In line with its safety focus, Volvo is pioneering some very cool electronic-driver-aid technology. The 2010 Volvo XC60 can be had with lane departure warning, following-distance warning, and blind-spot detection. But while these safety gadgets are optional, Volvo takes the impressive step of making its City Safety feature standard. This feature automatically jams on the brakes when it detects an imminent low-speed collision, which should make insurance companies happy.
The Mercedes-Benz E-class suggests coffee if it thinks you are falling asleep.
(Credit: Mercedes-Benz)The new E-class features quite a few cutting-edge driver aid gadgets, such as night vision, blind-spot detection, and adaptive cruise control. We saw these features previously in the Mercedes-Benz S550, but the E-class will also include Attention Assist, a new feature for Mercedes-Benz that keeps you from falling asleep at the wheel.
Attention Assist monitors the car's driver, using 70 parameters to determine if he or she is dozing off. If it detects a drowsy driver, the system sounds a warning tone and lights up a coffee cup icon on the speedometer display. The system relies heavily on monitoring steering-wheel input, as a tired driver will drift, then make sharp corrections.
Volvo launched a similar feature last year in the S80, complete with coffee cup icon. During our testing of that car, we tried our hardest to make it think we were falling asleep.
We predict the next generation of this technology won't bother with the warning part, instead automatically driving the car to the next rest stop and letting you nap.
A track full of Volvo S60 Concepts is something I thought I'd never see.
(Credit: SimBin/CNET)
Aside from the S60, players can try a variety of historic racing Volvos, such as this BTCC C30.
(Credit: SimBin/CNET)Here are two words that most people never think to string together in one sentence: Volvo and Race. However, while most of us think of Volvos as slow and safe, the brand actually has a storied racing history. So color us tickled that Volvo has teamed up with SimBin Studios--creators of such games as GTR Evolution and RACE '07--to create Volvo: The Game, a racing sim populated with completely with, you guessed it, Volvos.
Players are able to chose between the Volvo S60 Concept car (unveiled at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show) in show and race trim and other historic Volvo racing vehicles such as the S40, 850, 240, C30, and S60. Two tracks (Gothenburg Eco Drive Arena in Göteborg, Sweden and Chayka outside Kiev in the Ukraine) are available and 14 drivers with accompanying livery can be chosen for their respective vehicles.
The Game features detailed interiors for each of the Volvo vehicles.
(Credit: SimBin/CNET)The game features multiple views with detailed recreations of each vehicle's interior. The graphics are pretty good, but I must admit that my gaming rig had me stuck at the lower end of the detail scale.
Quick race, time attack, and online competition modes are available as well as a replay theater to play back your greatest racing moments.
Volvo: The Game supports many racing wheels, gamepads, and keyboard controls and can be downloaded for free play on Windows XP/Vista at www.volvocars.com/game.
Although a car crash perks up everyone's attention, we got to experience the opposite in the noncrashing Volvo XC60. The folks at Volvo want everyone to know about the XC60's new City Safety feature, and they are hosting demonstrations around the country.
The XC60 stops itself a few feet short of the pylons.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)We stopped by one of the demonstrations locations, a Volvo dealership in San Francisco, to try it out. Check the XC60 Web site to see if Volvo is holding a demonstration in your area.
City Safety is a standard feature on the XC60, a new Volvo model coming to dealerships in March. Operating at speeds slower than 20 mph, it will stop the car if it senses an impending accident. The system has a forward-facing laser that can detect objects in the car's path. If the car senses a collision, and the driver isn't hitting the brakes or turning the wheel, it will apply full force to the brakes, bringing the car to a full stop.
The system is designed to stop low-speed collisions in heavy traffic or city driving. For speeds of 20 mph and faster, the XC60 can be ordered with the radar-based precollision system, which also controls adaptive cruise control. According to Volvo, 75 percent of collisions happen at low speeds, so the City Safety system should make insurance companies happy.
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(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive)
We saw several electric car concepts at the Detroit auto show, but there were also a set of more traditional concepts with internal combustion engines on the automaker's specification lists. These cars show off the sorts of designs the car companies are looking at for future production models. Volkswagen and Audi push the diesel agenda with new entrants, while Volvo and Subaru show off the future direction of specific models. Lincoln tries out a new take on luxury, while Kia gets playful with its new Soul platform.
(Credit:
Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)
When we took delivery of the 2008 Volvo S80, we immediately opened the boxes, pulled the various panels out, and tried to match up the bag of fasteners with the pictures in the assembly directions. Actually, new Volvos look nothing like flat-pack IKEA furniture, trading in their traditional boxy appearance for a modern, refined look. But safety remains paramount for Volvo, as evidenced by the large areas of glass around the cabin, affording an unobstructed view of the road.
Safety also makes its way into some innovative tech that we've been dying to test. Along with the BLIS blind-spot warning system we've seen before, Volvo includes lane-departure warning, collision warning, and a driver-alert system. We were also impressed by the comfortable cabin and the refined driving experience. With all-wheel drive and an adjustable suspension, the car is a sort of sporting dilettante.
Although we frequently see car models get updated at car shows, it's uncommon to see a completely new model. We've gathered new cars that debuted at the recent batch of auto shows here, so you can see what to expect in showrooms.
Click here for photos of completely new models that debuted at recent auto shows.
(Credit:
Volvo)
When we first spotted ScienceDaily's report on a research project to invent the uncrashable car, our imagination went wild: Reactive armor? A high-density chassis more durable than an aircraft's black box? Laser beams to disable oncoming vehicles?
The reality, unfortunately, isn't nearly as exciting. Instead of making cool gadgets to save lives, the PReVENT project is more software than hardware. It uses existing technology that, in event of a possible collusion, allows the car's intelligent system to take over and execute evasive maneuvers.
Despite using currently available equipment, it will be some time before we see this system implemented in the real world. For now you'll just have to keep relying on airbags, seatbelts, and luck.
(Source: Crave Asia)
The Volvo ReCharge concept is built on the C30 model.
(Credit: Volvo)Volvo showed off its ReCharge plug-in hybrid concept, based on the Volvo C30 model, at last year's Frankfurt auto show. We were skeptical when we saw it because even though it looked cool, Volvo only had a cutaway demonstration model to show off, and the company has no current hybrid cars among its model lineup. But Volvo reports today that it has a working concept on the road as part of a larger program to develop next generation powertrains. Volvo, in a consortium with Saab, the Swedish government, and energy company Vattenfall, announced a five-year plan to develop plug-in hybrids. The consortium's goal is to produce a fleet of 10 plug-in hybrid cars, using Sweden as a testing field. We are a little underwhelmed by this level of ambition, as there are already companies in the U.S. offering plug-in conversions of existing hybrids. As part of this plan, Volvo announced it will offer a hybrid variant of one or more existing models within five years. At this time, Volvo isn't saying what type of hybrid technology it will use, but owner Ford already offers a hybrid system similar to Toyota's on its Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner. When the ReCharge concept was introduced, Volvo specified lithium-polymer batteries and in-wheel electric motors, with a small flex-fuel generator onboard as a range extender.
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The Geneva auto show may be loaded with supercars, design concepts, and alternative-fuel vehicles, but it is also the launchpad for a host of new production models. This year's show saw a bunch of new models from Ford Motor Co., updates from Audi and Honda, and the return of an old favorite from VW. Check out our roundup of real-world models that debuted at the 2008 Geneva show.
