Irvine, CA (January 11, 2008) - Building on a heritage of innovation in safety, Volvo has introduced a Collision Avoidance Package for select 2008 models. Volvo's latest preventative safety technologies focus on preventing driver distractions that studies show cause up to 90 percent of all traffic accidents. Based on this statistic, Volvo has developed efficient technologies to help drivers avoid or reduce the severity of accidents caused by distraction and driver fatigue.
The Collision Avoidance Package carries a retail price of $1,695 and is available on the 2008 Volvo V70, XC70 and S80 models. It includes the following features:
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 - between 1.0 and 2.6 seconds - 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 higher. 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 41 mph and stays active as long as the speed exceeds 37 mph.
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 North America, LLC (VCNA), based in Irvine, Calif., is a subsidiary of the Volvo Car Corporation of Goteborg, Sweden. VCNA provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States, and overseas Volvo operations in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Volvo has been building cars with safety in mind for 80 years. For more information: http://www.volvocars-pr.com/
Contact:
Volvo Cars of North America
Dan Johnston
Djohn116@volvocars.com
201-784-4504
James Hope
Jhope10@volvocars.com
949-341-6717
