How about a contest?

Safety is difficult to demonstrate. BMW’s motor and exhaust sound great when you turn the key. Mercedes’ doors clunk like a bank vault. But, Volvo safety is well hidden, just waiting for that one miserable day in our life. XC60 has been different in that you can test drive our City Safety system at any Volvo retailer. But other than that, our safety is buried deep into sheet metal and electronics.

However, this photo shows an interesting safety feature you would never notice. I found it while talking with Thomas Broberg, Senior Safety Engineer, Volvo Car Corporation – Sweden at our XC60 launch this past February.

This bracket is inside the passenger doorframe, facing forward.  It is used in: XC60, XC70, V70, S80, C30, V50, S40 and a slightly different version on C70. What is its function?

Of course, like any good contest, there is a prize, and here is the story behind it: we (wife/dog/I) moved into another house some years ago. When we were packing up umpteen years of Volvo jackets, t-shirts, sweaters, even some earmuffs, I found this T-shirt. We did this in PR when we launched S40 and V40 in 1999. We created our own logo “Sweden Rules”, thanks to our resident creative genius Soren Johansson. This is the last and only shirt that exists that is brand new. Amazingly, I never wore this shirt, meaning there is no food, paint, wine, grease, or dirt on it. I just washed it today to get 10 years of dust off it. Only one size: XL.

Send your answer to: djohn116@volvocars.com

Another disclaimer: This has absolutely no value. If more than one correct answer is submitted, I’ll write your name on some sort of scrap paper, throw it into an old Viking helmet and have someone unlucky enough to stumble by my office in seven days draw out the winning name. No Volvo employees, that in includes you, Ragnar Crona (who helped me with this – thanks), and Thomas Broberg who knows everything.

Tags: City Safety, contest, safety, sweden rules