Volvo Cars – the leader in this new age of motoring
Four new awards show that Volvo Cars is leading the Premium pack when it comes to innovative safety, affordable ownership and superb quality.
By never wavering from Volvo’s core values of Safety, Quality and Environmental Care, Volvo has grown into the most human-centric vehicle brand on the market. And by human-centric, we mean that the customer is placed first when it comes to everything from the buying experience, in-car safety and luxury, to after sales care and service.
Volvo’s latest four awards listed below prove that the Swedes are firmly entrenched – and often setting the benchmark – in the premium vehicle segment:
- Volvo is the least expensive vehicle brand to service in the medium segment according to RGT Smart survey.
- The Volvo S60 is one of only three vehicles to pass new IIHS crash test.
- Volvo Car South Africa recently scored a Silver Award in the 2012 NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association annual survey.
- A record-breaking safety rating for the all-new Volvo V40 in Euro NCAP test.
Personalisation is the new form of ultimate luxury, and at Volvo all our cars are ‘designed around you’. This means the comfort, luxury and interactive features in your Volvo are designed to perfectly suit your needs. Volvo Cars offers a contemporary luxury experience that is created around people with strength in every sense.
Our cars are intuitive, beautiful and safe. Volvo’s Scandinavian roots are clearly visible in the strong, clean lines of our vehicle design. Add to that all of Volvo’s prestigious awards over the past few years, and it is clear that Volvo is taking the lead in the premium segment. The proof is in the results.
1. Volvo least expensive brand to service in the medium segment – RGT Smart
One of the best local results received by Volvo is that the manufacturer rated as the least expensive brand to service in the medium segment, by RGT Smart.
RGT Smart is a provider of market intelligence solutions to the automotive sector inSouth Africa. The company researches passenger vehicle labour rates inSouth Africaacross various brands, vehicle baskets, provinces and metros.
“Retail labour cost increases amongst brands surveyed have increased on average by 4.1 percent year-on-year,” said Paul De Vantier, CEO of RGT Smart.
De Vantier advised consumers to factor in a brand”s servicing rates and dealership footprint when deciding which brand to purchase.
This fantastic result shows that Volvo’s human-centric approach benefits Volvo owners all the way from our class-leading safety to the work done in our service centres.
2. Volvo S60 one of only three vehicles to pass IIHS crash test
Eight out of 11 premium sedans failed an alarming new IIHS (United States’ Insurance Institute) crash test. The Volvo S60 was one of only three that passed.
Only three of the 11 midsize luxury and near-luxury cars evaluated earned good or acceptable ratings in an alarming new crash test conducted by theUnited States’ Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The new test – a small overlap frontal crash test – is designed to replicate what happens when the front corner of a car collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole at 64km/h.
Rather than striking the object dead-on as in most crash tests, the IIHS delivers a more glancing blow that only impacts a quarter of the car’s front end. These types of collisions are particularly dangerous, as the impact will often miss the energy-absorbing structures built into the car’s frame.
“Small overlap crashes are a major source of fatalities,” says IIHS President Adrian Lund. “Nearly every new car performs well in other frontal crash tests conducted by the Institute and the federal government, but we still see more than 10 000 deaths in frontal crashes each year. This new test programme is based on years of analysing real-world frontal crashes and then replicating them in our crash test facility to determine how people are being seriously injured and how cars can be designed to protect them better. We think this is the next step in improving frontal crash protection.”
The Volvo S60 was one of only three vehicles pass this crash test – testament that Volvo always has, and will continue, to excel in the development of safety technology.
3. National Automobile Dealers Association
Volvo Car SouthAfricarecently took home a Silver Award in the 2012 NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association annual survey.
NADA is a professional body representing the interests of businessmen who own/operate new vehicle franchise motor dealerships and qualifying used car only outlets inSouth Africa. For the first time NADA released a ranking of the results, showing that Volvo finished in 4th place.
The most satisfying aspect of the result was that Volvo Car finished ahead of all of its Premium competitors.
It is clear that the support Volvo provides to its dealers is world-class and appreciated by our valued partners in the Volvo network.
The NADA survey measures the following criteria:
- Dealer Satisfaction
- Communication & Relationships
- Customer Focus
- Used Cars
- CSI Program
- VehicleRange
- Media Support
- Vehicle Distribution
- Parts
- Goodwill, Policy Claims & Warranty
- Franchise Compliance Audits
- Dealer Support
- Labour Rates
The above table is testament to Volvo’s determination to succeed in every area. And it is clear from the results that Volvo Car SouthAfricais now setting the bar in the Premium segment.
4. Record-breaking safety rating for the all-new Volvo V40 in Euro NCAP test
The all-new Volvo V40 has received the top rating of five stars in the Euro NCAP collision test. The overall result is the best ever recorded by the institute.
“A fantastic result. We are very proud to have one of the world’s safest cars and we’re taking yet another important step toward our 2020 target – that nobody should die or be seriously injured in a Volvo,” says Thomas Broberg, Senior Technical Advisor Safety at Volvo Car Corporation.
It is not only the overall result that is record-high. The all-new Volvo V40’s protection for adults was also the best result ever recorded in a test, no less than 98 percent.
In the safety assist category, the Volvo V40 scored maximum points. “The new Volvo V40 was launched as the most intelligent and the safest car in its segment, and it is truly packed with active safety systems such as auto brake, Pedestrian Detection to shield pedestrians, Lane Keeping Aid which helps the driver stay within his or her lane, and BLIS which helps the driver detect vehicles in the offset rear ‘blind spot’,” says Thomas Broberg.
In the pedestrian protection category the Volvo V40 also sets a new record.
The Volvo V40 is the first car to score maximum points in this area.
One important factor here is the innovative, unique pedestrian airbag. Sensors in the front of the car detect any contact with a pedestrian. A pyrotechnical charge releases the bonnet hinges and elevates the bonnet with the help of an airbag. The inflated airbag’s cushioning effect combined with the increased distance to the hard components in the engine compartment help protect the pedestrian’s head in any impact.
