Alan Desselss, Managing Director, Volvo Car Australia
"Cars are driven by people: the guiding principle behind
everything we make at Volvo therefore is - and must remain -
safety." These words of Volvo's founders form the basis of our
Mobility 2020 vision, a vision whereby no person will be seriously
or fatally injured in a Volvo by the year 2020.
We don't take this challenge lightly, and while it may lead us
into uncharted waters, it does give Volvo a clear target to aim for
and a firm direction for the future. What's more, it's an
initiative no other manufacturer is working towards.
Ultimately, success will come through a combination of new
safety innovations, being developed as we speak, along with Volvo's
tried, tested and true technologies, which have established the
brand as the industry's leader in safety.
Since the early 1970s, Volvo has been collecting crash data
through its own crash investigation team, documenting every
accident involving a Volvo within a 200km radius of its Gothenburg
facility in Sweden as well as other sites around the world. The
database currently houses over 36,000 accident reports, and what we
learn out there in the real world is translated back into the
design and development of our vehicles, and has been for many
years. It's why we believe we have 'safety beyond the stars'.
The developments are honed at Volvo's state-of-the-art safety
centre, providing an opportunity to test and measure impacts of any
type of accident.
For Volvo, innovation has and will always be paramount to its
continued success in the safety arena. Innovation is the foundation
on which its leading stance on safety has been built and it
continues to be our guiding principal. It is this commitment to
innovation that will ultimately lead to Volvo's success in
achieving its Mobility 2020 vision.
- Alan Desselss, Managing Director, Volvo Car
Australia
