Introduced first in the new S90 premium saloon, Pilot Assist II supports drivers up to speeds of 130kph in well-marked highway conditions. The XC90 will also be available with PowerPulse on the D5 powertrain., which brings improved performance through the use of compressed air to deliver an instantaneous response by spooling up the turbo.

Volvo has also expanded its safety technology to cover one of the most common causes of single-vehicle accidents by adding Run-off Road Mitigation, which uses auto-steer to help keep you on the road. Volvo’s standard collision-avoidance system, City Safety, also receives an update with Large Animal Detection added on 90 Series cars.

Volvo’s in-car connectivity and driver interface system, Sensus, will receive several new native apps across the range for 2016, including Spotify and Park and Pay. Spotify, the highly popular music streaming service, provides constant access to an immense online library of your favourite music and utilises the familiar interface of Spotify’s smartphone applications in the car. Park and Pay provides Volvo owners with the ultimate convenience of finding and paying for parking when desired (the payment function is not yet offered in the UK).

Connected Service Booking, which allows workshop booking and reminders from the Sensus interface, will be added, along with improved Internet Maps, TuneIn, Local Search and Yelp applications. Record & Send, a new voice-recording app, will also be added, enabling drivers to make a voice note that they can send to themselves as reminders. The 60 Series cars will receive significant updates for 2016, including the addition of the 245hp four-cylinder T5 petrol engine with eight-speed automatic transmission for the XC60. Two new wheels will be offered – a new 18-inch wheel for the S60/V60 and XC60, and a brand-new 20-inch wheel for the XC60. These will be complemented by a new generation of 18-inch, 19-inch and 20-inch wheels for R-Design trim levels. The 60 Series cars will also be offered with three new exterior colours.

Across the range, the Volvo On Call smartphone app has been updated. Volvo On Call already delivers wearable connectivity (Apple Watch/Android Wear), and the new Microsoft Band 2 connectivity now enables voice control for certain features when using Windows 10-based smartphones. Other updates to Volvo On Call include a calendar integration function that connects your personal calendar to the mobile app. For 2016, Volvo On Call will broaden its scope and provide support for up to 10 Volvo vehicles, giving access to all the usual functions across a fleet of cars.

Volvo will also introduce Flic button compatibility with Volvo On Call. Flic allows you to program a single physical ‘smart button’ to perform several tasks, such as lock your car or to start/stop pre-heating (where available), and can be used as a shortcut to Volvo On Call services. Volvo now also offers support for Windows 10 with a new version of the Volvo On Call application that can be used on regular PCs and tablets to interact with your car.