Another bit of good news
The following graph came from Edmunds.com news service today. I haven’t seen this kind of positive strength in the market, or for our brand in years. Of course the economy took a nasty swipe at everyones sales, yet I think what is encouraging is our car sales seem to be heading North – with all fingers crossed. In our business, what is a new product today, takes many years to get ready for production. It’s not like we can turn off or change directions overnight, so there has to be faith in what is planned and that there will be a market for what we make. I think with S60 leading and other styling work we are doing, we have good plans for an even stronger future.
Perhaps the biggest change will be how we handle our contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Our decision to expand our four-cylinder range is right in step with the kind of responsibility a manufacturer must take to reduce CO2 emissions.
It’s going to be an interesting ride as we keep rolling along.
“Other small makes with the largest percentage gains included Saab USA’s 42.7-percent improvement (although volume remained meager at 4,614 units), Porsche Cars North America at 28.1 percent (on 22,644 total sales) and Volvo Cars, which improved 26.8 percent to 52,155 sales through September,” according to Edmunds.com.
Here’s the full article: http://www.autoobserver.com/2011/10/auto-sales-2011-everybody-gaining-except-japan.html
Stay warm…it is far from warm here.
dan
Posted in Electrification, fuel efficiency, news, S60, Volvo Sales | 1 Comment »S60 is really hitting its stride
Doesn’t seem that long ago we posted this blog entry:
http://www.volvoblog.us/2011/02/28/monday-mornings-can-be-sooo-nice/
On October 25, 2011, Consumer Reports released an overall summary of their 2011 readers survey on Reliability. Here’s what they said about our S60:
Mixed results from Europe
European models continue to be a blend of reliable and not so reliable vehicles. Overall, European vehicles’ reliability is slightly below that of domestic models. Of the 58 European models for which Consumer Reports has sufficient data, 37 (64 percent) scored average or better in predicted reliability.
Among European brands, Volvo ranked the highest at 10th overall. It was helped by the redesigned S60, which was above average in its first year.
Consumer Reports Annual Auto Survey Ratings are unrelated to Consumer Reports vehicle road-test results, but are a key factor in determining whether or not Consumer Reports recommends a car. CR only recommends models that have performed well in tests conducted at its 327-acre Auto Test Center in Connecticut, and that have average or better predicted reliability based on its annual survey. In addition, vehicles must perform at least adequately in government or insurance-industry crash and rollover tests, if tested, in order to be Recommended by Consumer Reports.
Full reliability history charts and predicted-reliability ratings on hundreds of 2012 models, plus a list of what’s up and what’s down, best and worst models, and a comparison chart of brands can be found online at www.ConsumerReports.org, in the December issue and in the latest Consumer Reports Cars publication, Best & Worst New Cars for 2012 ($7.99 U.S./$8.99 Canada), on sale November 15, 2011 everywhere magazines are sold.
Go buy their annual report, and see for yourself what we’ve been up to these past few years.
Not bad for a brand new car. As of last month, we sold 15,799, putting S60 way ahead of all other other cars by sales volume. We just came back from a long trip and funny how many people looked at our Vibrant Copper S60 T5. Even a BMW owner gave us a thumbs up. : )
dan
Posted in news, S60 | 4 Comments »Why people smile when they sit in our cars
PV444 1958 S60 2011
When I brought home my first Volvo, a ’58 PV444, I didn’t noticed how uncomfortable the seats were. After I drove from Torrance to my Aunt and Uncle’s home in Livermore – about 300 miles – I couldn’t wait to get out of that car. I later bought a seat back cushion (a small coiled wire with cloth covering) that helped air circulate and gave me a little more back support, but it was still an uncomfortable journey. I did find the adjustment for the seat back, a small 10mm screw in the bottom of each seat fame side – clever but not practical – and there wasn’t any lumbar support. When I started at Volvo, out back behind our warehouse was a 164 that was accident damaged. I ‘borrowed’ the light tan leather front seats and threw away those ’58 back breakers. It was kind of hard to close the doors, but boy those were comfortable seats. So what happened between ’58 and ’68?
Volvo’s newly installed (1956) President Gunner Engellau, killed the P1900 fiberglass convertible, which was terrible to drive, had poor brakes, and guess what, rotten seats. He sensed that while we made good cars, except P1900, we really didn’t understand seat design. In the following years there were minor improvements to seat back and cushion design, but everything would change when he hired Doctor Ulf Nachemson who was a spinal specialist (thanks Bob for finding this) to work with Nils Bolin to teach us how to build good seats. Basically it was not rocket science to designing a comfortable seat, just ask someone who knows bones, how best to support our back, and you’ll have a great seat. I think aside from giving the world a three-point seat belt, Volvo’s next great accomplishment was to put a lumbar adjustment in seats.
Then again, here’s what USA Today’s automotive editor Jim Healy’s wrote in his 2009 C30 review:
The seats. You can’t talk about a Volvo without championing the seats as probably the industry’s most comfortable. You gotta wonder why all other automakers don’t simply copy ‘em.”
History of Volvo seats:
The Volvo seat was the result of scientific research conducted largely by Nils Bohlin, the person who just a few years earlier created the three-point safety belt. The new seat had two major new features: firstly, the backrest angle could be adjusted with a rotary control, and secondly, there was built-in adjustment of lumbar support in the backrest. Volvo was the first manufacturer in the world with these features.
Before this, the backrest angle could be adjusted to three preset positions. In the new seat, the backrest angle could be adjusted infinitely. The height of the seat above the floor could be set at a choice of three levels and at the front the seat cushion had softer foam padding than in the rest of the seat. The angle of the seat cushion could be adjusted to suit leg length or “driving experience,” as it was worded back in 1964.
The backrest was of a totally new design, lowering the burden on the body higher up towards the shoulders. However, the biggest news was that the backrest’s lumbar section could be adjusted to suit individual taste. This lumbar support consisted of two robust horizontally tensioned rubber straps whose tension could be altered via a rotary control in the side of the backrest. Another advantage with the new front seats was that they featured built-in attachments for a specially designed head restraint.
What is more, both front seats could now be moved much further fore and aft than before. The Volvo seat was big news from the viewpoints of both technology and safety. Previous seats may have been nice to look at but they were by no means designed to meet specific requirements. With the new seat, the Volvo driver took a giant step forward toward increased comfort and thus safer travel.
At the same time, a new type of upholstery material was introduced in Volvo’s models – vinyl. Together with the new design of the seat – Volvo did not hesitate to call it elegant – it was clear that this was a new era, an era when comfortable seating was regarded as important for safety on the road.
The Volvo seat was introduced on the 1965 model of the Amazon and also on the PV 544 and it was naturally also fitted in the 144 when it was launched a year later. The fact that the Volvo seat came to be the basis for continued seat and ergonomics development at Volvo – and still is – clearly highlights its obvious safety and comfort-enhancing properties.
dan
Posted in C30, interior, luxury, S60, Volvo History | 5 Comments »Media Introduction – S60 R-Design
We recently held a U.S. media road and track event with our S60 R-Design. Our driving route took us through Napa, CA and over some wonderful twisting roads back down into the San Joaquin Valley, and then over to Thunder Hill Race Track in Willows, CA.
Randy is our press fleet manager, route course finder and map maker (think Lewis and Clark). His route perfectly showcased the car’s on-road handling, even on fairly rough pavement. Most car companies look for perfectly flat, clean roads to give media a nice smooth ride. What we wanted to demonstrate was how well suited the S60 R-Design is to sporty mountain driving, within reason of course, and give them an opportunity to push it on the race track. There were route sections that probably could have been better paved but we built a suspension to dampen as needed, and not transmit nastiness back to occupants and yet perform like a European sports sedan.
I’ve driven our S60 R (2004-07) on Sport mode and found restroom stops were more frequent than with other Volvo’s I’ve driven. It has a tough, no nonsense sport feel. I took one airborne east of Las Vegas and landed on all four. I did do a little scraping but the suspension took the rapid compression nicely….so did my teeth. While I didn’t get an opportunity to go airborne again in California, the car performed exactly as promised – laid flat in corners and felt like it could be pushed all day long.
For those of you who have never done any event planning, you’ll never know how complicated this can be. James started event planning last year and all was working perfectly until, eight days from receiving our cars at Port Hueneme, CA, he learned our transport ship had boiler problems and was heading to Halifax, NS, Canada, for repairs. “Great!”
Now, James treasures every bit of hair he sports but I think he lost a few more strands from that message. He developed an alternative plan before the email ink was dry. “We’ll get some cars from Retailers.” So that involved four car carrier trucks, pulling car orders, talking to regional staff and checking with our logistics group.
Flash forward four days: The ship is fixed and on it’s way, and should land three days before event day. Yeah, I think more hair was lost. Now we have to reverse our Retailer shipments and go back to the first plan. In the end, the cars arrived the day before the media showed up.
There were two media waves, about 20 per wave, and all went perfectly: no accidents, lost cell phones, note books, sunglasses, iPads/Pods, nothing.
Of course, the track was awesome. I’m not a driver, so for me the best part is getting to drive with a professional. I was in awe sitting co-pilot and watching Bob handle our car, to the 9/10th level.
Turn 5 is like the Cork Screw at Laguna Seca – totally blind, slight up hill, set wheel to right at crest, and pray. There is another way to explain this turn but my mother would be the first to call so I won’t use it. Turn 6 is next with a very fast sweeping left turn. Darn, did that car just lay flat and scoot. Another blind turn and a couple of quick turns, and we were back home.
My turn and Bob walked me through each turn. I was much slower, but really wasn’t trying for speed, just to be smooth. Bob said I drive well (one man’s opinion), but I took the compliment.
A little disclaimer: The S60 R-Design is not a track car, and we’ll never bill it as such, but James wanted to show it wasn’t a slouch to drive at its limit.
So what’s S60 R-Design about? This is one fast (0-60 in 5.5 seconds), performance AWD, road hugging, wonderfully comfortable, hot Swede.
Here is an article about our business goals for S60 R-Design, and what this car means to us: http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2011/08/volvo-s60-r-design-bucks-classic-%e2%80%93-if-boring-image/
Automobile Magazine’s Amy Skogstrom’s good analysis of the S60 R-Design against competitive segment: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1108_2012_volvo_s60_t6_awd_r_design_first_drive/index.html
Car and Driver’s K.C. Colwell’s piece is well balanced with pluses and minuses: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/11q3/2012_volvo_s60_r-design-first_drive_review
dan
K-PAX Crew Tests New S60 at Our Wind Tunnel
Let’s see if I can keep this straight, years ago, my cousin, Emily, moved from California to Colorado, gosh…wonder why. She grew up doing all kinds of outdoor stuff – her father/my Uncle Norm loves to fish and hike. I think he can catch Brook Trout in a dry rain barrel with a bare fishing hook. So Emily had a baby boy named Owen. Last time I saw Owen, he was knee high to a grasshopper.
Time flies and a couple of years ago, Owen emailed me to ask if there were any jobs at Volvo. There weren’t, but he did land an engineering job at a wire cable company. Flash forward to a couple weeks ago, and I get an email “I’m in Sweden.” Come to find out Owen is working for K-PAX Racing – way cool. See, we’re all connected to Volvo in some way. With Owen, it’s three degrees of separation. If nothing else, anyone who fastensconnects their seat belt is connected to Volvo.
K-PAX is building their second generation S60 race car and spent a week at our wind tunnel in Sweden. Here are Owen’s emails:
6/19
DJ,
I am loving Sweden! The weather is amazing compared to last time. (Was out here in Stockholm for personal business in January of last year).
We are staying above Central Station in Göteborg. We are working with Tim Walker, and Bill Buchka (who says that he knows you!). There are many others helping out in the company, but I can’t remember all their names.
Hope you are well.
Owen
A shot of some of the trolley tracks, a waterway, and major sunflare in the evening light. 2 blocks from the hotel.
—
6/20
All,
Pretty good first day. Started early with breakfast at the hotel. Vasa crackers with butter and mild cheese– interesting..
We drove through town into the enormous area that Volvo owns. They have their own airport! Once inside, we got the car out of the crate and pushed it about a quarter mile to the tunnel prep area. We spent most of the morning removing all the test parts we had strapped to the car for transport. We ate lunch in the Volvo cafeteria. After lunch, one of the Aerodynamics Technical Specialists (instantly recognizable from YouTube!) went over the car with us and suggested additional test items and avenues for development. He also helped me place bits of string on the car for flow supplementary flow visualization.
Overall the atmosphere was very positive. I felt like a bit of a spectacle at times. There were many people who stopped by. Everyone from all positions in the company wanted to see the car and watch us work.
Today’s shots are:
Coming home from dinner, looking out over one of the main canals.
A beautiful German cathedral. 42 bells in the tower if, I remember correctly.
Off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day.
Owen
—
6/21
All,
Fantastic first day! We were in the tunnel from 6:00 till 14:30. Long day, but the tunnel staff were a huge help and working together, we produced a huge amount of data. My pressure taps seem to be working quite well. I should have a bus-load of data to play with regarding our heat exchanger efficiency and the flow geometry inside the duct work I helped design.
We all had a very special experience at the end of the day. In an effort to resolve some issues at the rear of the car the staff here prepared the smoke wand to better visualize the 3D airflow around the car. Because the smoke test is run at low speed we were allowed inside the plenum behind the safety fence inside the test section in the tunnel. It was amazing. Just to feel the wind tunnel air, smell the glycol, hear the tunnel fan and be part of the test. Unreal!
Owen
—
6/22
All,
Bit of a different day. Lots of meetings with various Volvo folks. We were at the tunnel early this morning to finalize our testing plans for Thursday and fabricate a few additional test parts that came about after our debrief from Tuesday.
We went to Polestar racing after lunch, they are the major Scandinavian tuner for Volvos. Some of you might recognize their name from the British TV show Top Gear. It was a very informative trip. Unfortunately, less of their solutions were directly transferable to our cars than we had been hoped. That aside, they have a really professional operation and facility. I’ve got pages of notes after that trip.
Everyone is excited to make some real gains on the car tomorrow when we get back into the tunnel. That’s all for tonight.
Owen
—
6/23
All,
Sorry for the delayed report, yesterday was a very long day! Fewer hiccups in the tunnel control system meant a fast-paced 8 hour session. We explored a few new concepts and I got a chance to see numbers put to a few of my more eccentric designs. Now, everyone needs to sit back and digest all the info, and we need to compile the data.
Today is the Midsummer’s eve holiday here, so we had to pack up the car for shipping last night. This made the day feel even longer. Plus, when we rolled the car out of the facility to push it back to the crate it was pouring rain! All’s well though.
Owen
==============================
Below are some shots taken by Agenda Magazine, an internal publication, of Owen and the K-PAX crew, along with Bill Buchka, Manager, Launch and Brand Communications, at Volvo in Rockleigh.
Dan
Posted in K-PAX Volvo S60, S60, Sweden | Comments Off
We’ve been waiting since March
Sorry for not posting more lately, I’ve just been buried with the XC Adventure out west, then a trip to Road America for MAMA (Midwest Automotive Media Association) for a ride event, and support work with “Drive Towards Zero” in Washington DC later this week.
“Drive Towards Zero” is Volvo’s vision of a future entirely free of harmful emissions and no injuries in a new Volvo by 2020. Volvo Car Corporation in Sweden, has planned an awesome agenda for media and industry, along with key governmental people to present our vision for future safety and alternative powered vehicles. When the event is finished, we’ll share with you what was presented. For me, there is no question that Volvo will continue to lead in safety, along with a good foot hold on future power systems.
BUT, my waiting since March is all about me…well Adrienne, Chelsea (dog) and I. We took delivery of an S60 T5 yesterday. Ok…so big deal, well, yeah it was.
All my years here, I’ve always bought my company car, bought someone elses car, used press cars, had company cars – basically used whatever I wanted whenever I needed one – not this time. In all these years, only two cars have been screamed ‘lust’. First, a C70 in Saffron and now, a S60 in Vibrant Copper. I missed getting that Saffron C70, well, I actually sold it to my son-in-law who met a dairy cow one dark night on a very small, dark country road. The cow and car didn’t fair well, but my son-in-law did fine. Anyway, I was not going to miss this S60.
We bought one with the Technology Package, Dual Exhaust, and Nord Wheels (coming soon). Our local dealer, no surprise, didn’t have one in stock nor would he stock Vibrant Copper – “Only a few people would want that color,” nice way to say “there are very few wackos with such poor taste as to really want to drive anything in that color.” We were not offended, hence the waiting until March. We were truly impressed at how our sales guy handled our introduction to S60. Good job Steve. He took a good 40 mins to go over Sensus (our information display technology) and every detail of this car. He knew I worked at Volvo, so I knew this car, but he went though the walk-a-round presentation anyway.
So now our ’98 XC70 (210,000 miles)/Sven, gets a hot Swedish companion/Katrina to share our garage.
dan
New York Auto Show 2011
First, check back on Wednesday this week. We have some really interesting news about S60 R-Design.
Second, Rich is a long time friend and fellow Volvo employee who retired couple of years ago. Every so often we do “Toy Day” at our Rockleigh, HQ. Meaning bring in your toys and we’ll do lunch. Barry brought in his hang glider, John brought his sweet Corvette, I brought in my old, long gone ’71 VW Camper (talk about unsafe…). Rich brought in his Isetta. Now, I remember as a kid seeing our local bicycle shop in Redondo Beach, on PCH, on his sidewalk lined with Schwinn bicycles and a bright red Isetta. It was small.
Many years later after seeing Rich’s masterful restrotation project, did I realize how small small was. Then again, maybe our future will be small small again.
Here’s what Rich wrote:
The 2011 NY International Auto Show starts this week. I have been invited to show my ’57 BMW Isetta at the show, which as always is at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan.
Those of you in the industry can see my car (with another 20 or so microcars) on Wednesday and Thursday during press and manufacturer days. The car will then stay there for the 1st 3 days of the public show, which are Fri/Sat/Sun. The special microcar exhibit ends Sunday night Apr. 24.
To find us, look for the LeMay Museum Special Exhibit on the lower level. I will be there every day except Thursday. Please come by and say hello!
Richard
So stop by, introduce yourself to Richard. Then check out our show stand.
dan
Posted in General, S60 | Comments OffAt least one person has an Angel on his shoulder
Warren Brown, a journalist for The Washington Post, was driving one of our S60 Vibrant Copper press cars in the D.C. area and avoided a pedestrian accident because of our Pedestrian Detection system. In talking to Warren, he explained that the pedestrian came out of one building into a parking area, walked in front of Warren’s car, turned around, and walked back to where he came from directly across Warren’s path. When the pedestrian was turning around, Pedestrian Detection (with Full Auto Brake) continued to track him and when Warren didn’t apply the brakes or move the steering wheel, his S60 took over and stopped the car for him. Warren said the guy never even broke stride, he just kept walking. The pedestrian will never know that at best he would have been injured, or even worse. He must have had an Angel on his shoulder.
Globally, this is the first reported case of our Pedestrian system saving a life. Much thanks goes to those who worked on this project. Kind of feels good knowing one life is better off today thanks to a bunch of engineers in Sweden.
Check out an excerpt of Warren’s story below. When I first showed the Pedestrian Detection system to Warren, I forgot to mention the rear brake lights do come on to warn following drivers that the Volvo is about to stop. Hopefully, the cars behind are following far enough behind to apply the brakes and avoid hitting each other.
Find the full story at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2012-volvo-s60-t6-some-advice-thats-no-accident/2011/04/07/AFBP5Z3C_story.html
2012 Volvo S60 T6: Some advice that’s no accident
By Warren Brown, Friday, April, 5:19 PM
Get Volvo’s technology package. It will cost you an extra $2,100. But it’s worth every penny — one of the few automobile options packages that actually give you value for dollar.
I’d wager that governments worldwide, once they understand the lifesaving, property-sparing effectiveness of Volvo’s package, eventually will mandate that all, or at least some, aspects of that technology be sold as standard equipment on all new passenger cars.
That is what we have in the optional technology package on the 2012 S60 T6 sedan. Imagine a car that automatically and fully applies its brakes a few feet before it otherwise would have slammed into a child (at least 31 inches tall) or an adult who runs or steps into the path of the oncoming car. Volvo’s patented pedestrian-detection system, using a combination of cameras and radar, does that at speeds of up to 22 mph.
It did so in recent media tests in Northern Virginia. It did it again in what I am beginning to think is the most dangerous parking facility in the Washington metropolitan area — the Green parking structure at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington. Pedestrians, many of them outpatients going to or leaving doctor’s offices, routinely step into the paths of incoming or outgoing automobiles.
One such pedestrian leaving a VHC building in early April entered the garage, started walking in one direction, abruptly changed his mind and started walking in the opposite direction — directly in front of the S60 T6 that I was driving that week.
The car braked suddenly. I thanked God there was no car following me (a possible hazard with the pedestrian-detection system). The pedestrian continued moving, blessedly unaware of how close he came to being sent back to the doctor’s office, or to a hospital bed.
The pedestrian-detection system, as currently designed, isn’t perfect. There is, for example, the real possibility that automatically braking to spare a pedestrian could result in someone plowing into the rear of your car. And, as other tests have noted, it does not work in all conditions in sparing pedestrians, either. But it worked that time in the VHC parking structure. And for that, I’m willing to give it a green light for further development.
In conjunction with the pedestrian-detection system, the optional Volvo technology package also provides several other electronic notices for driver inattention — lane-departure and blind-spot warnings, impending-collision warning with automatic braking assistance, and front and rear parking proximity warnings.
In short, the 2012 Volvo S60 is a winner. But it’s less of one without the optional technology package. Get it. It could spare you heartache, headache, and a lot of unnecessary legal and financial pain.
dan
Do we have a deal for you – Thanks for being a Volvo owner
Until May 2, you can lease an S60 T5 for as little as $299 a month. And here is the legal stuff:
Starting at MSRP
$30,975
Excludes $875 destination charge
0.9%
APR Financing for 36 Months**
Lease it now for
$299
per month for 36 months†
with $2,993 cash due at signing
Limited time introductory offer ending
May 2, 2011.
And if that’s not sweet enough, try this:
As a Volvo owner, you know there’s nothing beats driving a brand new Volvo. Ok, except those of you who own 240/700 series, there’s no way to pry your fingers of those steering wheels, unless we gave you a new car and that’s not going to happen. 
Now when you’re ready to bring home another Volvo, there’s even more reason to get excited – The Volvo Loyalty Bonus.
With the Volvo Loyalty Bonus, if you currently own or lease a Volvo, or have owned or leased a Volvo within the past 6 months, you get $1000 towards the lease or the purchase of a new 2011 or 2012 Volvo. That means you get a brand new Volvo, and a little extra cash.
Contact your local Volvo retailer for details.
* Owner Loyalty Bonus available only to Volvo Car Customers. Loyalty Bonus is $1000 towards a lease or purchase. Customer eligibility requirements must be met for Loyalty Bonus offer. Please see retailer for details. Individuals who currently own/lease any model year Volvo vehicle OR have owned/leased within the last 6 months are eligible. Offer expires on May 2, 2011. Offer open only to legal U.S. residents who have a valid U.S. driver’s license. Offer is not transferable. Offer only available on purchases or leases of model year 2011 and 2012 vehicles. Vehicle purchases outside of the program dates will not be eligible for this offer. Offer cannot be used toward the payment of sales tax. This offer is subject to federal, state, and local taxes. Offer cannot be applied to lease or purchase of any other model year Volvo or vehicles purchased as used and/or Overseas Delivery (VCIC) program sales.
————————-
So look, bring in that 200,000 mile Volvo, impress the sales staff and ask for $1,000 towards a lease or purchase of an S60….or any new Volvo and keep your old Volvo. (As always, see a Volvo retailer for details)
Go buy a Volvo.
dan
BTW: The picture above is where I grew up, Redondo Beach, looking towards Palos Verdes. Long time ago, I used to dig late Pleistocene fossils (about 40,000 years old) from a small stream up in PV. Beautiful part of Los Angeles area.
Posted in S60 | 1 Comment »S60 earns Top Safety Pick Award from IIHS
Ok, a little chest pounding and few Viking high fives are going around our office today. Interesting about roof strength standard and IIHS results.
March 24, 2011
Volvo S60 earns Top Safety Pick award
The 2012 Volvo S60 earns the Institute’s Top Safety Pick award for good performance for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, plus standard electronic stability control (ESC).
The previous generation of the S60 earned good ratings in the Institute’s front and rear evaluations, but for 2005-09 it was rated acceptable in the side impact test. The previous model wasn’t evaluated for roof strength in rollover crashes. The new model improves to good in the side impact test, and earns a good rating in the roof strength test. The roof of the S60 withstood a force equal to 4.95 times the car’s weight. By comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight. Institute research demonstrates that occupants of vehicles with strong roofs are much less likely to sustain serious injuries in rollover crashes.
In addition to good crash test ratings, winners must have ESC, an important crash-avoidance feature, which is standard on the S60.
Good weekend to you all. For us on the East side of America, some of our Spring Flowers are starting to show. Nice time of year.
dan
Posted in Awards, S60, safety | 2 Comments »
