Volvo SCC

Renault, for example, has stolen the high ground with the Laguna's still-unrivalled five-star performance in the Euro NCAP crash tests. A high-profile advertising campaign has been based on the result, and the message is simple; drive a Laguna and if you have a smash you'll suffer less injuries. But then look at Volvo. It's attacked the issue from both sides, and besides protecting passengers in a collision, it wants to help drivers try to avoid an accident in the first place. Witness the Safety Concept Car, a vehicle recently unveiled in Spain to showcase its new innovations - and Auto Express was there to drive the future!

Although it's packed with electronic wizardry, there's also another side to the car - its styling. Volvo has made no secret of its desire to do battle with the Audi A3 in the upmarket hatchback sector. The Swedish contender will be badged the V30 when launched late next year and is taking design cues from the SCC. It will be available in three and five-door versions, and be built on the P1 platform also providing a base for the next Ford Focus.

Under the SCC's orange body is the V70's 2.4-litre 170bhp five-cylinder engine, mated to a new CVT automatic gearbox. It accelerates briskly up to cruising speed, and can certainly stop fast enough to avoid an accident - the concept's brakes are keen enough to trigger the airbags in lesser cars! It's hard to criticise the dynamics, though, because the on-board safety systems are the real reason for this