Volvo to set 180km/h speed limit on new cars from 2020
- Carmaker will be first to install cap across entire range, though police vehicles will be exempt
- Volvo Cars is based in Sweden, but is owned by China’s Geely holding company
Volvo will limit the top speed of its cars to 180km/h (112mph) from 2020 in an attempt to reduce the number of accidents.
The cap will prevent drivers from accelerating to the top speeds of up to 250km/h many Volvos can reach.
The Swedish brand, which was acquired in 2010 by the Chinese firm Zhejiang Geely, has long had a reputation for prioritising road safety and aims to eliminate fatalities where speed is a factor.
It said the electronic restriction focused on driver behaviour because mechanical solutions alone could not ensure safety. The limit will apply to all cars made from mid-2020 onwards.
Volvo is believed to be the first carmaker to install the cap across its range. Police vehicles will be exempt.
Similar technology has been installed on several high-performance cars in Germany, but at a much higher speed limit.
