Volvo Winnipeg Blog

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Volvo builds cars for people
Cars are driven by people. The guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo, therefore, is and must remain – safety.

Assar Gabrielsson
Gustaf Larson

Environmental care is a natural extension of our safety philosophy. As such, it is part of the Volvo driving experience.

Environmental care has been one of Volvo’s core values for the last thirty years or so. Our aim is to become a leader in environmental care in the premium car segment of the automotive industry. Our environmental programs embrace the car’s complete life cycle, technical development, efficient utilization of resources, and reduced emissions.

Clean Inside

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Safe and Healthy Interior
The interior of a Volvo is designed to be healthy and safe – even for people with asthma and contact allergies. Particular attention has been paid to the use of environmentally compatible materials.

Air quality – Incoming Air

Interior Air Quality System

Volvo Cars works systematically to create a healthy passenger compartment environment. A cabin filter prevents dust, particulates and pollen from entering the interior through the ventilation system. Most Volvos can also be equipped with an interior air quality system (IAQS)*. This consists of an electronic sensor that monitors the amount of carbon monoxide in the incoming air and closes the air intakes if the level becomes too high, for example in dense city traffic, traffic tailbacks and tunnels. A combined filter with an activated carbon element protects the occupants from virtually all unpleasant odours caused, for example, by exhaust fumes, washer fluid and oil. The combined filter also reduces occupant exposure to gases such as nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone and hydrocarbons.

* Option in combination with ECC (Electronic Climate Control).

Allergy Tested Interior

The interior also complies with the Oeko-Tex 100 ecological standard – a major step towards a healthier in-car environment. Oeko-Tex certification covers components such as fabrics, threads, carpets and safety belts. In addition, the leather upholstery is the product of a chromium-free tanning process based on natural plant extracts, which also meets the Oeko-Tex requirements. Other components, such as the handbrake button, load anchoring eyebolts, space ball and steering wheel badge are tested for contact allergens and meet the EU directive for nickel leakage from jewellery.

Clean Outside

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From cradle to grave, the environmental impact of a car is roughly as follows: 5% occurs during production, 90% during the vehicle’s useful life, and 5% during scrapping and recycling.

Volvo’s aim is to ensure that the environmental impact of the car is the minimum possible at all stages of its life cycle.

To make environmental programs as effective as possible and apply resources where they will do the most good, it is necessary to identify the problems that must be prioritized.

Fuel Efficient Engines

In terms of its effect on its surrounding, road traffic:

* increases emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly CO2
* impairs air quality by emissions of substances such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates.

With the benefit of advanced technology, the combustion process in the modern petrol engine is highly efficient which, in itself, produces low emissions. The exhaust gases are further cleaned by the latest generation of three-way catalytic converter. This is located immediately adjacent to the engine to reach full performance quickly, even when starting from cold. This reduces emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides by 95-98%.

Approximately 90 percent of the environmental impact of a car is generated during its useful life. One of the most important environmental goals at Volvo Cars is to reduce fuel consumption and thus emissions of carbon dioxide, which contribute to the greenhouse effect.

V8 Engine

Lower Emissions

This is the cleanest-running gasoline-powered V8 available in an SUV – the only one in the world that meets the EPA’s stringent Ultra Low Emission Vehicle, stage II (ULEV II) requirements. In fact, the Volvo XC90 V8 is so clean-running, it already meets European clean-air standards before they’ve been mandated.

Clean All Its Life

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In years gone by, protecting the environment generally meant cleaning up afterwards. Now, however, it means doing things correctly from the beginning. So environmental care is built into our cars right from the design stage to reduce the total lifetime environmental impact of the car.

The analytical tools we use in product development and design enable us to compare and evaluate how different solutions and materials effect the environment.

Our entire operation is certified in accordance with ISO 14001.

Our production plants are among the cleanest in the world.

We impose tough requirements on our suppliers; for example, in terms of implementing environmental management systems.

Manufacturing Techniques

Volvo Cars has dramatically improved the environmental performance of its plants since the 1960s, for example by installing several kinds of cleaning technology and substantially reducing emissions to air and water. However, these technologies do not solve all of the problems since they consume energy. Lower energy consumption is one of Volvo Cars current main environmental objectives for its plants.

Solvent emissions
Solvent emissions from car production have attracted much attention in the last 30 years. Inhalation of high concentrations of solvents can affect human health. Solvents also contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone. Reduction of these solvents is a highly prioritized area in our plants. Solvent emissions from the Torslanda plant have been reduced by 30 kg/car in 1977 to 1.4 kg/car in 2003.

Use of chemicals
In 1991, Volvo Cars established a database containing detailed information on more than 5,000 chemical products. Since its introduction, the number of chemical products used in production has been reduced and a large number of substances have been eliminated from production operations.
Volvo Cars has been using standards for chemical substances since the beginning of the 1990s. These standards are actually tougher than the relevant legislation, and substances such as CFCs and asbestos were phased out before the legislation came into force.

Energy consumption
Significant amounts of energy are used in car manufacturing and Volvo Cars is working continually to reduce energy consumption in its plants. However, the environmental impact of the operation is a function of the energy used. Volvo plants mainly use natural gas, which is a preferable alternative from the environmental point of view. The Torslanda plant also uses residual heat from a nearby oil refinery for heating.

Water consumption
Closed water cycles are used to reduce the consumption of fresh water and all Volvo plants are equipped with advanced water treatment facilities. Residual products are treated in an environmentally compatible manner. The introduction of water treatment has significantly reduced emissions of substances such as phosphorus, iron, chromium, nickel and zinc.

Waste and recycling
Volvo Cars has introduced waste management systems to minimize residual products and improve material utilization. In addition, it is important to continually increase the proportion of recycled and reused materials. The implementation of recycling and waste management procedures has yielded very successful results.

Recyclability

A higher level of recycling is an important method of reducing the consumption of finite resources. All Volvo cars are designed to take account of their recyclability at the end of their useful life. This is a matter of specifying the correct materials and developing solutions which will facilitate dismantling. To simplify recycling, we mark plastic components, avoid mixed materials and reduce the number of fasteners. This allows 85% of a new Volvo to be recycled and the aim is to increase this to 95%. Procedures for scrapping cars differ from market to market. However, your Volvo dealer will assist you in finding a suitable take-back station.

Volvo cars also include components made of recycled materials, while certain components are reused through the Volvo Cars exchange system for remanufactured parts. This system, in which used parts are collected from dealers and remanufactured to the same quality as new parts, is a good example of reuse. This enables the amount of resources and energy used in component manufacture to be reduced significantly. Over 2,000 different components, from gearboxes to consoles, are remanufactured in this manner. And the only difference between remanufactured and all-new parts is that we use them more than once – naturally with a full warranty.

Environmental Declaration

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The impact a car has on the environment is not limited to the years it is driven. Its impact lasts from cradle to grave. Our environmental efforts reflect that reality. Volvo has established rating systems and control tools so as to be able to assess the environmental impact of every single production decision. In fact, we are the first company to issue an Environmental Product Declaration certified by an objective third party, which quantifies our progress in this area.

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In 1927, when Volvo founders Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson drew plans for their first motorcar, they believed that good design must include the utmost consideration for safety. Their commitment to safety has endured, and has been embraced and expanded today in Gothenburg, Sweden, headquarters of Volvo Cars. Through the years, Volvo has designed safety features based on extensive research of real-world accidents.

In 1970, we formed the Volvo Accident Investigation Team to study accidents involving Volvos. Since then the team has researched more than 20,000 individual accidents, resulting in significant improvements in automobile safety design, many of which have since been adopted by other carmakers. We are proud of this tradition, and hope that our innovations continue to inspire higher standards of safety throughout the automobile industry.

Volvo Safety Milestones

* 1944 Safety cage
* 1944 Laminated windshield
* 1959 Three-point seat belts in the front
* 1960 Padded dashboard
* 1964 Prototype of the first rear-facing child seat
* 1966 Energy-absorbent crumple zones at both front and rear
* 1967 Seat belts in the rear
* 1968 Head restraints in the front
* 1969 Three-point, inertia-reel seat belts in the front
* 1970 Establishment of the Volvo Accident Research Team
* 1972 Three-point seat belts in the rear
* 1972 Rear-facing child seat and childproof locks in the rear
* 1973 Collapsible steering column
* 1974 Energy-absorbent bumpers
* 1974 Fuel tank located ahead of rear axle
* 1978 Child booster seat
* 1982 Anti-submarining protection in the front and rear seats
* 1982 Wide-angle door mirrors
* 1984 ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
* 1986 High-level brake light
* 1986 Three-point seat belt in the center rear seat
* 1987 Driver airbag
* 1990 Integrated child booster seat
* 1991 SIPS (Side-Impact Protection System)
* 1991 Automatic height adjustment of the front seat belts
* 1993 Three-point, inertia-reel seat belts standard in all seats
* 1994 SIPS bags (side-impact airbags)
* 1997 ROPS (Rollover Protection System) (convertible models)
* 1998 WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System)
* 1998 IC (Inflatable Curtain)
* 2000 Inauguration of Volvo Cars Safety Center in Gothenburg
* 2000 ISOFIX attachment system for all child seats
* 2000 Dual-stage inflation airbags
* 2001 Volvo Safety Concept Car (SCC)
* 2002 Extended rollover protection system (ROPS)
* 2002 Development of the virtual pregnant crash test dummy
* 2002 RSC (Roll Stability Control)
* 2003 IDIS (Intelligent Driver Information System)
* 2003 Rear seat belt reminders (in S40 and V50)
* 2003 New, patented, front-end structure reduces collision forces
* 2003 Inauguration of Volvo’s Traffic Accident Research Team in Bangkok
* 2004 WRG (Water Repellent Glass)
* 2005 Introduction of DMIC (Door Mounted Inflatable Curtain) on the All-New Volvo C70

http://www.volvocanada.com/NewsAndEvents/PressReleases.aspx?lng=2&NewsItemID=27

Göteborg (February 19, 2008) — The very first Volvo car left the factory on April 14, 1927. It was called the ÖV4 because the letters ÖV are Swedish for “Open Car” and 4 denoted the number of cylinders powering the new Swedish car. On February 20, 2008, it is once again an open car that is under the spotlights. That’s when car number 15,000,000, an attractive convertible Volvo C70, will leave the factory in Uddevalla.

In the first year, production proceeded at a modest pace, with 297 cars being sold in 1927. Emerging from the shadow of the global economic depression and Second World War, it took Volvo 23 years to build its first 100,000 cars. Today, that figure corresponds to about three months of production.

However, Volvo has never really been a high-volume manufacturer. Early in the company’s history, it was decided that the brand name should signify quality and safety. Since the early 1970s, environmental issues too have come to the forefront of the company’s corporate agenda. It is therefore no accident that Volvo was first off the mark with the world’s single most important safety invention (the 3-point safety belt was fitted as standard to Volvo cars as far back as 1959) and with one of the world’s foremost innovations in the environmental sphere (the 3-way catalytic converter with Lambdasond was introduced in 1976).

Many Volvo owners have over the years also expressed their appreciation of their cars’ sensible, solid engineering. Functionality has always been important and this was confirmed when British motoring magazine AutoExpress undertook an ambitious survey about ten years ago to find out which cars are best and worst to live with from the owner’s viewpoint. Two Volvo models took part in the survey, and both won their classes. The Volvo C70 was regarded as the best sports car and the Volvo S80 was named the best luxury car in stiff competition against considerably more expensive cars.

Today the Volvo brand is equally renowned for the attractive design of cars that reflect characteristic Scandinavian design traditions. When that first car drove past the factory gates back in 1927, it proudly carried its “iron symbol” on the radiator grille. That mark was and still is a symbol of Swedish steel and quality. When car number 15,000,000 now leaves the factory in Uddevalla, that symbol is still carried with pride on the front and it still represents quality and solidity. The Volvo C70 is one of the absolute safest convertibles ever built. It is a functional and spacious car. And it is actually two cars in one as the three-piece retractable hardtop transforms the Volvo C70 from coupe to convertible at the touch of a button.

Footnote: The best-selling Volvo model ever is the classic 200 Series. Between 1974 and 1993, no less than 2,862,573 were built.

Footnote II: Probably the best-known of all Volvo models is the P1800 sports coupe that was built during the 1960s. For one thing, it was the car that Roger Moore drove in the highly popular TV series “The Saint”. For another, Irv Gordon’s red P1800 from 1966 is in the Guinness Book of Records as the car that has covered a higher mileage than any other car on the planet. In 2002 his car’s odometer rolled past 2,000,000 miles (3,218,000 km) and in 2012 Irv expects to be doing the three million mile (4,827,000 km) service on his trusty car. Beat that if you can…

http://www.volvocanada.com/NewsAndEvents/PressReleases.aspx?lng=2&NewsItemID=34

At Volvo Car Corporation, the corporate vision for the design and engineering process of its products is that, ultimately, the company will build vehicles that should not crash. While this is a vision the company has for the future, in the shorter term, Volvo Cars envisions no one killed or injured in a Volvo vehicle in the year 2020.

“We don’t accept that people lose their lives in airplane accidents, so why should we regard traffic collisions as inevitable?” says Jan Ivarsson, head of Safety Strategy at the Volvo Cars.

The World Health Organisation estimates that some 1.2 million people are killed and more than 50 million are wounded in automobile collisions every year. With an ever-increasing number of vehicles on the road, these figures are expected to rapidly increase if no action is taken. Volvo Cars is determined to continue leading the industry in the field of safety by using its vision of a collision-free future as a guiding principle.

“Continuous research and enhancement of safety in and around our vehicles will be essential for achieving a safer driver environment and a collision-free future,” Ivarsson continues. “In this aim, we invite fruitful cooperation with authorities and the automotive industry.”

Since its formation in 1970, the Volvo Cars Accident Research Team has investigated more than 36,000 collisions involving Volvo vehicles. The team fills a database with information about the crashed cars to evaluate the performance of existing protective safety systems and gather data on the need for updates or new systems. Just as important as what happens during a crash is the understanding of why a collision occurred in the first place. In this regard, the Research Team also studies the driving environment and interviews the people involved to better understand driver behaviour.

It’s this knowledge gained from real world traffic collisions that has led Volvo Cars to design vehicles with a very high level of safety for real world collisions and developing new technologies to help drivers better avoid collisions.

“With more and more advanced technology, we design vehicles that help the driver avoid collisions and hopefully also avoid exposure to dangerous situations,” says Ivarsson.

To further address situations that might lead vehicles to collide, the Volvo Cars safety research and development strategy includes a broader view of the subject than traditionally focusing simply on collisions.

Even though the technology to design a collision-free traffic environment is not in place yet, the safety experts at Volvo Cars say they have created a path for the company to get there. To do this, the engineers and designers must look into the driver’s whole journey, from everyday driving to post collision. This journey can be divided into five phases and during each step there’s an opportunity to enhance safety:

Phase 1: Normal driving – Driver kept informed on the driving environment and driver concentration.
Phase 2: Conflict – Driver enters a potentially hazardous situation, yet is able to cope with it through emergency avoidance manoeuvres.
Phase 3: Avoidance – Driver less capable of coping with the situation without assistance.
Phase 4: Damage reduction – Driver and vehicle are incapable of avoiding a collision and actions are taken to prepare for the collision and to potentially reduce crash forces.
Phase 5: Post collision – Driver offered assistance and rescue.

Volvo Cars also follows the principle that the driver should always be in command. The preventive safety systems of the vehicle should support the driver, for instance by monitoring drowsiness or distraction. The vehicle’s systems can also warn the driver when the distance to other vehicles is too short. It is not until the driver fails to react and a collision is imminent or unavoidable that the vehicle autonomously engages systems – such as the brakes – to potentially avoid or minimize the effects of a collision. Lowered impact speed leads to less crash energy, which increases the performance of the vehicle’s protective safety systems such as seat belts, airbags and crumple zones. As well, Volvo Cars plans to introduce safety technologies in the near future that make it possible to detect and auto-brake for pedestrians and even auto-steer away from oncoming vehicles.

With this new vision, Volvo Cars challenges not only itself but also the automotive industry and governments, as a collision-free future cannot be obtained by one company or organization alone. Safer traffic has three main stakeholders: the automotive manufacturers, the drivers and the groups in charge of the infrastructure.

“There is considerable safety potential in creating communication between vehicles and infrastructure,” explains Ivarsson. “Two vehicles could, for example, warn each other of queues or slippery roads. Infrastructure sensors could warn the driver of people or animals crossing the road.”

This requires that all vehicles speak the same language regardless of brand, so international standards are needed.

Ultimately, though, the driver and passengers must also understand the importance of following traffic rules and using the vehicle’s safety equipment.

“The three-point safety belt, invented by Volvo, was introduced as standard equipment nearly 50 years ago,” says Ivarsson. “At that time, we believed it was so important to mankind that we offered the patent entirely free of charge to all manufacturers. It is still regarded as the most life-saving safety equipment in cars. Nevertheless, many people still do not use it. There is still a lot we can do to inform people about safety in the vehicles of today.”

Volvo Cars of Canada Corp. is part of the Volvo Car Corporation of Göteborg, Sweden. The company provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to the 42 Volvo automobile retailers across the country. The company’s product range includes the stylish and sporty C30, the elegant C70 hardtop convertible, the compact S40 sedan, the S60 sport sedan, the S80 flagship sedan and the versatile V50 and V70 wagon. For customers looking for a Volvo vehicle with all-road capability, the company offers the versatile XC70 and XC90. Volvo Canada is also expanding its line-up with the introduction of the new XC60, a crossover with the award-winning City Safety system on the standard equipment list.