Volvo has continued to drip-feed information on its newest addition to the range, the XC60 mid-sized SUV, prior to its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
This time, it’s showing off the car’s autonomous safety features, including a collision-avoidance system called City Safety which can now actively steer you away from potential accidents.
It’s essentially an extension of the autonomous emergency braking systems which now come fitted to many new cars, and which can automatically engage the brakes in the event of an impending collision.
However, while such systems typically can only help the car brake, the newly-updated City Safety can now actively steer away from accidents which the car deems to be unavoidable when only braking.
Malin Ekholm, the senior director of Volvo’s Safety Centre, said: “We have all of the benefits of the safety technology we introduced in our larger 90 series cars in the new XC60.
“This is fully in-line with our strategic approach to develop automotive safety systems based on real-life, real-road safety. Our vision is that no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by the year 2020.”
The steering function is active between speeds of 30mph and 60mph, so it’ll work on most main single-carriage roads, though it won’t be able to help at higher motorway speeds.
However, the XC60 will also come with the option of Volvo’s much-lauded Pilot Assist feature, which allows the car to semi-autonomously steer itself along main roads at speeds of up to 80mph.
As well as that, the car will also feature systems to alert drivers if they accidentally drift into oncoming lanes, as well as blind spot detection and lane-keeping assist.
Not much else is known about the new XC60 yet though, other than that it’ll look similar in design to its larger XC90 sibling and that it could come with the option of a hybrid powertrain.
More information will be unveiled along with the car at this year’s Geneva Motor Show early next month, and the new Volvo XC60 is expected to go on sale in the UK later this year.
