Parking Made Easy: Some of the safety behind the All-New Volvo XC90

Designed around modern car buyers’ expectations of smart functionality, the all-new Volvo XC90 features a set of innovative solutions that make tricky parking situations and manoeuvring in tight spaces easy.

The IntelliSafe support technologies include an extended Park Assist Pilot, which now also offers automatic reversing into a parking bay as well as entering and exiting a parallel parking spot. The XC90 can also display a digitally created bird’s-eye view of the 360° area around the car on the large centre screen.

“Several studies by research institutes reveal that up to two-thirds of interviewed motorists feel uncomfortable in tight parking situations. Options such as the extended Park Assist Pilot and bird’s-eye view function turn these potentially stressful situations into comfortable, precise and safe manoeuvring,” says Dr Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research and Development of Volvo Car Group.

The further-developed Park Assist Pilot facilitates both parallel and bay parking by taking over and operating the steering wheel while the driver handles the gearbox and controls the car’s speed.

Ultrasonic sensors detect the parking space

The parking manoeuvre is based on information from twelve ultrasonic sensors around the car. When the driver activates the Park Assist Pilot in a parallel parking situation, the sensors start to scan the side of the car for empty parking slots. When a parking slot measuring a minimum of 1.2 times the car’s length is detected, the driver is notified by an audible signal and a message in the instrument cluster. In a bay parking situation, the slot needs to be the width of the car plus one meter.

The display then guides the driver step by step via texts and animations in the instrument cluster until the car is parked.

A bird’s-eye view from above the car

The all-new XC90 also features a 360° Surround View that gives the driver a bird’s-eye view, an overview of the surrounding area, seen from a point above the car.

This bird’s-eye view is enabled by four concealed fish-eye cameras – one integrated into the front, one integrated in each of the door mirrors and one fitted above the rear number plate.

The 360° Surround View also gives the driver comfortable access to other views of the surrounding area such as front, rear and side views.

“The 360° Surround View is exceptionally useful in situations where the driver’s direct view is obstructed, such as leaving a tight driveway with obstacles on the sides or when reversing towards a trailer or caravan,” says Peter Mertens. “360° Surround View also provides great support during parking, for instance when you want to make sure that all parts of the car are within the lines of a parking spot.”

Cross Traffic Alert

The outstanding IntelliSafe solutions in the all-new XC90 also include Cross Traffic Alert, which covers the driver’s back when reversing out of a parking space. It warns of approaching traffic up to 30 metres on each side, alerting the driver with an audible signal and a warning on the centre screen.

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