• The purpose of a headlight is to compress the light to obtain maximum effect and then to distribute the light to achieve the desired light image. In a conventional headlight, the reflector performs the former function and the optical pattern of the glass the latter.
• In free-form headlights, the reflector is designed to perform both these functions and thus permits the use of clear glass without optical patterns. In other words, it is not the actual glass that forms the light image. The light is collected and distributed directly through the reflector surfaces, which are designed in such a way that they produce the final light image.
• As the surface of the reflector has a number of orientation points which no longer comply with any simple mathematical formula for the condition of the surface, they are called free-form surfaces - hence the name free-form headlights. As a result, the size and shape of the headlight opening is less important. The pure appearance of the free-form headlights helps to give the front of the Volvo S80 its very characteristic appearance.
• Characteristic in appearance is almost an understatement when it comes to the large tail-lights. Clearly recognizable from the ECC Volvo environmental concept car, the light clusters are not simply aesthetic. They each house twin tail-lights. So, if one bulb fails, there is still one left.
• It goes without saying that active safety is far more than this. It is a concept, which everyone interprets in different ways. The areas mentioned above are important to Volvo and are just some of the points that are prioritized when developing a car, from concept to finished product.
• Safety is far more than cut-away show cars, with highlighted details painted yellow with black stripes, and filled with stuffed airbags. Safety is very much a part of Volvo's soul and, as a result, it is always present, an integral part of the very first design work and a vital part at every stage of the development process.
• If the active safety chapter can be summarized as active accident avoidance, passive safety can be summed up in three words: passenger protection priority.
• One of the objectives when designing the Volvo S80 was to further strengthen Volvo's position as the world leader in the field of passenger protection. This aim has been realized.
• A well designed, rigid body structure is the perfect base on which to build. As mentioned in the chapter on active safety, the Volvo S80 has an extremely rigid body. Almost half of it is made of HSS steel with extremely strong sub-assemblies. Its "core" is the safety cage around which there is a structural network of members. This network is designed to absorb and dissipate crash energy and keep it away from the occupants by interacting and helping to conduct the energy around and away out into the members.
• Volvo has always claimed that the single most important protective feature in a car is the seat belt. The Volvo S80 has three-point belts on all five seating positions. What is more, they are all equipped with pyrotechnical pre-tensioners. Please buckle-up!
• The pre-tensioners automatically tighten the belts in a crash, eliminating the slack which is normal in a belt. The front seat belts are also equipped with force limiters, which control and regulate the roll speed of the belt webbing and provide more gentle restraint. The front seat belts also have automatic belt height adjusters for optimum belt geometry.
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