Volvo to Limit Car Speed

Volvo Cars has announced that the manufacturer will limit the maximum speed of all its vehicles to 180 kilometres per hour from 2020 to highlight the dangers excessive speed.

In addition to global, European and national initiatives, Volvo themselves have pledged to do whatever it can to ensure that nobody dies or is seriously injured in one of its vehicles. That pledge is not too futuristic, as the company has set 2020 as the deadline for achieving this.

However, it´s not only people inside the vehicles that the company is concerned about. They are also investigating how a combination of intelligent speed control and so-called “geofencing” technology could automatically limit speeds in areas where there are schools or hospitals for example.

“We want to start a conversation about whether vehicle manufacturers have the right and even the obligation to install technology in cars that changes the behaviour of their drivers, to address speeding, intoxication due to alcohol and drug use, or distractions,” said Volvo president and CEO Hakan Samuelsson.

The problem with speeding is that, above certain speeds, the safety technology in the vehicle and the design of intelligent infrastructure are not enough to prevent serious injuries and deaths in the event of a collision. For that reason speed limits are in force in most Western countries, although speeding is still “ubiquitous” and one of the “most common” reasons for deaths.

Volvo will present ideas to address the problem areas of intoxication and distraction at a security event in Göteborg (Sweden), which will take place on March 20.

This measure comes at a good time for Volvo. The Swedish manufacturer registered an increase in its global sales of 11.3% during the first two months of the year, reaching 93,863 units sold, compared to 84,369 units registered in the same period of the previous year, according to data published by the company.

The automotive firm explained that the sales growth was led by the “solid” performance of the Volvo SUV range, especially by the XC60, followed by the XC40 and the XC90. For its part, the new V60 and the S60 sedan, manufactured in the United States, also contributed to the increase in sales.

Technical stuff:

In the month of February, the company sold a total of 43,184 units, which translates into an increase of 5.5% compared to the 40,930 sold in the same month last year.

By region, the company’s European sales grew by 12.9% in the first two months of 2019, with 49,195 units sold, compared to the same period last year, when it posted sales of 43,571 units. The double-digit growth, as the company argues, was due to the “strong” demand for the XC60 and XC40 SUVs and the new V60.

In China, the company sold 2.2% more in the first two months of the year, up to 18,473 units, compared to the same period last year, when it posted a volume of sales of 18,489 units. In the month of February, however, sales in this region fell by 0.2%.

In the United States, sales reached 12,489 units in the months of January and February, 5.4% more than in the same period of the previous year, when it accounted for 11,850 units sold.

By models, the XC60 was the most sold in February, with sales reaching 12,630 units (in February 2018 they sold 10,308 units), followed by the XC40, with total sales of 8,176 units (in February 2018, 1,580 units were sold) , and of the XC90, with 5,752 units (in February of 2018 6,607 units were sold). The V40 and V40 Cross Country models registered sales of 4,196 units (in February 2018 they sold 6,109 units) and the new V60 Estate sold 3,849 units in February.