Volvo commits to fatality-free cars

Volvo is the only car company on the planet to make a commitment to develop and build cars that result in zero deaths or serious injuries by 2020.

It plans to do so via autonomous driving technology, improved active and passive systems and advanced sensory equipment that can detect potentially dangerous situations and reduce their impact, or avoid them altogether.

It claims its new XC90 large SUV, which is coming to Australia in May 2015 priced from around $90,000, is one of the world's safest vehicles.

During the vehicle's motor show debut in Paris this week, Volvo's head of research and development Peter Mertens told motoring.com.au its commitment to fatality-free driving was resolute.

"It's going happen," he said.

When drawn on the 2020 deadline, and the reality that some drivers are foolish, Mertens wasn't so cocksure, arguing that its casualty-free car commitment is so bold, the timeline was irrelevant.

"Whether it's 2020 or 2022 doesn't really matter. It could be that if it isn't 2020 it's 2021, and people say you promised earlier. I would say I couldn't care less, to be honest. This is so much of a bold thing you can't exactly say the timing around it.

"We are the only ones in the automotive industry that have a bold commitment. This is what we strive for, and we do the utmost to make it happen. If it's technically doable we will do it," said the Volvo R&D chief.

The advent of autonomous cars will have a dramatic change on car safety, said Mertens, confirming the company plans to make fully autonomous cars available before the turn of the decade.

But even now, without self-driving cars that take a more cautious approach to driving, Mertens said that Volvos were 60 per cent safer than the average car, and certainly the safest vehicles on the road.

"We are better than any competitor," he said. "We can prove this. We have government data that shows the fatalities in our vehicles compared to other vehicles and we are significantly better than the best competitor. Significantly."

Mertens wouldn't be drawn on which manufacturer has the next fewest fatalities – and whether it's Mercedes-Benz or another European premium brand.

"We are very much on our way to zero fatalities," said the Volvo R&D supremo, adding that this is not only case in Sweden.

"It's proven with neutral data in Sweden that we are the safest. You don't get that data access in other countries, but it is the same in other countries," he posited.

"We are 60 per cent better than the average. Active safety, autonomous driving... that's how our vehicles will get to zero fatalities."