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BIZCHINA> News
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Volvo's latest lineup: safe, sassy and hi-tech
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-20 08:39
Volvo has arrived at Auto Shanghai 2009 with its lineup of luxury cars that includes the recently released, hot-selling S80L and XC60 as well as the S60 concept car making its Asia debut. "2009 is a year that's full of challenges, but we are fully confident in China," said Steven Armstrong, Volvo COO. "As it is one of our most important markets, we have introduced the latest models to enhance our competitiveness." The S60 promises to be one of the highlights of the show, revealing the auto legend's future trends in concept and design. Its interior is unique in the history of Volvo, complete with a floating center stack of handmade Orrefors crystal. The XC60 luxury SUV also represents the carmaker's vision of the future - bold, fashionable, dynamic and luxurious. In Shanghai, Volvo is continuing its established practice at auto shows by arranging rich displays and interactive activities in addition to showing its luxury cars. The pursuit of car safety has made Volvo a leader in the auto industry - this year marks the 50th anniversary of Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin's invention of the three-point safety belt. Since its invention in 1959, the belt has saved an estimated 1 million lives. Half a century later, Volvo's "city safety" technology, standard in the XC60, is able to stop the car automatically in busy city traffic when the car runs at a low speed. In combination with a collision warning system, the technology can also provide braking at any speed, creating a new safety legend in the history of Volvo. The S60 concept car reinforces Volvo's leading position in safety. Its latest generation of adaptive cruise control has fully automatic braking with a pedestrian detection function, which at speeds under 20 km an hour enables the car to brake and avoid pedestrians, and at higher speeds when collision with another vehicle is unavoidable . Volvo's aim is that by 2020 no one will be injured in one of its cars. Volvo has long had held environmental protection as one of its core values. In 1972 the carmaker made a declaration on environmental protection at the UN, the first manufacturer in the auto industry to propose such a commitment. Volvo's exhibit at the Shanghai show includes its most advanced environmental technologies, including recently developed recharge technology that can power a car for 100 km on a single battery charge. Its DRIVe models discharge less than 120g of CO2 for every kilometer driven, while its 1.6L GTDi technology on the S60 concept car reduced emissions even lower and reduced fuel consumption to 5 liters per 100 km. As well, it is the only automaker whose interior fabrics meet the Oeko-Tex standard, an international certification system for textiles that limits the use of chemicals in their manufacture. Also on show are Volvo's S80L and XC60 models that were launched in China in just the past two months. The spacious interior and opulent configuration of the S80L have attracted wide attention from luxury car consumers. The mid-size SUV XC60 with Volvo's city safety technology is likely to enhance its position in the domestic luxury SUV market. Volvo Cars China has also sponsored high-end sports events while releasing new models this year. In addition to its traditional image association of safety, quality and environmental care, Volvo is demonstrating another side as a luxury brand -young, fashionable and passionate. Volvo Cars China showed stable development in China in the first quarter of the year, proving the success of its strategy. (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
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