Euro NCAP. Only safety systems available on car models that have already undergone the original test are eligible for the award.
A step in the right direction
Volvo Cars has previously lobbied for Euro NCAP to take account of active safety systems in its overall assessment of car models.
"Highly gratifying. We have worked long and hard for active safety systems to be included in Euro NCAP's assessment criteria," says Thomas Broberg, Senior safety advisor at Volvo Cars. "Euro NCAP Advance is without doubt a step in the right direction and an excellent complement to the physical crash tests," he concluded.
Automatic braking
Volvo City Safety was presented in 2008 as standard on the Volvo XC60. At speeds below 19 mph, this system automatically brakes the car if the driver is distracted and fails to react when the vehicle in front suddenly stops or slows down. Low-speed rear-end impacts account for more than 50 per cent of all collisions. At speeds below 9 mph Volvo City Safety can entirely avoid an impact, and between 9 and 19 mph the system significantly reduces the car's speed and thus also reduces the consequences of an accident.
Volvo City Safety has received widespread attention and secured a number of awards, including the Paul Pietsch Award from German motoring magazine Auto Motor und Sport, Best Safety Choice from Spanish safety institute Centro Zaragoza and the USA's Traffic Safety Achievement Award.
The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European car safety performance assessment programme founded in 1997. Euro NCAP publishes safety reports on new cars, and awards 'star ratings' based on the performance of the vehicles in a variety of crash tests.
