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Volvo Cars, Finalist for "The AXA Award for Corporate Responsibility”
"We are very proud to be the only car manufacturer on the list of finalists," says Steven Armstrong who is the Chief Operating Officer at the Volvo Car Corporation. "To us it is very important that we find a balance between innovation and efficiency to ensure the future sustainability of our company within the car industry. For this reason it is particularly exciting to be part of this short list and to gain recognition for our long-term work within the area of Corporate Social Responsibility. I would also like to use this opportunity to congratulate the winner HP Corporation EMEA and hope to be able to exchange knowledge with them and with other companies in Europe within this field".
Volvo Cars’ heritage shows profound commitment to corporate social responsibility. It is evidenced by the corporation’s three core values - safety, quality and environment concerns. The corporation is also publishing an annual Sustainability Report highlighting the company's responsibility as a car manufacturer, as a global company and as a local player.
“Explore the beauty of safety.” That’s what the Volvo website says. And the phraseology is not found wanting. The track record of Volvo includes 75 ground-braking safety innovations since the year 1927. Innovations include the safety cage and the laminated windscreen which were both introduced to the automotive industry through its being used in the Volvo PV 444 in the 1940s.
In addition, the most-recent safety innovations include the ISOFIX anchorages with the rearward-facing child safety seat, dual stage airbag, Volvo Safety Concept Car (SCC), Roll Stability Control (RSC), Roll-Over Protection System (ROPS), safe 3rd row seats for the Volvo XC90, new front structures for the Volvo XC90, S40 and V50, Intelligent Driver Information System, Blind Spot Information System, and the water repellent glass. The Volvo brake hose, engines, and other car features are also improved to advance safety.
When style and quality are to be considered, the car manufacturer is entertaining a new design direction to boost quality and appeal. “If you can recognize a Volvo from 50 meters today, I want to get to the point where people will be able to spot one from twice the distance in the future,” added Mattin. "We need to be recognizable as Volvo. We're still about Scandinavian simplicity; we can't be playful or do styling for the sake of styling. Volvos last a long time, so our design must have legs. But we can't be too simple or we'd edge toward blandness. And we can't just change; we must be fresh. I want to broaden our design and have more variation between car lines."
Volvo is also famed for its dedication in producing environment-friendly vehicles. Recently, it has expanded its range to include FlexiFuel cars. These cars are powered by renewable bioethanol fuel. “Interest in ethanol as a vehicle fuel is growing in Europe,” said Gerry Keaney, Senior Vice President Market, Sales and Customer Service at Volvo Cars.
“We are therefore expanding our range with additional models on a total of 9 markets. First to get Volvo’s FlexiFuel cars outside Sweden will be Britain, Ireland, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Norway,” says Keaney and he does continue, “It’s very encouraging that the market is expanding and that political initiatives are being taken.”
“Our commitment to safe mobility needs to be enlarged from the protection of occupants and other road users in collisions to include personal health for all road users and to offer them sustainable mobility solutions”, said Hans-Olov Olsson.
HP Corporation EMEA emerged as the winner of the AXA Award for Corporate Responsibility. Aside from HP Corporation EMEA and Volvo Car Corporation, other finalists of the award include ABN AMRO, Akzo Nobel NV, Conergy AG, Diageo Ireland, Henkel KGaA, Kingfisher Plc, Shepherd Neame and SODEXHO ALLIANCE.
About the Author: Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit, Mi. she is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field.
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