News flash: Volvo’s forthcoming small SUV promises to be safe. Also, water is wet.
Forgive us for jesting just a bit there, but if you think Volvo, you probably also think safety, and there could be worse traits that go hand in hand with an automaker.
Last week Volvo announced that it would soon debut the EX30, an all-electric SUV that will be the smallest in its lineup. The Swedish automaker didn’t announce much else about the SUV, but as with other brands that like to build anticipation for their latest model, Volvo is teasing out more info as the EX30’s June 7 premiere approaches.
The latest is that the EX30 will take safety — especially in the city where this model is primed to live — to a “new level.”
“It’s our smallest ever SUV, but the forthcoming, all-electric Volvo EX30 is big on safety, thanks to our 96 years of leadership and innovation in this area,” Volvo touts. The automaker says the EX30 will protect not just drivers but others outside the vehicle as well.
One feature to highlight that point is a door opening alert, which will warn if you’re about to open a door in front of a passing cyclist. This is keen technology, which has already made its way into vehicles from Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, Kia, and others. Here it will be part of Volvo’s Safe Space Technology, and this marks the first time the technology is featured in a Volvo.
Other notable safety features coming to the Volvo EX30 include a far-side airbag on the inside of the driver’s seat to help reduce head and thorax injuries in a side-impact crash and a new driver-alert system. Also known as a driver-monitoring system, it uses a sensor in front of the driver to detect fatigue or distraction by checking eye and face movements 13 times per second.
Additionally, the Volvo EX30 will feature an intersection auto brake feature to help prevent a collision if another vehicle turns in your path — an all-too-common occurrence in the cities where the EX30 is destined.
We still don’t know much about how the EX30 looks or details about its range or power, but we will bring you more in the weeks ahead.
