Volvo Explains Controversial Speed Limit Restriction

As part of its ongoing mission to improve car safety, Volvo announced last month that the top speed of every new 2021 model it builds will berestricted to 112 mph. Even the Polestar-tunedVolvo XC60Polestar Engineered will be limited. It's part of the Swedish automaker's strategy to reduce the number of occupants killed or seriously injured in a Volvo down to zero in 2020. However, 112 mph still exceeds the legal speed limit in the US by a significant margin, so it remains to be seen how effective these measures will be.

Even Volvo seems to admit a flaw in the logic.

"112 mph is still fast, so is it going to be the end of speeding? No, it's not," Malin Ekholm, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Center, admitted to Autocar.

Ultimately, limiting the car's speed at over 100 miles per hour may not be the point, however.

"It's a limitation, and there really is no reason to go faster than 112 mph. Everyone talks about speeding, but we wanted to do something to show we're serious. That will initiate an in-depth dialogue on the subject."

Volvo already has a stellar reputation for safety, having introduced the three-point seatbelt and set new standards for structural safety and crash-prevention systems. As a result, most customers buy a Volvo because of the automaker's reputation for safety, not performance. These limitations have been controversial, however, as Ekholm acknowledged that there needs to be a balance between safety and the freedom to move.