Volvo is producing a new ambulance based on its luxury S80 saloon to produce a new rapid response emergency vehicle, writes David Duffy.

On sale next January, the S80 will boast features that operators of traditional ambulances can only envy. The new Volvo S80 Ambulance is the result of close collaboration between Volvo Cars and Wiman, one of Europe's most innovative ambulance manufacturers.

The vehicle builds upon the success of the Volvo V90 Ambulance, which received widespread praise.

Reducing response times is a key emergency services issue, according to the UK Government. The development of car-derived ambulances has already helped to address this. Wiltshire Ambulance Service, for example, which owns a fleet of Volvo V90 ambulances, believes that its response times have been reduced by as much as six minutes as a result of the V90's impressive driving dynamics. This is a significant improvement which plays a major role in saving lives.

The S80 also features Prem-Air, another feature unique to Volvo, which converts as much as 75 per cent of hazardous low-level ozone into oxygen.

The ventilation and air-conditioning system is enhanced by Volvo's own system, which monitors and filters the in-coming air levels, shutting-off the air intake long before the levels of CO2 and other airborne pollutants become unhealthy.