GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN - Volvo cars' low speed collision prevention system, City Safety, has been awarded "Innovation of the Year" by the German based magazine "Auto Bild Allrad" - Volvo is the first car manufacturer to win the award twice.

The highly-sought honor has been awarded to Volvo Car Corporation as part of the reader vote for the "All-Wheel Drive Car of the Year 2009" conducted by the four wheel drive magazine "Auto Bild Allrad". The new driver support system Volvo City Safety can prevent typical collisions at low speeds or at least significantly reduce the consequences of such an accident. The safety system is available as a world first standard feature in the new Volvo XC60.

"We are very proud of this award because it honors significant technical innovations which influence the entire automotive industry," said Thomas Viehweg, managing director of Volvo Car Germany, at the award ceremony in Leipzig on Thursday.

"The award for us is a confirmation of our commitment to improve automotive safety, an element which is inseparably integrated into the Volvo corporate philosophy. And we are currently expending great effort on the development of additional innovative technologies for passenger protection because we want to maintain our position as world leaders when it comes to safety," emphasised Thomas Viehweg.

The innovation prize is awarded by "Auto Bild Allrad" once a year to the most interesting new technological development related to vehicles with all-wheel drive.

The jury members are chosen from the editorial staff of Europe's best-selling journal for all-wheel drive vehicles. By the way, Volvo is the first manufacturer to receive the award for a second time. The first award was given for the roll-over protection system (ROPS) in the Volvo XC90; this system is also a standard feature of the new Volvo XC60.

The award "All-Wheel Drive Innovation of the Year" is already the second major honour for the Volvo safety system in Germany in 2009. Volvo City Safety was honoured at the beginning of the year when it received the "Paul Pietsch Award 2009" from the journal "auto, motor und sport", which has been given since 1989 to especially innovative automobile developments.