The Swedish automotive brand obsessed by safety is getting ready to take the wraps off its new mid-sized SUV, and when it debuts in Geneva it will do so with first-of-its-kind accident avoidance technology.
Chief among them will be an intelligent steering system that can step in and maneuver the car out of danger in the event of a collision.
"We have been working with collision avoidance systems for many years and we can see how effective they are. In Sweden alone we have seen a decline of around 45% in rear-end frontal crashes thanks to our collision warning with autobrake system. With the XC60 we are determined to take the next step in reducing avoidable collisions with the addition of steering support and assistance systems," said Malin Ekholm, Senior Director, Volvo Cars' Safety Centre.
The steering system forms the bedrock of three distinct new features that will be making their global debut on the XC60. At speeds between 50-100km/h when emergency autonomous braking isn't enough to avoid a collision with another vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist, the car can also turn the steering wheel to maneuver out of harm's way.
At higher highway speeds it's part of something Volvo's calling Oncoming Lane Mitigation -- a system that will actively pull the car back into lane if there's a vehicle coming the other way.
As part of the updated blind spot monitoring system, the steering can also step in to move the car back into lane if you're about to overtake, unaware that there's a vehicle in your blind spot; rather than simply sound an alarm that there's a car alongside your vehicle.
What's more, these new features will be on top of the existing suite of safety systems that the company developed for its flagship XC90 SUV.
All three of these new features represent clear steps in our work towards fully autonomous cars," said Ekholm. "We have all of the benefits of the safety technology we introduced in our larger 90 Series cars in the new XC60. This is fully in-line with our strategic approach to develop automotive safety systems based on real-life, real-road safety. Our vision is that no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by the year 2020."
The Volvo XC60 will be unveiled at the Geneva motor show on March 7, two days before the event officially opens to the public.