Motorists have been left astonished after discovering a distinctive feature of Volvo vehicles that many drivers don't know about. Volvo cars are frequently rated amongst the world's safest cars due to its long list of inventive safety features.
The Swedish manufacturer even developed the modern three-point seatbelt back in 1959, which is regarded as one of automotive history's most crucial safety innovations and still utilised today after the firm made it freely accessible to rival manufacturers to help save millions of lives across the world. However, a dedication to safety isn't the only thing that distinguishes the Swedish carmaker, as the company also takes pride in its elegant Scandinavian design.
Every aspect of their vehicles has been meticulously considered – even the indicator sound.
Posting on TikTok, a car enthusiast revealed the tale of how Volvo's sound engineers developed this distinctive audio, as they wanted to make it as 'natural' as possible. And it's still a feature in the modern cars that's being manufactured today.
"Why does the turn signal in a Volvo sound so convincing? Because its sound has a very unusual source," the presenter stated at the beginning of his clip.
He continued by revealing that Volvo's sound engineers had been tasked with discovering a natural and soothing tone for the indicator that would help drivers feel calm and safe when driving.
Rather than experimenting with synthetic beeps and clicks that most other rival manufacturers do, they chose to venture into the wilderness to find inspiration.
"They spent two days in a Swedish forest, snapping and recording over 300 branches from different trees – oaks, birches, and pines," the man in the video revealed.
Sweden's landmass is roughly 70% forest, providing engineers with vast areas to explore and discover the ideal branches for testing and breaking. The woodlands are predominantly coniferous, made up largely of spruce and pine, though they also contain abundant oak and birch trees amongst others.
"After numerous trials, they selected one. The sound of a breaking branch from a Swedish oak. That sound became the signature click of a Volvo turn signal," he revealed.
"So the next time you switch on a turn signal in a Volvo, know what you're hearing is the sound of a branch snapping in the forest," the man said.
Motorists were quick to flock to the comments section to voice their opinions.
One commented: "I absolutely love the Volvo signal sound."
However not everyone was persuaded. One person said: "But I like the plastic clicks and beeps."
Meanwhile, another viewer grumbled that the turn signal sounds often 'fall out of sync' with the indicator.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the saleor sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Privacy Notice.

source