The next target of Volvo's "Drive Me" program that aims to introduce self-driving cars in the year 2020 is populous China.

This "Drive Me" initiative will lead with the company's XC90 car models that will test out a number of advanced technologies that promote safety measures and autonomous driving. A "360 Surround View," that enables the car to sense the environment around it; an "Adaptive Cruise Control" that adjusts the car's speed; Volvo's "Pilot Assist Technology" and the "Lane Keeping Aid" that make sure the car stays on the right path; a "Driver Alert Control" that will monitor its driver's state; and a "City Safety" feature that will adapt the car's mobility in urban cases.

To analyze the capabilities of their current tech, Volvo, now owned by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., has chosen China as another testing ground. Another experiment will be conducted in Gothenburg, Sweden, in the next year. The company has no official announcements yet as to when the project will commence in China. These experiments will use 100 XC90 units, driven by chosen civilians, in pre-determined routes the company has mapped out and concluded to be safe areas for testing.

Erik Coelingh, Senior Technical Leader for Safety and Driver Support Technologies for Volvo, states that it is not enough for the company's engineers to solely assess the features of their technology in closed areas. He believes that to fully explore the complete range of their initiative, the company has to work with civilians, "ordinary and real people" from around the globe. These individuals will not only test out the car's advanced driving technology but will also give feedbacks on whether or not they feel secure and comfortable in the automated vehicle.

These chosen individuals will be picked based on the regular routes they take that complies with the company's pre-determined routes. The car will notify its driver that it can begin its autonomous driving once participants reach the area. As the car finally reaches the end of the route, it will notify its driver again to take over driving.

Coelingh adds that companies have to understand the different driving situations prevalent in unique regions around the globe if we want to arrive at an age of self-driving cars. Just because cars work well in a certain region, that is, Gothenburg, doesn't mean they will produce the same results in another area like Beijing or London.

China was chosen because of its populous urban statistics and the prevalent heavy road traffic, "brutal air pollution, and more than 200,000 traffic-related deaths each year."

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