SwedeSpeed - Volvo Performance Forum banner

Volvo Cars new XC60 SUV will automatically steer you out of trouble

5.6K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  matt1122  
#1 ·
https://www.media.volvocars.com/glo...ases/204531/volvo-cars-new-xc60-suv-will-automatically-steer-you-out-of-trouble

Volvo Cars' new XC60 SUV will automatically steer you out of trouble

Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, has announced that the new XC60 SUV - which will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show - will feature three new advanced driver assistance features aimed at keeping the driver out of trouble.

The new safety features are designed to provide the driver with automatic steering assistance or support - when required - to help avoid potential collisions. Volvo believes that these new features will make the new XC60 one of the safest cars on the road.

"We have been working with collision avoidance systems for many years and we can see how effective they are. In Sweden alone we have seen a decline of around 45 per cent* in rear-end frontal crashes thanks to our collision warning with autobrake system. With the XC60 we are determined to take the next step in reducing avoidable collisions with the addition of steering support and assistance systems," said Malin Ekholm, Senior Director, Volvo Cars' Safety Centre.

City Safety has been updated in the XC60 to include steering support, which engages when automatic braking alone would not help avoid a potential collision. In such circumstances, the car will provide steering assistance to avoid the obstacle ahead. City Safety helps to avoid collisions with vehicles, pedestrians and large animals. Steering support is active between 50-100 km/h.

Volvo Cars has also added a system called Oncoming Lane Mitigation, which helps drivers to avoid collisions with vehicles in an oncoming lane.

The system works by alerting a driver who has unwittingly wandered out of a driving lane by providing automatic steering assistance, guiding them back into their own lane and out of the path of any oncoming vehicle. This system is active between 60-140 km/h.

"All three of these new features represent clear steps in our work towards fully autonomous cars," added Malin Ekholm.

Volvo Cars' optional Blind Spot Information System, which alerts drivers to the presence of vehicles in their blind spot, has also received an update to include steer assist functionality that helps to avoid potential collisions with vehicles in a blind spot by steering the car back into its own lane and away from danger.

"We have all of the benefits of the safety technology we introduced in our larger 90 Series cars in the new XC60. This is fully in-line with our strategic approach to develop automotive safety systems based on real-life, real-road safety. Our vision is that no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by the year 2020," added Malin Ekholm.

The XC60 will deliver a host of high-end safety systems, just like its larger 90 Series siblings, including Large Animal Detection, Run-off Road Mitigation and the semi-autonomous driver support and convenience system Pilot Assist as an option.

The new Volvo XC60 will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show.

* Collision Warning with Autobrake is a part of the City Safety system. The 45% reduction in rear-end frontal crashes in Sweden relates to cars equipped with the third generation of this technology.
 
#4 ·
If its linked to City Safe, then all three should be standard.

I like this. Too bad all cars aren't going to have this since lots of people are killed by others acting like jerks. Maybe if they had a car that was smarter than them, these situations could be avoided.
 
#7 ·
If you remember correctly, this wasn't a failure of the system but a failure by the test engineer setting it up.
 
#6 ·
I wonder if these features will be available for other models including those originally built without them (like the Pilot Assist II upgrade).
 
#8 ·
This is all just fine, but what about measures to prevent a forgotten infant in the back seat?

Other carmakers have invested in such systems, seems like a no-brained that Volvo, OF ALL CARMAKERS, would take this one on.

And I say that as someone who's kids are now too big & too loud for that to happen to us.
 
#9 ·
This is all just fine, but what about measures to prevent a forgotten infant in the back seat?

Other carmakers have invested in such systems, seems like a no-brained that Volvo, OF ALL CARMAKERS, would take this one on.

And I say that as someone who's kids are now too big & too loud for that to happen to us.
First, there will be a written test for people who are contemplating becoming parents.
 
#14 ·
Didn't they advertise that feature more as a safety feature concerning someone hiding in your vehicle, waiting for you to unlock the door so they can attack? not saying it wouldn't work or was not meant for infants left in the vehicle, but if memory serves me, it was more for adult 'intruders' and safety.
 
#17 ·
I don't remember that, but I do remember that at the time my very mature attitude towards that would have been "What kind of moron leaves their pets or kids in the car and doesn't know about it?"

This **** I see if I look at my Facebook history from 10 years ago.

Image
 
#19 ·
Am I the only one that's more than a little worried about the legal implications of some of this new technology? I know legal responsibility is a consideration on fully autonomous cars for the future, but what about right now? The scenario I have in mind is the automatic steering addition to the City Safety system. What happens in the event the car realises its not going to stop in time and decides to steer around the car in front - only to then run down a person. How does the car work out that the option of steering around the object in front is the best option?

Tony
 
#20 · (Edited)
I'm assuming the cameras/radar know when a car or other barrier is present in either lane as well as on-coming cars. With all that information, sometimes the only decision will be to apply the brake and not steer, but if another lane or shoulder exist and are open, it can steer into it.

Now the REAL worry point is if the sensors give an accurate representation of the car's surrounding to the computer.

As we've seen with Tesla's screwup, the camera couldn't differentiate a truck from the sky (not sure why radar didn't provide information that a solid object was in front of the vehicle, but that's Tesla's stupidity).

Volvo has done a pretty good job of integrating radar and image information for adaptive cruise and BLIS but others report they are not thrilled with PA2, which is in no way meant to be autonomous driving but does appear to have some niggles for its given mission.

Most likely, the automatic steering will be extremely conservative, I hope not too much though, I hope its used to truly avoid crashes and not just a bullet point on an ad.

I would like to see Volvo show a TON of examples of it working. I mean, it doesn't ruin the car, this feature saves it, so they can just keep using the same car for a boat-load of demos in lots of different scenarios.