VOLVO’S unique CitySafe system, which will be fitted as standard to its new XC60 crossover vehicles from the end of the year, will be rolled out across all new models in the future.
Gerry Keaney, senior vice president and head of marketing, sales and customer service at Volvo Car Corporation, hinted that the system, which helps drivers avoid low-speed accidents in heavy traffic, could also find its way into Ford vehicles in the future.
He said: ‘CitySafe will be incorporated into new Volvo products as they emerge and we will remain very much the centre of excellence within the Ford group in terms of safety systems.
‘Volvo and premium brands are generally the innovators while over a period of time these filter down into mass volume models. It would be a surprise if such things did not feature on Ford vehicles one day.’
Keaney said that Volvo would produce 60,000 XC60 vehicles a year at Ghent in Belgium – around 4,000 a year will be sold in the UK.
Although coming to market relatively late with such a vehicle, which is up against established rivals such as the BMW X3 and Land Rover Freelander, Keaney said he was confident about hitting sales targets.
‘We have worked hard to make sure that residual values for this vehicle are strong, particularly in the UK and USA and believe we have the right pricing and marketing strategy in place.’
