Photo: Volvo
Volvo cars have always been synonym with safety, but the Swedish carmaker has been going through a bit of a rough patch lately. However, that part of its history appeared to be over when the new XC90 SUV was launched in 2014.
Since then, Volvo has been looking like one of the few brands that could disrupt the hegemony of the three German premium companies - we're talking about Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, of course - even though that prospect is still realistically years away.
With a newly found identity, the modern Volvo cars are full of character, but the safety that once made the Swedes famous is nothing special anymore. However, Volvo has quickly identified autonomous driving as the next step in driver and passenger protection, so it tries to keep up with the rest of its competitors.
Mercedes-Benz cars already have semi-autonomous features installed, and BMW has announced a partnership with MobilEye and Intel that will produce a self-driving car by 2021. Volvo, on the other hand, is still alone in it and so it's actively looking for partners. "It's our ambition to have a car that can drive fully autonomously on the highway by 2021," said CEO Hakan Samuelsson, quoted by Automotive News. "This technology is something as a carmaker you cannot develop by yourself."
But even so, Volvo has set the same deadline as BMW for its highway self-driving vehicle: 2021. Previously, the Swedish company had made another pledge claiming no person would be killed or seriously injured in a Volvo car by 2020. It also said that all advanced autonomous features on its cars will have redundancy systems and that the company will take full responsibility for anything that happens while they are active, and the guidelines are respected.
Recently, Volvo announced that it wouldn't be pushing for autonomous driving in urban areas, insisting that the driver should be alert at all times under these conditions. At the same time, the Swedes also said they would commence testing of vehicles equipped with advanced self-driving features next year on multiple locations on the globe.
It seems like Volvo is a bit confused at the time, probably wanting more than it can handle, but one thing is clear: its heart is in the right place. If it succeeds in carrying out its current objectives on time, then Volvo might just get back into that top safety pick position.
With a newly found identity, the modern Volvo cars are full of character, but the safety that once made the Swedes famous is nothing special anymore. However, Volvo has quickly identified autonomous driving as the next step in driver and passenger protection, so it tries to keep up with the rest of its competitors.
Mercedes-Benz cars already have semi-autonomous features installed, and BMW has announced a partnership with MobilEye and Intel that will produce a self-driving car by 2021. Volvo, on the other hand, is still alone in it and so it's actively looking for partners. "It's our ambition to have a car that can drive fully autonomously on the highway by 2021," said CEO Hakan Samuelsson, quoted by Automotive News. "This technology is something as a carmaker you cannot develop by yourself."
But even so, Volvo has set the same deadline as BMW for its highway self-driving vehicle: 2021. Previously, the Swedish company had made another pledge claiming no person would be killed or seriously injured in a Volvo car by 2020. It also said that all advanced autonomous features on its cars will have redundancy systems and that the company will take full responsibility for anything that happens while they are active, and the guidelines are respected.
Recently, Volvo announced that it wouldn't be pushing for autonomous driving in urban areas, insisting that the driver should be alert at all times under these conditions. At the same time, the Swedes also said they would commence testing of vehicles equipped with advanced self-driving features next year on multiple locations on the globe.
It seems like Volvo is a bit confused at the time, probably wanting more than it can handle, but one thing is clear: its heart is in the right place. If it succeeds in carrying out its current objectives on time, then Volvo might just get back into that top safety pick position.
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