Volvo Details New SPA Platform, Will Be Its Safest Ever

VolvoVolvoSweden, 1927 > present49 models
4535 photos
6 videos
is promising that its new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform will be its safest ever when it debuts on the next generation XC90Volvo XC90Sweden, 2002 > 201355 versions
67 photos
in 2014. The modular platform has been engineered to work with the car’s safety and assistance systems. It is meant to further the company’s goal of having no one killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo.

The basis of SPA is made from a mix of forms of steel including ultra high strength steel for much of the crash structure. It also used a small amount of aluminum to keep weight down.

“The new architecture opens up for further improvements. Seven per cent of the safety cage in the original XC90 was made of hot-formed boron steel. The structure in the upcoming all-new XC90 features over 40 per cent hot-formed steel, which translates into significantly improved strength but without adding mass or weight,” said Jan Ivarsson, senior manager of safety at Volvo.

Volvo has grafted the SPA electrical architecture on top of the vehicle’s frame. It has been engineered to support the latest safety systems, while making it easy to add new technologies in the future. The system integrates the vehicle dynamics systems like traction control, safety systems, car body systems and infotainment system into four, separate networks that can communicate with one another. It means that if the rear-facing radar detects an imminent impact, it can tell the seatbelts to pre-tension themselves. It will also give the SPA cars a limited ability to steer themselves autonomously.