Automotive

Volvo limits the speed of all its new cars to 112 mph

Volvo is limiting the top speed of its entire range to 112 mph (180 km/h)
Volvo
Volvo is limiting the top speed of its entire range to 112 mph (180 km/h)
Volvo

Volvo has followed through on its plans to introduce a 112-mph (180-km/h) speed limit across its entire model lineup, today announcing that every one of its vehicles to roll off the production line will now feature this functionality built in.

The Swedish automaker first floated the idea of limiting the speed of its vehicles last year, and was met with mixed responses, by its own admission. Whether it should be up to carmakers to impose such rules on road users is the point of controversy, but Volvo is pushing ahead with its safety-first approach, intent on sending a message about the dangers of speeding.

The built-in speed limiter will also be complemented by a Care Key. Included with all Volvo vehicles, the feature enables owners to set extra limits on the car’s speed as they see fit. This could suit parents lending their cars to younger and inexperienced drivers, for example.

“We believe that a car maker has a responsibility to help improve traffic safety,” says Malin Ekholm, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “Our speed limiting technology, and the dialogue that it initiated, fits that thinking. The speed cap and Care Key help people reflect and realize that speeding is dangerous, while also providing extra peace of mind and supporting better driver behavior.”

Source: Volvo

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15 comments
Juanjo
"this functionality built it" maybe "this limitation built in". A lot of german autobuilders have that limitation, though the value is 250 km/h.
guzmanchinky
While I LOVE to tear down the Autobahn at top speed, I do admit it's insane. In the United States at least there is no point to a car that goes faster than 90 mph.
gbsderm
will now feature this DYS-functionality
HighlanderJuan
Well, this may reduce German purchases, and one would have to ask why a car company chooses to act like a parent to adults who buy its cars. If adults don't act responsibly with their cars, that is not the car company's fault. And, in fact, this mindless mentality may lead gun manufacturers to assume responsibility for their owner's actions. At what point do adults get treated as adults who do not need parental supervision? This mindset is horrible to the mature adult.
moreover
I truly appreciate this move. I've done 115 mph on America's loneliest highway for some stretches (empty Nevada and Utah) and even there it requires full attention and leaves no room for error or surprises.
Also, you have to overengineer cars around their top speed and bringing that top speed down saves resources.
paul314
This sounds like a really good idea. I find it hard to imagine any situation where traveling faster than 180 km/h would be a good idea, or even plausible in an emergency. And with electronic controls, you can set upper limits like that without sacrificing acceleration at lower speeds.
McDesign
" . . . will now feature this functionality built in."

Or "lack of functionality".
BlueOak
Why not limit all Volvo’s to 55 mph? How many drivers of this now China-owned company’s vehicles would notice? Seriously.
Koolski
TOTALLY agree with HighlanderJuan. I don't need a parent. This mentality is why we have nanny states who pass laws because they "know better" than the average citizen. I personally wouldn't buy a Volvo for this very reason. Not because I want to drive 115+ but because of the principle.
lucius
I agree with Volvo's decision to limit the maximum speed of their vehicles. I feel that ALL auto manufacturers should do the same, at least for the North American market. Criminal suspects who try to escape from police by driving recklessly at high speed have been a life-threatening problem here in the United States. I'd like to see the speed of vehicles limited even more, to below 90 mph. I'd also like to remind Americans that driving is NOT a Constitutionally-protected inalienable right in the United States, even though many of our citizens want to behave as though it is.