Volvo has announced that integrated side curtain airbags are now standard on all new Volvo trucks built for North America. The company, known for creating the world’s first three-point seat belt back in 1959, then making the patent open and available, is now spearheading the effort to further driver safety with the added protection in the event of an accident or rollover.
This announcement came as part of a larger push by Volvo as it focuses on gaining greater market share in North America. The first step for Volvo was to completely redesign its new VNL and VNR for the North American market under a unified platform.
“The last time we did a brand-new platform of trucks was actually back in 1993. That platform was then transferred to North America in ’96 when we launched the VN series. That has been the same platform up until last year. And then we renewed everything. And this is a platform that is developed, designed here in North America just for the North American market,” said Magnus Koeck, vice president of strategy, marketing and brand for Volvo Trucks North America, during a ride-and-drive event at the Michelin Laurens Proving Grounds in South Carolina.
“So we haven’t inherited any platform from the other side of the ocean. So this is a true North American-developed product, and 90% of it is new. Our objective was quite clear. Yes, we want to be first out to the market with a brand-new platform of trucks, and we were that. We also want to offer the safest, most fuel-efficient and most comfortable truck in the market,” added Koeck.
Volvo Trucks is betting that the focus on safety and a redesigned truck from the ground up will be a major selling point in the highly competitive North American Class 8 market. “So we are definitely geared for the future … We are market leaders in many countries. We are not that here today, but you see from the investments we have made, we aspire to grow a lot here in North America during the next business cycle,” said Koeck.
Volvo Group, the global parent company to Volvo Trucks North America, operates a network of roughly 2,200 dealers around the globe in over 130 countries. For the new VNL, all of its trucks in North America are built in its New River Valley plant in Dublin, Va.
The addition of side curtain airbags as default features also continues Volvo’s push to position itself as one of the safest trucks on the road. “If you ask customers around the globe, mention one word associated with the brand name of Volvo, I bet 99% will say safety for a good reason. We have always been the safety leader,” added Koeck.
During the press event, Koeck showed a crash-test demonstration of an accident with and without the use of a side curtain airbag.
For a driver who is at least 7 to 7 1/2 feet off the ground, the risks for head injuries are great. In this test video, the cab simulated a rollover event. The video and results were striking.
The crash-test dummy without the side curtain airbag did not make it after its simulated head smashed against the reinforced door frame. The crash-test dummy with the side curtain airbag was spared, as the airbag deployed and a sheet-like buffer rapidly unfurled, protecting the occupant’s entire body, mitigating catastrophic injury.
“We will never compromise on safety in Volvo,” said Koeck.
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