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-   -   Volvo to limit the top speed of its cars to 180 kmph (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/207257-volvo-limit-top-speed-its-cars-180-kmph.html)

Just read this article, which claims that Volvo is planning to limit the top speed of all of it's cars to 180 kmph (112 mph).
This cap on the top speed will be implemented from year 2021.




https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/4/18...mph-kmh-models

Volvo has announced that all its cars will come with a 180 km/h speed limit from 2020. The move is part of the company's target to achieve zero serious injuries or fatalities in a new Volvo by 2020.

According to Volvo, technology improvements alone will not help in achieving zero serious injuries or fatalities. The Swedish carmaker will now focus on driver behaviour as well. The company has identified 3 potential areas of improvement to help achieve their goal - Speeding, Intoxication and Distracted driving. Of these, they claim that speeding is the most prominent one.

Volvo is also looking to enforce speed limits around schools and hospitals using geo-fencing and smart speed control. Data from the NHTSA reveals that 25% of all traffic fatalities in the US in 2017 were caused by speeding.

The carmaker is also expected to present ideas to tackle intoxication and distraction at a safety event which is scheduled to take place in Gothenburg, Sweden on March 20, 2019.



Link to the Team-BHP News

It’s very hard to argue with this logic without sounding reckless or brash. But, as a loyal Volvo customer this move strikes me as an infringement on my personal freedom. Also, their decision not to impose this speed cap on polestar vehicles confuses me, are polestar owners somehow superior to the rest ? Atleast let owners turn it off on the track ? Geely should intervene, they’ve done a splendid job rebuilding the brand thus far.

Volvo should go ahead and fit 175 section tyre's to their vehicles and their clients will automatically restrict speed to less than 60 mph.:uncontrol

I liked the geo-fencing idea. I also liked that Volvo is focusing on reducing cases of Distraction and Intoxication.

Regarding the top-speed limiter - a concept I was only aware of since playing NFS Underground 2, wherein I removed the said component on my Civic - it is a fact that electronic devices can be manipulated (or removed). Those who want to go fast will always find a way. And placing a restriction on speed only increases the value so-called coolness factor when that limit is overcome.

If anything, The move to limit speeds will only increase business for tuners. :D

Furthermore, Volvo now only needs to manufacture parts to conform to a lower, possibly inferior, standard because of the lower speed limit. So possibly lesser cost, and therefore more profit.
:deadhorse

180 kmph seems arbitrary, imo (maybe volvo has done a case study which includes speed statistics or something). This decision holds no logic for me, since fatal accidents are possible even at a speed of 60 kmph. In case of an accident, 180 kmph is as good as 250 or 300 kmph wrt chances of survival - low. If speed limiting is the sole criterion for preventing accidents, then all vehicles should be limited to a speed of 15-20 kmph.
It is a well known fact that the driver is the main cause of accidents. How about focusing more energy on driver awareness & sense of responsibility? Volvo should also focus on autonomous safety aids which can recognise an impending accident (sudden braking, too much roll/pitch/yaw, sudden loud of traction in a wheel) & transmit necessary signals to the system to counter the same (sounds like a sci-fi movie yet I believe current autonomous tech is progressing towards the same).

Does this also mean Volvo will impose a power limit on all their future vehicles? Since what is the point of a 2 L+ V6 if it can't go beyond 180 kmph?

Haha - although, in India, the last thing customers understand is their vehicle's ability to handle speeds. I've seen Activas being ridden like RC 390s (wildly zig zagging while at it of course as any self respecting triple seat rider should ride!) and Maruti 800s / Scorpios etc engaging in 140+ kmph swinging lane change maneuvers.

Guess the figure 180 kmph is valid in countries where much higher speeds are the norm, for example the Autobahn, where people 'cruise' at speeds in excess of 250 kmph! Number of fatalities can definitely be brought down in such a scenario.

I'm not of the opinion that potential Indian buyers of Volvo need to worry too much. 180 kmph is high enough for all Indian highways (barring maybe one or two), and way higher than the maximum speed limits in our country.

Not sure how much of a difference this would make as how many people have ever driven over 180 kmph in their Volvos? And of those, how many met with a fatal accident?

Don't know if this is a PR move, but it could work against Volvo. It'll give them a "Volvo is slower" reputation against the 250 kmph German competitors.

Related trivia: All cars sold in Japan have a 180 kmph speed limiter.

This is cost cutting in the guise of safety, like Volvo saying 4 cylinder engines are there to reduce emissions. A car that's engineered for 250kmph top speed will be better, I'm surprised Volvo didn't offer to remove the drivetrain and reduce accidents to zero immediately.

Volvo's earlier PR stunt about ICE was a farce, this is along the same lines. They launched the V60 with a diesel engine before the announcement, the S60 sedan was never the popular choice in Europe.

Cheap lower speed rated tires from factory along with other cost saving.

After all the fun starts after 200kmph :)

Well. Big difference in momentum at 180 and 250.
Also don't some cars remove the limiter in Japan when on a racetrack.

Also, speedy peeps will buy polestar or another brand. It's not being forced onto existing cars. Don't really see a problem with it. Heck my polo hits 193. Takes a long while but gets there.
The IS20 gti goes 240 easy peasy. Their cars their choice. No one forcing to buy Volvo.

While modern cars are mostly packed to the brim with technology that can mitigate chances of an accident, there is no full-proof measure than can prevent such unfortunate - often fatal - instances. And while limiting top speed too may not guarantee safety, it may well be a leap in the right direction. Volvo says its vision for a safer future on roads would next focus on human behaviour to curb instances of driver distraction and intoxication.