2005 Volvo Xc90 T6 on 2040-cars

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Volvo racks up the most IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards of any 2022 carmaker

It should not come as any surprise, but Volvo has won the most IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards of any automaker in 2022. Top Safety Pick+ is the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety's top prize. Volvo has accumulated 13 of the awards, spanning its entire lineup. IIHS and Volvo separates models between gasoline and electrified versions of the same car, even though the tests may have been conducted only on one variant. For example, the XC60 Recharge earns an TSP+ even though tests were conducted using gasoline-powered XC60 T5 and T6 models. Similarly, a C40 Recharge gets the award even though the actual test was conducted on a similar XC40 Recharge. Also, as with Mazda's lineup TSP+ rankings from earlier this year, some are carried over to 2022 model year cars from tests on previous model year cars. This is only when the model has not changed significantly. For example, the XC60's 2022 ranking was based on a 2018 model year's crash test. The IIHS conducts six tests on each car — a moderate overlap front crash, two small overlap front crashes for both driver and passenger, a side impact crash, a roof strength crush evaluation, and a head restraint test using just the car seat. The results are ranked out of four levels, with a green "Good" marker indicating the top tier. Beyond the crashes, Volvo earned top marks for standard safety features such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian and cyclist detection. It should be noted that most Volvo models earned an "Acceptable" rating for ease of use of the LATCH safety seats. This is the second best rating, but does not affect crash worthiness, and won't matter if you don't use child seats. XC40 models received a "Poor" rating for its safety belt reminders, which IIHS deemed not loud or long enough. Some models like the S90 and XC60 received "Acceptable" ratings on headlights, with IIHS wishing the beams were brighter on turns. Despite these minor quibbles, the overall ratings are still very impressive. It should be noted that even the V60 and V90 wagons, which are (achingly beautiful but tragically) discontinued in America, also got TSP+ ratings though were not included in the 13-model 2022 count. Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Volvo XC90 Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Crash Test Rating

Next-generation Volvo XC90 could wear the Embla nameplate

Volvo's next-generation XC90 will have a lot of firsts on its resume. It will inaugurate an evolution of the modular SPA2 platform that underpins the current model, it will be available with a new suite of driver assistance features, and it will reportedly adopt the Embla name. Citing a trademark application filed in Europe in 2021, British magazine Autocar believes it has uncovered the big SUV's new name. While a trademark or a patent filing is never a guarantee that a feature, a name or a car is right around the corner, we know that Volvo plans to ditch its alphanumerical naming system in the near future to start giving its cars real names. "We're going to give cars a name as you give a newborn child," explained outgoing company boss Hakan Samuelsson. He also confirmed the next XC90's name will start with a vowel. Embla, your author just learned, is the first woman created by the gods according to Norse mythology. Its etymology is seemingly lost to history. It appears that Volvo wants to build on the Thor's Hammer lights and continue putting its Swedish heritage front and center. Viewed in that light, Embla is a relatively good choice. It's reasonably easy to pronounce, even for folks outside of Scandinavia, and it's original; it's likely not a name that you hear on a daily basis. It's also relatively soft — Volvo Yggdrasil Recharge arguably has less of a ring to it.  Unofficial morsels of information allow us to piece together a vague idea of what to expect from the Embla. We hear the SUV will be loosely related to the Concept Recharge design study (pictured) that Volvo introduced in November 2021. If that's accurate, it won't look anything like the model that's currently in showrooms. It will be longer, higher off the ground, and built on a much longer wheelbase. Details about the powertrain are conflicting: some sources say the Embla will be entirely electric, while others believe it will also be available as a hybrid. Volvo is expected to unveil the Embla before the end of 2022, and the crossover will arrive in showrooms as either a 2023 or a 2024 model. An earlier report claims that production will take place near Charleston, South Carolina, where the firm currently builds the S60 sedan. And, to complete the history lesson: the first man created by the gods in Norse mythology was named Ask.  Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Volvo still undecided on offering plug-in hybrid versions of all models

The automotive world is only a few months away from getting its first real glimpse at Volvo's big gamble with the unveiling of the next-generation XC90 (pictured above as the Concept XC Coupe). We're already getting a preview of the revolutionary upgrades with the introduction of the Swede's Volvo Engine Architecture family into some of its 2015 models, like the recently driven S60. These changes are just the start, though. The real magic could be in the powertrains.
Dean Shaw, Volvo Cars North America vice president of corporate communications hinted to Autoblog a few months ago that every model sold in the US could come in a plug-in hybrid variant, starting with the new XC90. Despite confirmation rumors that this has now come to pass, Shaw told AutoblogGreen that the only thing Volvo is confirming right now is that the platform is capable of that. "We haven't confirmed that all US Volvos would be available with PHEV," he said.
Shaw did confirm that that XC90 will come with a gas and plug-in hybrid powertrain that offers "around 400 horsepower." According to Plugin Cars, the new XC90 will be unveiled in August and will make its public debut at an as-yet-unnamed auto show in the fall. Also, sometime during the 2016 model year, a plug-in hybrid variant will be added to its lineup.