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Volvo, which can't seem to stop itself from upgrading and modifying the S90 and V90, has just released another update for its 90-series cars which includes an interesting new system to warn of poor road conditions ahead.
For the Swedish and Norwegian markets, Volvo has just added two new systems which can use car-to-cloud communication to warn of upcoming dangers; Slippery Road Alert and Hazard Light Alert, part of the new Connected Safety setup.
The two systems gather data from other cars on the road ahead of you and can flash up warnings of poor surfaces or ice, or warn if a car ahead, around a blind bend especially, has had to stop suddenly and activate its hazard warning lights.
"Today's Volvos contain many safety sensors. We believe that sharing safety-related information - whether around conditions or hazards on the road ahead - is a thoughtful and useful way to use the information the car is already gathering," said Dr Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research & Development at Volvo Car Group. "With Connected Safety, Volvo Cars is helping to define a completely new type of road safety system."
The two systems, and more besides, will be rolled out to other markets in due course.
Volvo is also taking the opportunity of the update to improve the 90 series models' smartphone connectivity, with the introduction of Android Auto to sit alongside the existing Apple CarPlay.
"Volvo Cars is the only car maker with a split-screen interface that allows you to use both your smartphone functionality and your in-car features without changing views. This is primarily a safety-related feature, designed to make our interface the easiest to use on the market. In the same way, our Over-The-Air update capability means that you will always have the latest map updates to hand," added Dr Mertens.