Volvo
From the launch of the first Volvo nearly 80 years ago this year, the Swedish auto maker and manufacturer of Volvo and Volvo auto parts, the company has since evolved and improved tremendously on its safety program.
Volvo has always been relentless in serving the vision upon which its forefounders—Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson–had conceived of when the company came into existence. “Cars are drive by people. The guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo, therefore, is and must remain safety.”
The matter of safety for drivers and passengers were a matter of utmost concern for Volvo and has remained one of the trademark traits of their car models. The company’s efforts have led to a great and astonishing numbers of safety features in the car industry. One of them is the three-point seatbelt.
Conceptualized and realized by Nils Bohlin back in 1959 who was a Volvo engineer at the time, the strengths of the design have assured for it a spot in the queue of car models responsible for remarkable designing firsts.
Reasons for Volvo’s ingenius safety solutions spring from more than mere mechanics. The company employs meticulous analyses of its research subjects from all possible angles, anticipating any possible problem in order to deal with them. One prime instance of this is in how Volvo’s researches had led to the first rear-facing child seat. This was in 1972.
From the company’s contribution to the field of automotive seatbelts, child seats and even booster cushions with its extensive selection of Volvo belts, it, too, has long since been involved in the production of seatbelt reminders, seatbelts for rear seats, child safety locks that work for rear doors, hazard alert lights, whiplash protection systems, side-impact security system, roll stability command and a door mounted curtain for convertibles that’s inflatable.
All these would have been more than laudable enough but the company goes one step further. Aside from taking steps to ensure that any and all who drive a Volvo will feel safe and secure in the streets, Volvo has also set its eye on doing more than its share in providing active support to environmental endeavors.
In so much as automotive safety features concern people, the environment also plays a big factor in keeping that safety at a premium. One can hardly continue keeping people safe inside their cars if the environment they immediately encounter outside these cars is a cause for serious worries, health-wise. In this sense, Volvo’s commitment to providing the best for humankind proves admirable as it goes beyond the little details to the big picture.
In 1976, the company brought the three-way catalytic converter that went with a Lambda sensor to the attention of the public. As a Volvo auto part with an ability to reduce noxious exhaust gases by more than 90 percent, this three-way catalytic converter became an infinitely preferable alternative for a number of automotive factories, not just for Volvo.
Volvo also demonstrates strict regulations in its material selection processes, allowing the utilization of environment-friendly items. This environment-friendly attitude of Volvo extends to its recyclable selection and production facilities throughout the stretch of Europe.
