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      The crunch of steel and shattering glass can be one of the most horrific memories of an automobile accident. Unless, of course, the accident isn't really an accident; but instead a highly structured test being conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That was exactly the case recently when NHTSA completed its side impact protection test of the all-new Volvo S40 sport sedan.

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     The results: 5 stars for the driver; 5 stars for the passenger. The highest rating the U.S. Government organization grants to passenger vehicles.

     "With these latest crash test results, and the fact that sales of the all-new S40 are up 29.2 percent from last year, we are proving that safety and style can go hand-in-hand!" commented Vic Doolan, President and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, LLC. "The new S40 is doing exactly as we intended. It's bringing new, younger buyers, into our dealerships, but it's doing so in the Volvo way, with passenger safety as our number-one concern." Noting the new Volvo S40's robust structure, Doolan continued, "Side impact crashes can be devastating, but the new S40 was designed from the outset to help protect its passengers in the event of just such a collision."

     It's all part of Volvo's Intelligent Vehicle Architecture (VIVA), a unique approach to building a car that integrates everything from its crashworthiness, to its dynamic styling and exciting driving characteristics. The safety systems were developed and tested in the Volvo Cars Safety Center, the most advanced facility of its kind in the world. About forty full-scale tests were performed to help ensure that all the on-board components interact correctly in the event of a collision. When it comes to side impact protection, the all-new Volvo S40 is 1.9 inches wider than its predecessor. This creates added space for deformation in a collision. In other respects, the Volvo S40 has the same type of side impact protection as found on the Volvo S60 and Volvo S80, both of which also received double 5-star side impact protection ratings from NHTSA.

     The NHTSA results are just the most recent safety accolades the new Volvo S40 has received. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the new Volvo S40 a "Good, Best Pick" in its 40-mph offset frontal collision test and Euro-NCAP, the organizing body of collision protection testing in Europe also rated the S40 with 5 stars, it's highest rating.

 For more information, please see: www.volvocars.com/militarysales  

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High-tech 3.2-liter in-line six-cylinder engine finds its way into new refined Volvo XC90

•          Refined and more car like design

•          Upgraded interior

•          Sharper powertrain range with new, highly advanced 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine

•          Focus on driver control including new Park Assist Camera

•          World-class audio system with Dynaudio speakers and Dolby Pro Logic II

•          50 percent of total sales in the USA

 

     The new XC90 is intended to strengthen Volvo Cars’ position in a SUV market that received the first XC90 generation with standing ovations. Story

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Volvo Car Corporation, Accessories - Wireless hands-free function in Volvo cars with Bluetooth® and a mobile telephone

• Automatic connection to the car’s loudspeaker system
• The system recognizes up to four different telephones
• Easy to switch between hands-free and telephone
• Voice dialing promotes traffic safety

It is now possible to connect a Bluetooth-capable mobile telephone to a Volvo car’s audio and loud-speaker system – totally wirelessly. With the help of the new accessory Volvo Hands-free with Bluetooth®, a mobile telephone becomes an integrated hands-free system with voice dialing.

Volvo Hands-free with Bluetooth® can be fitted in most late-model Volvo cars. The system consists of an electronic control module, a module with function buttons, a dedicated microphone located near the rear-view mirror, and the necessary wiring. The mobile telephone used must be Bluetooth-capable. Once a paired link has been set up with the car’s Bluetooth module, the telephone is recognized and connected automatically when the owner enters the car. Story

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Volvo Models Best in Interior Air Quality According to New Study

      An independent survey carried out by the Ecology Center in Detroit shows that the interiors of Volvo’s cars emit lower levels of toxic substances than other car makes.

      The Ecology Center recently presented a study (Toxic at Any Speed: Chemicals in Cars & the Need for Safe Alternatives) of the toxic chemicals used in building car interiors. Flame retardant PBDE and phthalates, whose main use is as a softener in plastics, were included in the study. These chemical substances can migrate from plastics and textiles, particularly at high temperatures. The car’s occupants may thus be exposed to these substances, for instance through the respiratory system. Certain types of phthalates and flame retardants can for instance promote genetic mutations and can subject car occupants to health hazards. The survey reveals that the concentrations of PBDE in dust and on the windscreen are up to five times higher than in the homes of most people, and since many people today spend a lot of time in their cars, car interiors thus have a significant effect on human health.  For More

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Volvo iPod Adapter - Volvo opens up to iPod users

Now it will be possible for iPod users to plug their entire music archive into their Volvo’s audio system. Together with supplier PhatNoise Inc and Apple, Volvo Cars has developed an adapter kit for installation in the Volvo S80 from model year 1999 on and in the S60, V70 and XC70 from model year 2001.

     iPod is the world's number one digital music player and allows music lovers to carry their entire music collection with them on the go.  Now with the Volvo iPod Adapter, they can play their music in their Volvo. 

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Volvo Seats Get Top Scores in 2006 Thatcham Whiplash Tests

      Once again, Volvo has achieved top scores in the latest, 2006 model year new car whiplash ratings by the UK's Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre in Thatcham¹ which conducted the tests on behalf of the International Insurance Whiplash Prevention Group (IIWPG).

     In fact, Volvo was one of only two manufacturers to achieve top 'Good' scores for every model tested² thanks to its supportive seats which have a fixed head restraint position to ensure they are always in the correct position to offer the best support, and the Volvo Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) that moves the entire backrest to absorb the impact during a rear-end collision to help reduce the forces on the neck.  Story

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