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Volvo claims its new mid-sized crossover, the XC60, is the safest car it has ever produced. That bold claim rests not only on the marque's reputation for excellent crash safety, but also on a new active safety technology called City Safety.
The aim of City Safety is to reduce low-speed nose-to-tail impacts that are common in urban driving.
If the car is about to drive into the vehicle in front and the driver does not react, the car brakes itself.
"We are the first manufacturer in the world to offer this type of feature as standard," says Volvo Cars president Fredrik Arp. "The car is packed with our accumulated safety know-how and technology, both when it comes to preventing accidents and protecting all the occupants in a collision."
The XC60 is based on the Land Rover Freelander platform, but the emphasis is on sporty on-road driving characteristics and sharp styling than mud-plugging. It has the high ground clearance and driving position of an off-roader, but boasts the sleek roofline, flared wheelarches and large wheels of a coupe.
"This car is charged with more emotive form and more energy than any other Volvo," says Volvo Cars design director Steve Mattin.
"We're elevating our design DNA to a new level by literally turning up the visual volume. If you say that you'd recognise a Volvo from 100 metres away today, I dare say the XC60 radiates a clear Volvo presence from at least twice that distance."
The car goes on sale in Europe and export markets late this year and early in 2009. The largest markets during peak year in 2010 are expected to be America, Germany, Great Britain, Russia and China. The XC60 will be built at Volvo's factory in Belgium.
