The sum of these technologies falls within the three focus areas of what Volvo designates as its Vision 2020: safety, connectivity and autonomous drive, with the ambitious aim that no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by 2020.
City Safety auto braking functions is the umbrella name for all of Volvo Cars’ auto brake functions – which are standard equipment in the all-new XC90.Their purpose is to assist the driver if there is a high risk of collision with another vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist in front of the car, day and night, through audible / visible warnings and brake support. If a collision is almost unavoidable, the system will provide autonomous braking when the driver fails to respond to the imminent threat.
For Volvo Cars, the XC90 (within the SPA program as a whole) is a first step towards self-driving cars, which several carmakers (and Google, of course) are developing, with new functions that automatically follow the vehicle ahead in stop-and-go traffic.
– Lane Keeping Aid applies extra steering torque if the car is about to leave the lane unintentionally,
– Driver Alert Control, also standard, detects and warns tired or distracted drivers. It features Rest Stop Guidance, which directs the driver to the nearest rest area.
– Auto brake at intersections Volvo also says that the XC90 is the first car in the world with technology that features automatic braking if the driver starts to turn in front of an oncoming car that is going quicker than expected, such as at busy city crossings or on highways, where the speed limits are higher.
In such situations, the new XC90 detects the risk and brakes automatically to avoid a collision or reduce the consequences of a crash.
Park Assist Pilot IntelliSafe technologies also include an upgraded Park Assist Pilot version, now with automatic capability of reversing into a parking bay as well as entering and exiting a parallel parking spot, by taking over and operating the steering wheel while the driver handles the gearbox and controls the car’s speed. A digital bird’s-eye view of the 360° area around the car is displayed on the large center screen.
The system processes information received from twelve ultrasonic sensors around the car. When activated for a parallel parking situation, the sensors start to scan the side of the car for empty parking slots. When one measuring a minimum of 1.2 times the car’s length is detected, an audible signal and a message in the instrument cluster notify the driver. In a bay parking situation, the slot needs to be the width of the car plus one meter.
Bird’s-eye view The display then guides the driver step by step via texts and animations in the instrument cluster until the car is parked. The bird’s-eye view relies on four concealed wide angle (fish-eye) cameras (in the front, in each of the door mirrors and above the rear number plate).
The system, which also gives other views of the surrounding area such as front, rear and side views, is very useful in situations where the driver’s direct view is obstructed, or to show the driver if the car is well within the lines of a parking spot.
Cross Traffic Alert Another IntelliSafe solution comes from the Cross Traffic Alert, which warns the driver with an audible signal and a warning on the center screen, when reversing out of a parking space, of approaching traffic up to 30 meters (98 feet) on each side.
Road Sign Information With the also standard Road Sign Information technology, the system has been enhanced to show an extended selection of road signs in the digital display in front of the driver, such as various types of supplementary signs.
Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist enables driving by following the vehicle in front in slow-moving queues. Acceleration, braking and steering are controlled automatically. The Queue Assist extends this function to slow-moving queues. Acceleration, braking and steering are controlled automatically.