By Leftlane Staff
Wednesday, Nov 23rd, 2005 @ 8:12 am

Volvo , a company synonymous with automotive safety, is finding it harder to keep that halo to itself, according to Automotive News. Safety features once found only in premium vehicles have spread throughout the industry. For example, the $31,000 Volvo S60 offers six airbags, ABS and a smart restraint system — but so does an $11,000 Kia Rio . Fredrik Arp, CEO of Volvo, said it’s becoming increasingly difficult to market safety features because newer systems are more likely to be software-based than something visible. “If the system is not visible in action, and is only indicated by a small lamp on the instrument panel, only the smart buyers will understand how important it is,” Arp said. Several automakers have also beat Volvo to bringing new technology to market, such as lane departure warnings, automatic braking, and night vision. The 2006 C70, however, is the first convertible to feature a side curtain airbag.

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