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Volvo’s brand reinvention efforts are paying off. The all-new Volvo XC90 is driving off with the coveted 2016 WesBank/SAGMJ Car of the Year (COTY) award.
It’s the second Volvo to receive this prestigious award during the 31 years of this competition - the first having been for the Volvo S40 in 2005.
The latest local motoring accolade joins the new XC90's long list of international awards - a total that now exceeds 60.
"We are absolutely delighted with our victory," says Volvo Car South Africa Managing Director, Greg Maruszewski.
"With the all-new XC90 we are not only re-writing the rules of a post-modern luxury driving experience, but reinventing our brand as well. Our ethos, 'Made by Sweden', expresses our intrinsic Scandinavian roots, love for people, heritage and attitude to building some of the world's most desirable - and safest - luxury vehicles.
Powered by new-generation 2.0-litre turbocharged Drive-E petrol and diesel engines, mated to an 8-speed Geartronic automatic gearbox, the polished 7-seater SUV mixes Swedish luxury and classy, minimalistic design with supreme road manners and efficient driving dynamics.
Safety is of course, as with any other Volvo, top priority. The all-new Volvo XC90 received a full five-star Euro NCAP safety rating in 2015 thanks to its highly-advanced safety systems.
In fact, so advanced is the XC90's pedestrian detection system that independent safety regulators have yet to develop suitable testing protocols.
The all-new XC90 was applauded by Euro NCAP for Best in Class Safety (Large Off-road and Overall) in 2016. It has also been awarded the Top Safety Pick+ award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States.
This relentless drive on safety forms part of Volvo's Vision 2020 programme that seeks to ensure that nobody is seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo.
*See finweek’s road test of the XC90 in the 2 July 2015 edition. Buy and download the magazine here.
