Volvo is famous for being one of the carmakers that produces some of the safest cars in the world. The Swedish automaker has been investing in this department for decades now and it's still paying big attention to the safety of its vehicles. Apparently to the extent that it's dropping brand-new cars with a crane from 100 feet in the air.

It might seem a bit over the top now when production cars are being tested independently by organizations like EuroNCAP and the IIHS, doesn't it? Well, Volvo says that the goal is to recreate the impact of the most extreme crashes that can happen on public roads. Like when a car is hit by a speeding semi-truck. Volvo can't simulate these impacts in ordinary crash testing, so it's dropped several cars from a crane.

But it's not just about assessing the damage.

The company performed the test together with Sweden's rescue services, leaving workers to gather data toward developing better and quicker ways to extricate people out of severely crashed vehicles.

The drop causes massive damage to the cars in question, as the impact is much more extreme compared to tests performed by EuroNCAP and IIHS. Volvo is basically destroying its own cars to do everyone a favor, as the findings from these tests will be collected in a report that will be offered for free to rescue workers around the world. I guess there's no need to feel too bad about these brand-new Volvos being smashed beyond recognition.