• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

AutoNews.NZ

  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
    • Medium-sized cars
    • Small cars
    • Large cars
    • 4x4s
    • People-movers
    • SUV-large
    • SUV-luxury
    • SUV-medium
    • SUV-compact
    • Sports cars
    • Luxury cars
    • Hybrid cars
    • Ute
  • Cars & Watches
  • Bike World
  • Tech
  • About Us
  • Videos
    • Spy videos
Home » Volvo has top three safest cars in world – crash-test result

Volvo has top three safest cars in world – crash-test result

January 30, 2017 by Alastair Sloane

Volvo can rightfully claim that it makes the three safest cars on the planet, judging by crash test results from the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP).

The Volvo S90 sedan and V90 station wagon have returned the highest crash safety scores ever recorded by the test body. In doing so they shaded the previous best, the Volvo XC90 SUV.

Therefore the three top crash safety scores on EuroNCAP’s books are occupied by the Chinese-owned Swedish brand.

“Volvo has invested in safety, has made key technologies standard across the model range and the results speak for themselves: a very impressive five-star rating,” said EuroNCAP secretary general, Michiel van Ratingen.

Both the S90 sedan and V90 wagon scored the maximum five stars – 95 per cent for adult occupant protection, 80 per cent for child occupant protection, 76 per cent for pedestrian protection and 93 per cent against the safety assist checklist.

The vehicle crashed in the tests was a left-hand drive S90 D4 Momentum, with the score carried across to the wagon too. EuroNCAP’s sister organisation, Melbourne-based ANCAP, is yet to transfer the result to the New Zealand and Australian markets.

Highlight of the result was a maximum six points in the autonomous emergency braking for pedestrians test (AEB Pedestrian), a first for any carmaker.

“We work hard to ensure that our cars fulfill all safety requirements and pass all testing procedures that the ratings agencies develop,” said Malin Ekholm, director of Volvo’s safety centre. “Our main focus is, and always has been, real-life safety.

2017-volvo-s90-v90-euro-ncap-4

“Autonomous emergency braking systems, such as our City Safety offer also represent a clear step forwards on our journey towards fully autonomous cars, which we see as a key element to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries,” Ekholm said.

Volvo’s five-star EuroNCAP result contrasts sharply with the two-star rating it gave to the Ford Mustang in pretty much the same week. Ford once owned Volvo.

It bought the Swedish company in 1999 as part of its London-based Premier Automotive Group (PAG), which included Jaguar, Aston Martin, Land Rover, and American nameplates. Over the next few years PAG came apart at the seams.

Ford sold off Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata group; Aston Martin went to a Kuwait-based investment outfit with former Aston Martin chairman David Richards as its front man; and Volvo was hived off to the Chinese parent company of carmaker Geely.

Meantime, Volvo has filed trademark applications for new models in the US and Europe, among them a range of electric vehicles (EV) wearing the ‘P’ badge – P5, P6, P8, P9 P10.

Speculation is the ‘P’ badging stands for Polestar, as Volvo executives have said the next generation of the performance arm’s models will be electric or electrically assisted.

The Polestar performance brand will be retired and reinvented as an electric division. Speculation is that the ‘P’ badge could be on upcoming EV versions of current models. For example, the XC90 P8 could be the EV variant of the existing plug-in hybrid XC90 T8.

Filed Under: Industry news, Latest news Tagged With: volvo

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

The Good Oil

French carmaker Renault has won the 2025 European Car of the Year award with the all-electric R5 supermini (pictured). It’s the brand’s second win in a row, following the new Scenic’s gong in 2024. The R5 led the vote count from start to finish from the 60 jurors in 23 countries. It received 353 points, beating the Kia EV3 (291 points) and the Citroen C3/e in third place with 215 points. It’s Renault’s eighth win in the 62-year history of the Coty award. The R5 goes on sale in the UK this month. There are two main drivetrains: a 90kW motor/40kWh battery model with a 300km range, and a 112kW/52kWh example with a 400km range. The R5 starts in price at £22.995, or $NZ50,000.

EU carmakers seek trade deal with Trump

BMW and Mercedes-Benz are among carmakers urging the European Union to get a favourable trade deal with US President Donald Trump. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) wants to keep open trade with both the US and China. It fears Trump, who promises heavy tariffs on Chinese imports to the US, will look unfavourably on countries that continue to trade freely with Beijing. Ola Kallenius, president of the group and chairman of the management board of MB, said in a letter to EU leaders:  “Overall, it is essential to recognise that trade with China and the US is most vital for the prosperity of the European economy.The EU should seek a grand bargain with the US and attempt to avoid a potential trade conflict.”

Diesel fuels EV concept for US military

A  go-anywhere EV concept for the US military uses an onboard 12kW diesel generator to top up the batteries on the move.  The all-wheel-drive has 800-volt technology and a 200kWh battery pack to power three electric motors, two in the rear and one up front. Claimed output is 745kW/15,590Nm, or 1000hp and 11,500 ft-lb of torque.  The four-seater was developed by the defence division of General Motors and is based on the platform of the Hummer SUV. It rides on Fox performance shock absorbers and 37-inch tyres and comes with “exceptional” approach and departure angles for off-road mobility. Maximum range using the generator to keep things ticking over is said to be around 500km.

We are the World

The outside temperature in Midland, Texas, was 40.5C when staff at the local office of the US National Weather Service set out to show the cabin of a closed car can literally get baking hot in summer. They mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and laid them on the car’s dashboard – the surface of which showed a temperature of 87.7C. A little over four hours later the cookies were ready to eat. “Even though ours weren’t golden brown, we can confirm that they are done and delicious,” the staff wrote on Facebook.

Footer

Electric G-Wagen takes you for spin

https://youtu.be/NwHbJ7HN1sU

Recent

  • Spoilt for choice: plug-in sales up 150.0%
  • Kia eyes further growth with $52,690 4WD ute 
  • Early morning glory on ice, Audi style
  • Volkswagen tackles Chinese with new ‘people’s car’ 
  • ‘I bought this car before Elon lost his mind’

Tags

Aston martin audi bentley BMW Car reviews Citroen Electric cars Electric vehicles Ferrari Fiat Chrysler Ford Ford Mustang Holden honda hyundai jaguar jeep kia land rover latest news Lexus Lotus Maserati mazda Mclaren mercedes Mercedes-Benz mini Mitsubishi Nissan NZ car sales peugeot porsche range rover skoda spy Subaru suzuki Tesla tips and advice Toyota videos Volkswagen volvo VW

Copyright © 2025 · WordPress Hosting by WPhost