The new Volvo XC60 is ‘the safest Volvo ever’ according to Volvo CEO Fredrik Arp.

A crossover of two car styles, it has cross country capabilities and is targeted at those with an active urban lifestyle.

Its key safety feature is City Safety – a unique system that can help the driver avoid or reduce the effects of the type of low-speed impacts that are common in city traffic and traffic tailbacks. If the car is about to drive into the vehicle in front and the driver does not react, the car brakes itself.

“We are the first manufacturer in the world to offer this type of feature as standard. City Safety clearly shows that the new Volvo XC60 is the safest car Volvo has ever produced. The car is packed with our accumulated safety know-how and technology, both when it comes to preventing accidents and protecting all the occupants in a collision,” said Arp.

The car will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show on 4 March.

It will go on sale in the UK in autumn 2008.