Following the announcement that Volvo will add speed limiters to all future models, the company’s chiefs have said that the company has received positive feedback.
Anders Gustafsson was speaking to journalists this week, to address the many questions which have arisen following the surprise announcement, with many car enthusiasts suggesting that the Swedish company is playing ‘Big Brother’ by limiting the speed of the cars to just 112 miles per hour.
Volvo have placed a great focus on car safety for the future and this week added that they will install technology which can automatically detect whether a driver is under the influence of alcohol and take evasive action.
Despite the online accusations that Volvo are taking the fun out of driving, Gustafsson, who is president and CEO of Volvo Cars America said: "I received a lot of emails and texts and phone calls … Very very very positive.
"We can be more competitive based on our legacy of safety, instead of pushing in more discounts to move our metal," Gustafsson said. "And that's, I would say, one of the ideas why safety is so important to us."
Meanwhile the company’s overall CEO Hakan Samuelsson has reaffirmed that the company is committed to driver safety and though even with speed limiters it might not prevent all accidents.
There are maybe not too many accidents that occur above 180," he said in a roundtable interview. "Speeding is really, you're speeding faster than your capability.
"I'm not so nervous we will lose a lot of customers, but if we lose some, I am quite sure we will gain more," Samuelsson said. "We want to attract people who think it's important to drive safe."