New Volvo V40 bristles with safety technology
Safe can be sexy, as the all new Volvo V40, which made its debut at the Geneva Motorshow, proves. As well as looking good, it has all the bells and whistles you might expect from the safety-conscious Swedes.
Just some of the V40's safety features:
- Volvo's world-first Pedestrian Airbag Technology. Utilising sensors in the front bumper to register the physical contact between the car and the pedestrian, a section of the bonnet (closest to the windscreen) is released and elevated by the deployment of the airbag. The inflated airbag covers the area under the raised bonnet, around one-third of the windscreen as well as the lower section of the A-pillar. The raised bonnet and airbag help to reduce the severity of pedestrian injuries.
- Updated City Safety technology - now active at speeds up to 50km/h (previously 30km/h) as standard – and Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake.
- Lane Keeping Aid with haptic auto steering, automatic Road Sign Information, Active High Beam technology, Park Assist Pilot and Cross Traffic Alert at the rear.
- The safety cage has effective deformation zones and various grades of high-strength steel.
- Roll Over Protection System which includes a robust body structure, seat pre-tensioners and inflatable curtains. The inflatable curtains cover both sides, from the A-pillar to the C-pillar, and deploy in frontal offset, side or rollover accident situations.
- The driver's side is also fitted with a new knee airbag. It is installed in the dashboard above the pedals and deployed together with the other airbags in the event of a frontal collision.
- A closing velocity sensor collects information and interprets pre-crash data in order to prepare the restraint systems - belts and airbags - for the expected crash violence in low and mid-severe frontal accidents.
- Enhanced Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), which is radar-based. The technology can now also monitor and alert the driver to rapidly approaching vehicles up to 70m behind the car. The radars continuously scan the area behind and alongside the vehicle.
- Cross Traffic Alert uses the radar sensors at the rear of the car to alert the driver to crossing traffic from the sides when reversing out of a parking space.
