2015 Volvo XC90 revealed

The new Volvo XC90 is so safe the Swedish car maker says no-one will die or be injured in one by 2020.

Volvo has unveiled the world’s safest “soccer mum car” -- with at least two world firsts the company hopes will make its drivers invincible by 2020.
 
The new Volvo XC90 unveiled in Sweden overnight will automatically slam on the brakes if you’re about to turn in front of an oncoming car, and will tighten the seatbelts and prepare the airbags for impact if you run off the road in a bend.
 
In addition to automatically braking to avoid a rear-end crash at less than 50km/h, the new Volvo can also spot cyclists and pedestrians at night, and follow the speed limit at the press of a button on an iPad-style touchscreen in the dash.
 
The new XC90 also takes the bump out of the daily grind by following the car in front in slow-moving traffic; it’s able to automatically stop, go and gently turn the steering wheel -- without any input from the driver -- using a hi-tech radar and camera system.
 
It even has eyes in the back of its head: a radar system can detect if you’re about to be hit from behind, and will prepare the seatbelts and headrests for the sudden impact.
 
Volvo says the new XC90 is a critical step to the gradual automation of the automobile -- and a crash-free future.
 
“This car is an important step towards our vision for 2020,” says Volvo vice president Lex Kerssemakers. “This is the most daring commitment in the automotive industry: to have no-one killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by 2020.”
 
But technology that can avoid kangaroos and other animals is still a few years away.
 
Volvo engineers have visited Australia over the past 12 months to gather data and film the roadside behaviour of kangaroos so they be part of Volvo’s animal detection system to be introduced in the coming years.
 
“As we have discovered, kangaroos are really unpredictable and difficult to avoid, but we don’t think it’s impossible,” said Volvo safety expert Martin Magnusson.
 
“Kangaroos are smaller than the other animals we are trying to detect and their behaviour is more erratic, but we are working on it very intensively.”
 
Meanwhile Volvo has come up with other gadgets designed to help mums on the run.
 
The new XC90 will also be able to book itself in for a service at your nearest Volvo dealership when it needs an oil change or diagnoses a fault. In other words, it will check itself in to the doctor.
 
The first new XC90 in 12 years is also the first all-new model developed since Volvo was bought by China’s Geely motor company in 2010.

The Volvo XC90 is likely to be subject to a significant price hike, starting from $90,000 plus on-road costs when it arrives in Australian showrooms next May. That's almost 30 per cent more than the starting price of today's model, $69,990. 
 
It will be available with a choice of four-cylinder petrol or diesel power, and a plug-in hybrid system that can travel up to 40km on battery power alone (before switching to petrol power), the first seven-seater of its type in the world.
 
But the first 1927 cars built -- a tribute to the year Volvo was formed -- will be available for $120,000 plus on-roads as part of an online auction to be the among first in the world to take delivery.

Fast Facts: 2015 Volvo XC90
Price: From $90,000 plus on-road costs
On sale: In Australian showrooms May 2015
Engines: Choice of petrol or diesel four-cylinder engines, and a plug-in hybrid (40km range before petrol engine kicks in)
Consumption: 7.7L/100km (petrol), 5.8L/100km (diesel)
Acceleration to 100km/h: 6.9 seconds (petrol), 7.8 seconds (diesel)
Dimensions: 4950/2140/1775/2984mm (L/W/H/WB)
Turning circle: 11.9 to 12.1 metres
Weight: 1940 to 2030kg
Towing capacity: 2700kg
Safety: Seven airbags (including one for the driver's knee and full-length curtains to the third row), all seven seats have pre-tensioners.
Other highlights: Rear view camera, collision avoidance in stop-start traffic and at intersections, radar warning of being rear-ended in a crash.