The Volvo brand has long been associated with safety, something the company will continue by offering a new range of safety equipment for the S80, XC70, and V70 later this year. Among the changes will be a revised Collision Warning with Auto Brake–which automatically activates the brakes if the driver doesn't react to the warnings–a Lane Departure Warning and Driver Alert Control.

The Driver Alert Control and Lane Departure Warning will be part of the same option package, called the Driver Alert System. Working together, the system detects when the car is veering too much and suggests that the driver should take a break. This technology is a world-first for a passenger car.

"Real life safety is the key to our safety philosophy. When it comes to preventive safety, we have the same approach as when we develop protective systems. In other words that our research and technical development focus on areas where new technology can create significant results in real-life-traffic," says Ingrid Skogsmo, Director of the Volvo Cars Safety Center.

Studies show that up to 90% of all traffic accidents are caused by driver distraction.

Apr. 30 - Swedish car giant Volvo sets a target to eliminate death and injury in its vehicles by 2020.

The firm says it is claiming a first in setting a target date in the race to cut the world-wide crash toll of 1.2 million deaths and 50 million injuries each year.

Volvo's Polestar performance brand doesn't have the heritage of BMW M or Mercedes-AMG, but what it lacks in history it makes up for in style, performance and plenty of bright blue paint. It's also going to offend very few with the news it's looking to diesel and hybrid powertrains in an effort to boost that performance in the future.

Where BMW or Mercedes might shy away from loading its performance models with the latest eco tech, Volvo has nothing to lose--and everything to gain from a rethink of traditional performance car norms.

According to Autocar, future Polestar models are likely to be all-wheel drive, with highly-tuned four-cylinder Drive-E power units, like those Volvo is rolling out at the moment. In addition to the four-pot engines, Polestar could boost power by equipping the rear wheels with electric drive. Volvo already uses a similar setup on its V60 Plug-In Hybrid sold in Europe--and the gasoline and diesel Drive-E power units have all been designed with electric drive in mind as that is how Volvo eventually plans to compete with V-6 and V-8 rivals.

Polestar boss Hans Baath told Autocar that electric drive is "logical", because it fills in the low-down torque gap of using smaller engines as the basis of performance models. He also says using smaller engines for big power "is not a problem", because racing technology such as low-friction components and roller cams makes achieving high outputs much easier. Baath deems electrification "interesting" for its all-wheel-drive possibilities.

Volvo's first Polestar models, due this June, will be more conventional. The 2015 Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar feature a 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-six producing 345 horsepower and 369 pounds-feet of torque. Drive is sent to all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission and Haldex all-wheel-drive system, delivering a 4.9-second 0-60 sprint in either model. A special body kit and interior accoutrements will differentiate each car from their more conventional siblings--while only 120 examples will reach U.S. customers.

With the all-new XC90 SUV out in the open, attention can now turn to the other models Volvo plans to introduce over the next few years. Volvo’s plans are significant but we’ve put together a rough outline of what to expect and when.

Volvo’s future lineup of vehicles will be based on one of two platforms. Larger vehicles, those sized from the S60 up, will be based on the SPA platform debuting in the new XC90. Everything smaller will sit on a second platform dubbed CMA, which Volvo is currently developing with its parent company Geely. CMA won’t be ready for a few years so in the meantime Volvo will focus on its larger offerings.

Following the new XC90, which goes on sale in the U.S. next spring, as a 2016 model, Volvo will launch a new midsize sedan reviving the S90 badge. The S90 will replace the S80 and target the likes of the Audi A6 and Jaguar XF. Next up will be a new luxury wagon reviving Volvo’s V90 badge. We’ve already been given a preview of this model in the form of the stunning Volvo Concept Estate unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.

Once the larger models are all on sale, Volvo will look to replace its S60, V60 and XC60 lines. Not much is known about these models but they should follow the example set by their current-generation versions.

After these three models are launched, Volvo will start introducing its new compact range. As mentioned, these models will sit on a new modular platform dubbed CMA. They will include a new S40 compact sedan to take on the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, a replacement for the V40 that’s tipped to be more of a proper wagon as opposed to a hatch, and a new XC40 compact crossover. The current V40 Cross Country will be dropped once it reaches the end of its life.

All nine new Volvos, from the C40 right up to the XC90, should be in showrooms before the end of the decade. All models will feature engines with no more than four cylinders, with some of the smaller models set to feature new three-cylinder engines spun off the design of Volvo’s current four-cylinder units. The good news is that there will also be high-performance Polestar variants along the way.

Audi recently unveiled a high-performance diesel engine that featured a pair of turbochargers and an electric motor that spools the smaller of the turbos at low revs to help it produce almost instantaneous boost. The technology is expected to debut in 2016 in a high-performance version of Audi’s next-generation Q7 SUV and slowly filter across to more models.

Now Volvo has revealed a similar concept, based on a gasoline engine. With its decision to adopt engines with no more than four cylinders, Volvo has been forced to add complex hybrid systems to boost power levels to match outputs of rival manufacturers’ V-8 models. But its new electrically-driven turbocharger technology looks to be a simpler—and likely more affordable—alternative.

Using a 2.0-liter Drive-E four-cylinder engine as the starting point, Volvo engineers added a twin-turbocharging system to boost output. But unlike a conventional turbocharger setup that uses wasted exhaust gases to spin its compressor wheel, the turbochargers on Volvo’s new engine spin their compressors using high-pressure air fed from a third, electrically-driven turbo, in essence making this a triple-turbocharged engine.

Though not mentioned, the electrically-driven turbo is likely utilized at low revs only. Once revs are sufficiently high, the two turbochargers feeding air to the engine likely rely on wasted exhaust gases to keep their compressors spinning, like a conventional turbocharged engine.

But to further boost output, Volvo’s new engine also uses a high-pressure fuel system that pumps fuel into the engine at more than 3,600 psi. Combine this with the charged air from the turbochargers, and you’re looking at a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine capable of delivering 450 horsepower—without any turbo lag!

At present, the engine is still in the concept phase but Volvo is working closely with suppliers as well as its performance arm Polestar to further develop the technology.

“When we launched the Drive-E powertrain family, our aim was to deliver the most advanced four-cylinder engines in the industry based on emissions and fuel consumption relative to performance and drivability,” Volvo R&D chief Peter Mertens said. “The 450-hp high-performance Drive-E powertrain concept demonstrates this ambition and the versatility of the Drive-E powertrains.

Volvo Plans to Go Electric, to Abandon Conventional Car Engine by 2019

CEO reiterates target of selling one million electric cars and hybrids by 2025

July 5, 2017 12:00 a.m. ET

For Volvo the internal combustion engine has run its course.

In the face of competition from upstarts like Tesla Inc., which begins production this week of its new mass-market Model 3 electric battery-powered family car, the Chinese-owned automotive group on Wednesday said all new Volvo models from 2019 would be either fully electric or a hybrid.

Volvo is the first major auto maker to abandon the technology that has powered the industry for more than a century. Hakan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars, said in a statement that the move “marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car,” reiterating his target of selling one million electric cars and hybrids by 2025. “When we said it, we meant it. This is how we are going to do it.”

Volvo also said it would launch five new electric and hybrid vehicles between 2019 and 2021. Two of the new models would be built by Polestar, the performance-car unit that Volvo is spinning off as a “separately branded electrified global high performance car company.” Volvo Cars would build the other three models. No further details were available.

All major auto makers are preparing for a shift to electric vehicles, but the challenge for the industry is to get the timing right because of the industry’s typically long product cycles that involve years of research and development before a vehicle rolls off the assembly line.

Auto executives talk about an impending “tipping point” when the costs of some electric car models are expected to fall below the cost of the conventional version of the same vehicle type. When that happens, industry executives and analysts say momentum could shift quickly in favor of electric cars.

Industry analysts estimate that rising costs of developing combustion engines that meet ever-stricter emissions regulations could make some electric models more affordable as soon as 2025. With a starting price of around $35,000, the Tesla Model 3 that launches this week is only slightly more expensive than BMW AG’s 3-Series sedan with a gasoline or diesel engine.

Volvo is making a true ‘Autopilot’ that’ll let you eat, sleep, or watch movies – coming in 3 years

Self-driving cars have gone from DARPA project to roaming our streets much faster than anyone predicted, but if you bring the topic up with a grouchy truck nuts-owning uncle, the response is probably going to be “Yeah, but when can I buy one?”

Volvo is making a more concrete (and realistic!) pledge than most of its competitors: to have a Level 4 autonomous car in showrooms, buyable and usable, by 2021. Level 4 doesn’t mean full autonomy, but what it does mean is that you can have the bulk of your commute completely automated.

The service will be called Highway Assist, and it sounds basically like what people think Tesla’s Autopilot is, but safe. The system will enable you “to ‘eat, sleep, work, watch a movie, relax, do whatever,” Volvo Senior Vice President of Research & Development Henrik Green told Jalopnik. It will only work on appropriate roads (read: highways) that have been mapped out, to stay on the safe side.

Volvo’s approach here is fascinating, and it makes a compelling case to be the safest way to transition us to fully autonomous vehicles. Most automakers right now are playing up semi-autonomous systems, kind of like Tesla’s Autopilot, in which the car can drive itself 99% of the time, but requires an alert human to monitor the system and take over at a moment’s notice. The problem with that, of course, is that humans are stupid, and people will ignore all safety warnings and let the car drive if it seems like it’s doing an OK job.

What Volvo is doing — fool-proof autonomy 70% of the time, rather than mostly-good autonomy 100% of the time — is a much more reliable way to get us to full autonomy, which will still be the end goal. Any safety system is only as strong as its weakest link, a human who’s drunk, distracted, or tired is that weak link.

Highway Assist will initially be available on Volvo’s flagship XC90 SUV, and will cost in the “four figures” at least. As hardware costs come down, however, you can bet it’ll trickle its way down to cheaper models, which just might help consumers become more comfortable with the idea of machines doing the driving.

Volvo announced on Monday that it will be limiting the top speed on all of its vehicles to 180 km/h (112 mph) in a bid to reduce traffic fatalities. The new speed limit will be implemented on all model year 2021 cars, the company said.

Volvo is framing the new policy as a key component in its Vision 2020 goal, in which no one is killed or seriously injured in a Volvo vehicle by 2020. Over the years, the company built its reputation on safety and quirky designs, and today’s announcement is meant to underline that. Apart from limiting top speeds, Volvo is also exploring how a combination of speed control and geofencing technology could automatically limit speeds of its vehicles around schools and hospitals in the future.

Volvo’s new speed limit is still significantly above what is legally allowed in most countries. Even in Germany, where speed junkies flock to the famously unrestricted Autobahn highway network, policymakers are weighing a speed limit of 130 km/h to more effectively reduce transportation-related environmental damage.

In fact, most luxury automakers limit their high-performing models to 155 mph, thanks to a “gentleman’s agreement” between Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW a number of years ago to reduce the number of fatalities on the Autobahn.

It’s unclear how capping the top speed could affect Volvo’s sales — speed freaks tend to prefer other brands — but the company is implementing it with few exceptions. In an email to The Verge, a spokesperson said the speed cap will not be possible to remove. “It can be removed only in special cases where there is a clear purpose, such as for police cars,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson wouldn’t respond to The Verge’s question about whether the new 112 mph limit would apply to Volvo’s new electric performance sub-brand, Polestar, referring us instead to Polestar for an answer. (A Polestar spokesperson didn’t reply to our email.) The new Polestar 2’s all-wheel drive power is supposed to help the car get from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under five seconds.

Limiting the top speed of vehicles is sure to appeal to some safety advocates who have been sounding the alarm about rising traffic fatalities. A new report by the Governors Highway Safety Association determined that about 6,227 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2018 — a 4 percent increase over 2017 and the highest mortality rate since 1990.

Much of the problem stems from consumers’ ongoing love affair with trucks and SUVs. America’s favorite motor vehicle type is also its most deadly. The number of pedestrians killed in crashes involving SUVs has skyrocketed by 81 percent in the last decade, according to a report released last year by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

This is mostly because of the way SUVs are designed: larger bodies and higher carriages mean pedestrians are more likely to suffer deadly blows to the torso, and higher clearances mean victims are more likely to get trapped underneath a speeding SUV instead of pushed onto the hood or bounced off to the side. Speed is also a factor since SUVs have more horsepower than a typical sedan. A recent investigation by USA Today and the Detroit Free Pressfound that the growing popularity of SUVs accounts for the alarming rise in pedestrian deaths.

Volvo notes that the other two problems are intoxication and distraction. The company expects to present its plans for tackling these issues at a special safety event in Sweden on March 20th.

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Volvo and Volkswagen were appointed by Transport & Environment as the only major automakers ready to make the switch to EVs. Another proof of that is Volvo’s investment in its Ridgeville plant in South Carolina.

Apart from producing the S60 and a future electrified Volvo that the Swedish carmaker is yet to reveal, it will also manufacture the Polestar 3. Not by coincidence, Polestar revealed almost simultaneously the teaser above.

It makes clear that the Polestar 3 will be an aerodynamic vehicle. Polestar complemented that information by stating it will be a performance SUV. Some renderings imagined it as a version of the C40, but that will not be the case.

The Polestar 3 will debut an entirely new electric vehicle architecture. We bet it is a dedicated one, unlike the CMA used by the C40 and its older brother, the XC40. Volvo and Geely must have realized that something built from scratch would present better results and fewer compromises than a platform that would also have to accommodate combustion engines.

The curious part about this move is that Volvo clarified it would make the Polestar 3 “under contract for its affiliate, Polestar Cars.” The effort to make customers see both companies as completely independent entities is remarkable.

To get the Polestar 3 produced in South Carolina, Volvo will invest $118 million in that plant. That’s a relatively low investment considering a new vehicle made with an entirely new architecture. With that amount of money, Volvo will have a cumulative investment of more than $1.2 billion in its American plant.

That means that Volvo’s mysterious vehicle for South Carolina is also based on this dedicated EV platform that will be presented with the Polestar 3. Unfortunately, we still have no idea what that Volvo will be. The production of the Polestar 3 in Ridgeville will begin in 2022. According to Polestar, it will reduce “delivery times as well as the environmental impact” of transportation

Volvo has announced a whole slew of information about where the company is headed, from battery technology to advanced driver aids. And it was all capped by the concept car you see above, the Volvo Concept Recharge. It all shows that Volvo's future is stylish, electrified and featuring the latest in safety technology. So, in a way, pretty much exactly what you'd hope and expect.

Volvo didn't say much about the specifications of the Concept Recharge, but its design will clearly influence future Volvo models, including the company's upcoming flagship electric SUV that will be revealed next year. The front ditches even faux grilles for a sculpted fascia. The shape does echo some of the look of a grille, particularly with the Volvo slash and badge in the middle. The "Thor's Hammer" headlights remain, and in the case of the concept, they have wild running lights that slide up and out of the way inside the housing to make way for the actual projector headlights at night time. The whole shape of the car is based around the electric powertrain. It has a low floor and glass roof that means the whole body can be made lower and sleeker without compromising space. The wheels are pushed to the far edges, too. At the back, the car has slim vertical taillights, continuing a Volvo design tradition.

On the roof, there is a lidar sensor placed at the top of the windshield. This is a significant piece of Volvo's future, as its next generation of vehicles, starting with that aforementioned SUV, will all come with one of these sensors as standard. It will be used in combination with cameras, radar, real-time data, machine learning and mapping data to provide advanced driver aids, including what Volvo describes as "unsupervised autonomous" driving in specific circumstances. Basically, it will be SAE Level 3 autonomy, a step beyond the hands-free, but still supervised Level 2 systems such as GM's Super Cruise. It will only be available on specific roads in specific circumstances, and so it won't be able to handle the entire driving task from driveway to driveway. The company expects to offer this level of autonomy on highways first, and it will only be in specific areas to begin. It didn't give an exact timeline for the roll-out and it will be a more gradual increase over time, rather than everything being launched all at once. The company also emphasized that it will only begin launching the features when they're well and truly ready.

Besides driver aid improvements, Volvo is working on battery upgrades. It's looking at improvements in energy density from its lithium-ion batteries of 50 percent in the next few years. By the end of the decade, it's aiming for density of around 1,000 watts per liter, which it says would be on par with solid-state battery technology. Increased charging speeds are also on the docket with 800-volt charging systems, plus two-way charging so that the car's stored power could power homes and appliances.

Volvo is still paying plenty of attention to the cabin, too. On this Concept Recharge, the interior is airy and minimalist while using quality materials. The wood trim with integrated backlighting is particularly stylish, and the rear seats with adjustable height lower cushions are great for child safety as well as child visibility. Most relevant, though is the instrument cluster and infotainment system. These feature the next generation of Volvo infotainment, which seems to go entirely to touch controls. The layout is also strongly reminiscent of what's used in the Ford Mustang Mach-E with the slim instrument screen and large vertical infotainment screen. In this instance, it's a 15-inch display.

We'll see our first production implementations of this technology and styling with next year's Volvo flagship SUV. It has been described as the successor to the XC90. Volvo noted that it will adopt an actual name rather than an alphanumeric, which is a big change for the brand. We may also see some of this technology appear in the Polestar 3 crossover that's also on the way.