What Kind of Car is the Volvo XC90, Which Allowed the Driver to ‘Be Born Again’ in a Serious Accident on Phu My Bridge?

A serious accident involving multiple vehicles on Phu My Bridge in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, on the evening of August 8, 2024, has left the community in shock. Initial reports suggest that a truck with the license plate number 68H-000.68 may have lost its brakes while descending the bridge slope, triggering the accident.

Consequently, eight cars were damaged in the incident, with two completely burned down and one truck suffering fire damage at the front end. Seven individuals were reportedly hospitalized due to the accident.

A video from the scene captures the moment when bystanders work together to rescue the driver of a black car. Fortunately, the driver is able to walk away without assistance and does not appear to have sustained any serious injuries.

Surveillance footage of the entire accident reveals that the black car was the first vehicle struck by the truck and was subsequently pushed and collided with multiple times until the truck came to a complete stop.

The black car is believed to be a Volvo XC90, a luxury SUV.

Soon after the accident, social media platforms were abuzz with posts about the Volvo XC90. One widely shared post described how the driver was “born again” – first by the car’s safety features during the collision and then by the quick actions of the bystanders who pulled him out before the fire engulfed the vehicle.

This post garnered thousands of interactions, and similar posts on other social media platforms also attracted a significant amount of attention.

In fact, the Volvo XC90 is recognized as one of the safest cars in the world. For five consecutive years (2020-2024), the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States has included the Volvo XC90 in its Top Safety Pick+ list.

The Top Safety Pick+ designation is reserved for vehicles that excel in rigorous safety tests simulating real-world crash scenarios.

The 2024 model of the Volvo XC90 achieved the highest ratings in four IIHS crashworthiness tests: small overlap front, moderate overlap front (original and updated tests), and side crash (updated test).

In the Euro NCAP tests conducted in 2015, the Volvo XC90 also performed exceptionally well, earning a five-star safety rating. As the vehicle continues to utilize the same platform as the 2015 model, no further testing has been conducted since.

In Vietnam, the Volvo XC90 is positioned as a premium SUV, with a starting price of 4.05 billion VND for the pure gasoline version and 4.65 billion VND for the plug-in hybrid variant.

In the automotive market, the Volvo XC90 competes in the mid-size SUV segment, often compared to vehicles such as the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Lexus RX350, and Mercedes-Benz GLE 450.

Quang Hieu