Volvo has a reputation to uphold – one based on keeping its passengers safe during a crash. To that point, the Swedish automaker has already published a video showing the all-new 2018 XC40 undergoing side-impact crash testing. Keep in mind this video is hitting the web the same day Volvo is debuting the luxury crossover in Milan, Italy. Needless to say, safety is taking a front seat.

The video depicts Volvo’s internally conducted crash testing. The automaker has done this for years to reassure its engineers and corporate brass that a vehicle will behave as expected when tested by independent agencies like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Not much would be worse than a botched crash test to damage Volvo’s legacy of crash survivability. Thankfully, it seems Volvo has nothing to worry about with side-impact testing; the video shows both dummies protected by side curtain airbags and adequately restrained by seat belts in this 50-kmh, 31-mph test. Intrusion into the cabin is minimal and even the glass shards are diverted away from the dummies’ faces thanks to the airbag. The driver has even more protection thanks to a torso airbag that inflates from the seat’s side bolster.

The new XC40 will see big production numbers as it’s a key player in Volvo’s plan to boost its global sales by nearly 50 percent to 800,000 by 2020. It joins the new XC60 and the two-year-old XC90 in Volvo’s SUV lineup, along with its S90 and S60 sedans and V90 Cross Country and V60 wagons. Here in the U.S., the 2018 XC40 will begin arriving in showrooms in March 2018 and ordering books are already open. Volvo has set a $33,200 starting price for its smallest crossover – not a bad deal considering the XC40’s swanky interior, long list of safety features, and its high-tech powertrains.

References

Volvo XC40

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