Swedish car maker Volvo is upping the ante on their role as one of the safest cars on the road. Presented at an event in Shanghai, the Volvo XC90 is combining luxury with functionality and putting children first. The Excellence Child Seat Concept features a built-in car seat that swivels and allows parents to lock their children in a rear-facing position. Located in what normally would be the passenger seat, the child would sit above an extra compartment, perfect for storing pertinent items parents usually need.

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Because of the chair placement, parents would be able to maintain eye contact with their child, giving comfort to both individuals. Children would also be able to face anyone sitting in the back seat.

According to Tisha Johnson, Chief Designer of Interiors at Volvo Cars Concept and Monitoring Centre, the goal was to make car rides safer for kids while also making things easier for parents. They focused on three key benefits: ergonomics, safety and storage. Ergonomically, they wanted to make it easier to get a child in and out of the seat. In terms of safety, the seat would need to be rear facing to accommodate the regulations for small kids. And hello, extra storage? Music to a parent’s ears.
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This high-tech model also features heated cup holders, perfect for keeping that baby bottle at the perfect temperature. Volvo seems to have thought of everything! As good as this all sounds, we are curious about why Volvo positioned the child seat in the front, a place where we have been told time and again again not to put a baby. Not to mention with the passenger seat removed, it seems like there is less to encase the chair and child.

Katie Loeb, child passenger safety technician at Babble.com, shares this concern. She worries that placement of the seat is a danger both to parent and child, with the former becoming distracted while driving and the latter more susceptible to danger. Still, we like the idea of having built-in car seats and car companies that design cars with new and growing families in mind.

Would you purchase a car featuring the Child Excellence Concept? Tell us why or why not in the comments below.

(Photos via Volvo)

Carolina Quijano
Carolina Quijano knows her way around words. After graduating from CSUS in 2003 with a degree in Journalism, she put her writing skills to the test, earning a writing position at the online publication, Nitevibe where she is a senior writer. CQ currently works as a freelance writer, providing biographies, press releases and blog work for various DJs and labels around the Bay Area.