Volvo to Cap the Top Speed of Its Cars at 112 MPH for Safety Reasons
Volvo’s latest announcement might not make it popular in Germany, but the company hopes that it will make its cars safer. The Swedish company will lower top speed limits on all its vehicles, starting with model year 2021.
Beginning that year, every Volvo will get a top speed limited set to 112 mph. It’s part of Vision 2020, the company’s plan to have no one killed in a new Volvo by 2020.
Since 112 mph will get your license revoked in most places — or at least earn you a pretty serious talk with your local constabulary — it’s a tough one to argue against. Maybe the biggest surprise is that they haven’t set it lower. After all, the highest speed limits in Europe are 80 mph, not counting the decreasing stretches of unlimited Autobahn in Germany. And even in the U.S., the 85 mph limit in Texas is tops.
ALSO SEE: Refreshed Volvo XC90 Lineup Gets New Mild Hybrid Model
Volvo says that beyond certain speeds, even advanced engineering and safety features aren’t enough. Hit an obstacle going more than 110 mph, and their Vision 2020 odds take a hit almost as hard as the one between you and that tree.
The company is also looking at geofenced speed limits. Lowering that limiter even more if, say, you’re in a school zone or a city street, making things safer for those around you.
The next step for Volvo is reducing distraction and intoxication behind the wheel. They have a plan for that too and will be presenting ideas at a safety event at the end of this month.
This article originally appeared on SwedeSpeed.com
Evan moved from engineering to automotive journalism 10 years ago (it turns out cars are more interesting than fibreglass pipes), but has been following the auto industry for his entire life. Evan is an award-winning automotive writer and photographer and is the current President of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. You'll find him behind his keyboard, behind the wheel, or complaining that tiny sports cars are too small for his XXXL frame.
More by Evan Williams
Comments
Join the conversation