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Volvo Demonstrates what Cars go Through before Arriving at Dealerships

Have you every thought about what sort of grueling testing a car goes through before you are allowed to drive it on the road? With a new Youtube video by Volvo shoot at its top secret proving ground in Hallered, Sweden, you can see the testing process every 2012 Volvo car goes through and those that have not quite made it onto the production line.
Volvo's secret proving ground in Hallered, Sweden

With a deep voiced narrator, aerial and sweeping shoots, music, quick cuts, the video seems as if it is a preview for an action movie. No explosions or fighting take place at the Volvo proving grounds (I hope), but the testing process is a grueling, extensive, and an aging process for any Volvo vehicle unfortunate enough to have been chosen for such a life.

There are 15 test tracks at the Hallered proving grounds. The main track takes Volvo cars to the limit, driving at speeds of 155mph and at full throttle. Test drivers wear out over 2,000 tires testing the chassis and road-holding capabilities of Volvo's vehicles on twisting roads and bumpy surfaces, just like those found in the real world. Salt water is on-hand to test the rust protection of vehicles. Volvo's 4WD models are put the test on grueling gravel tracks, inclines, declines, and intense off-road conditions.

Even a special rig was made to test Volvo's Pedestrian Detection System. This system is designed to brake the vehicle if it detects you are not slowing down to an obstacle, such as a pedestrian or other car. It works up to 22mph, since the main idea is that this will save lives in urban settings. The technology uses radar and a camera to detect an approaching obstacle. Volvo estimates the system could reduce the number of pedestrians killed by more than 20 percent, while serious injuries could fall by as much as 30 percent. The Pedestrian Detection System is an option on a number of Volvo vehicles.

Volvo puts over 99,420 miles on test cars in under a year. That would take you around the globe 4 times. There are 75 specially trained test drivers at the proving grounds. Each drives over 62,000 miles a year in Volvo's test vehicles and on the intense Hallered proving grounds.

All this testing has a good purpose, as this gives Volvo engineers a much better idea of how the car will handle over the long term and in the real world. So before you see it in the dealership and bring it home, you know your Volvo vehicle is safe, durable, reliable, and ready for anything.

Please contact Adam Yamada-Hanff at – [email protected] – for comments, questions, or topics

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Comments

Anonymous (not verified)    November 19, 2011 - 12:29AM

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I really expect that Volvo go through such a test to ensure that volvo parts features will satisfy the new car owners. This is also done to secure the safety of the car.