More details are creeping out on Volvo’s new
S80 flagship in advance of its Geneva debut.
Volvo has long made safety a priority with its vehicles, but most of their advancements have focused on the ability
to cope with or avoid an accident altogether. But with the S80, Gothenberg’s boffins have turned their focus
on owners’ personal safety before they even enter their cars.
As part of the S80’s Personal Car Communicator (the all-in-one fob-like computer used to govern keyless entry,
among other things), Volvo is claiming the world’s first OEM application of an anti-carjacking measure. As part of its
three-stage alarm, the Swedes have added a heartbeat sensor inside the vehicle, which warns approaching drivers whether
a car is locked, if the alarm is active, or if there is a would-be attacker crouching in the back.
Among other revelations, the New Zealand Herald’s article on the big Volvo indicates that the company hopes to move
50,000 new S80s per year globally, of which an optimistic 70-percent are hopeful conquest sales.