Volvo Cars’ Multi-Adaptive Safety Belt receives AJAC Best Safety Innovation Award
RICHMOND HILL, ON (March 25, 2026) – Volvo Car’s long-standing position as a world leader in automotive safety continues. Today, the Automobile Journalist Association of Canada (AJAC) recognized the multi-adaptive safety belt as the winner of the Best Safety Innovation award for 2026.
The AJAC Innovation Awards recognize significant advancements in automotive innovation and technology. The multi-adaptive safety belt captured best Safety Innovation for its ability to enhance protection for people in real-world traffic situations. Debuting in the fully electric Volvo EX60 in 2026, the system uses real-time data from interior and exterior sensors to tailor belt load settings to both crash severity and individual occupant profiles – and will continue to improve over time through over-the-air software updates.
“Making vehicles safer is a job that is never done. Volvo has an unmatched track record in advancing protection for humans both inside and outside the car: its multi-adaptive safety belt is the latest in a string of safety innovations that goes back decades,” said Graham Heeps, Chair, AJAC Innovation Awards. “The AJAC Innovation Awards jurors applaud this latest in a string of moves to democratize safety, aiming to provide equal protection to all vehicle occupants – no matter their size, shape or age. That the multi-adaptive safety belt has the potential to become even more effective over time, is the icing on the cake.”
“The multi-adaptive safety belt is a world first, already award winning, and represents another milestone for automotive safety at Volvo Cars,” said Matt Girgis, Managing Director, Volvo Car Canada. “This new technology is a major evolution to the three-point safety belt, building on a legacy that began in 1959 and redefining how we use real-time data to better protect every occupant, in every real-world scenario.”
Integrated within Volvo Cars’ broader safety ecosystem, the multi-adaptive safety belt works seamlessly with airbags, occupant detection and driver assistance systems to deliver harmonized protection and help reduce the risk of injuries. This innovation further underscores Volvo Cars’ leadership in safety, leveraging real-world insights to better protect people.
The new safety belt will be introduced in the upcoming Volvo EX60, with online configurations and deposits available now in Canada.
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About Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC)
The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) is an association of professional journalists, writers, photographers, and corporate members whose focus is the automobile and the Canadian automotive industry. Collectively, its primary objectives are to promote, encourage, support, and facilitate professionalism in Canadian automotive journalism and to ensure factual and ethical reporting about the automobile and automotive issues to Canadian consumers. This is achieved through the work of its members and AJAC’s annual vehicle testing and evaluation events, the Canadian Car of the Year Awards (CCOTY), Innovation Awards, and EcoRun.
