Volvo Cars

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This article is about the Volvo car company; see Volvo for the Volvo Group.
For other uses, see Volvo (disambiguation).
Volvo Cars is the car maker using the brand Volvo.
Volvo Personvagnar
Volvo Cars logo
Type Subsidiary of Ford Motor Company
Founded 1927
Headquarters Gothenburg, Sweden
Key people Gustav Larson(Founder)
Assar Gabrielsson(Founder)
Fredrik Arp, MD (CEO of Corp.)
Steve Mattin ( Design Director)
Ingrid Skogsmo (Safety Centre Director)
Industry Automotive
Products Luxury Cars, Engines
Slogan Volvo. For Life.
Website www.volvocars.com

Volvo Cars, or Volvo Personvagnar, is a Swedish automobile maker founded in 1927 in the city of Gothenburg in Sweden.

Volvo was formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. It was not until 1935 when Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish stock exchange that SKF sold most of the shares in the company. Volvo Cars was owned by AB Volvo until 1999, when it was acquired by the Ford Motor Company and placed in its Premier Automotive Group. Volvo is a premium manufacturer and competes with Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Saab producing cars ranging from luxury SUV's, wagons, and sedans to compact executive sedans and coupes. Volvo has 2,500 dealerships worldwide in 100 markets; 60 percent of sales come from Europe, 30 percent from North America, and the other 10 percent is from the rest of the world.

The Volvo brand has a reputation for safety, comfort, solidity, and longevity[citation needed], but the cars are often compared with tractors, partially because Volvo also make tractors, but also because the cars are considered slow and heavy.[1] Volvo owners are often proud of achieving prodigious mileages[2]. According to Norwegian figures the average age at scrapping of Volvos is second only to Mercedes at 19.8 years[3]. More recent models have moved away from the boxy styles favoured in the 1970s and 1980s (satirised in the film Crazy People with the slogan "they're boxy, but they're good") and have also acquired a reputation for sporting performance, following on from the racing success of the 850 series[4]. Reliability is currently somewhat better than average[5]. In the USA Volvo dealers are listed by Forbes as one of the best among all carmakers (9th)[6]and luxury carmakers (6th).[7]. Brand loyalty has historically been high.[citation needed].

Contents

[edit] History

Volvo logotype (PRV-registr.) 1927.
Volvo logotype (PRV-registr.) 1927.

Volvo company came about in Gothenburg, Sweden in the year 1927. The company was founded by SKF as a subsidiary company 100% owned by SKF. Assar Gabrielsson was appointed the managing director and Gustav Larson as the technical manager. The company was founded on the basis of safety. "Cars are driven by people. Therefore the guiding principle behind everything at Volvo is and must remain safety", Assar Gabrielsson and Gustav Larson 1927. The trademark Volvo was first registered by SKF the 11th may 1915 with the intention to use it for a special series of ball bearing for the American market, but it was never used for this purpose. SKF trademark as it looks today was used instead for all the SKF-products. Some pre-series of Volvo-bearings stamped with the brand name 'Volvo' were manufactured but was never released to the market and it was not until 1927 that the trademark was used again, now as a trademark and company name for an automobile. Volvo - "I roll", was thought to be a good trademark for a ball bearing as well as for an automobile.

The first Volvo car left the assembly line April 14, 1927 was called Volvo ÖV 4. After this the young company produced closed top and cabriolet vehicles, which were designed to hold strong in the Swedish climate and terrain. The Volvo symbol is an ancient chemistry sign for iron. The iron sign is used to symbolize the strength of iron used in the car as Sweden is known for its quality iron. The diagonal line (a strip of metal) across the grille came about to hold the actual symbol, a circle with an arrow, in front of the cooler. In the registration application for Volvo logotype in 1927, they simple made a copy of the entire cooler for ÖV4, viewed from the front.

In 1964 Volvo opened its Torslanda plant in Sweden, which currently is the one of its largest production sites (chiefly large cars and SUV). Then in 1965 the Ghent, Belgium plant was opened, which is the companys' second largest production site (chiefly small cars). Finally in 1989 the Uddevalla plant in Sweden was opened, which is now jointly operated by Volvo Car Corporation and Pininfarina of Italy.

[edit] Safety

Volvo 850 estate
Volvo 850 estate
2002 Volvo S80
2002 Volvo S80

Volvo cars have long had a reputation for safety.[citation needed] In 1944, laminated glass was introduced in the PV model.[citation needed] Volvo invented the easy-to-use three-point seatbelt; first introduced as an accessory in 1957 and made standard on all Volvo cars in 1959.[citation needed] (While many sources assert that Volvo invented both the 'safety cage' and 'crumple zone' concept, where passengers are protected in a strong, encircling frame and the energy of a crash is absorbed by destruction of the bonnet or boot of the car, there is strong evidence that these were invented by Daimler-Benz engineer Béla Barényi[8][9]) All these safety features are now standard in all cars and are responsible for saving millions of lives.[citation needed]

Volvo also was the first company to produce cars with padded dashboards starting in late 1956 with their Amazon model.[citation needed] Additionally, Volvo developed the first rear-facing child seat in the late 1960s[citation needed] and introduced its own booster seat in 1978[citation needed]. In the mid-eighties, Volvo introduced the first central high-mounted stoplight[citation needed] (a brake light not shared with the rear tail lights), which became federally mandated in the United States in the 1986 model year. Seatbelt and child seat innovation continued as shown in the 1991 960. The 960 introduced the first three-point seatbelt for the middle of the rear seat and a child safety cushion integrated in the middle armrest.[citation needed] Also in 1991 came the introduction of the Side Impact Protection System (SIPS) on the 940/960 and 850 models, which channeled the force of a side impact away from the doors and into the safety cage.[citation needed] In 1998, Volvo introduced its Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), a safety device to prevent injury of front seat users during collisions.[citation needed] In 2004, Volvo introduced the BLIS system, which detects vehicles entering the Volvo's blind spot with a side view mirror mounted sensor and alerts the driver with a light. That year also saw Volvos sold in all markets equipped with side-marker lights and daytime-running lights (the latter having already been available in many markets for some time). Much of Volvo's safety technology now also goes into other Ford vehicles, such as the Aston Martin DB9.[citation needed].In 2005 Volvo presented the second generation of Volvo C70, it comes with extra stiff door-mounted inflatable side curtains (the first of its kind in a convertible)[citation needed]. In 2006 Volvo's Personal Car Communicator (PCC) remote control has been launched as an optional feature with the all new Volvo S80. This feature is fairly new to the automotive industry. Before a driver gets to their car, they are able to review the security level and know whether they have set the alarm and if the car is locked.[citation needed] Additionally, there is a heartbeat sensor that warns if someone is hiding inside the car. The heartbeat sensor is rumored to also work with the SOS feature of Volvo's new telematics system.[citation needed] The all new Volvo S80 is also the first Volvo model to feature Adaptive cruise control (ACC) with Collision Warning and Brake Support (CWBS).[citation needed]

By the mid-1990s there was little to distinguish Volvo from some other manufacturers (notably Renault) on safety when put through standardized tests such as EuroNCAP as other manufacturers caught up when they realized the marketing potential of safety. The Volvo 745 had some severe problems with the C-pillar that could break in collisions even at relatively low speeds. The design was strengthened and the 740 was renamed as the Volvo 940 [3] [4]. Also, the production of P1800 had to be stopped because it did not fulfill US safety standards.

A US study showed that Volvo's safety have been slipping according to Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. [5][6][7][8]

Dan Johnston, a Volvo spokesman, denied that the company's vehicles are any less safe than the Institute's top-rated vehicles, adding that

"It's just a philosophy on safety that is different from building cars to pass these kinds of tests."[10]

Since 2004 all Volvo models except for the C70 are available with an all wheel drive system developed by Haldex of Sweden.[11]

List of Volvo Safety Innovations Timeline[citation needed]

  • 1944 Safety cage
  • 1944 Laminated windscreen
  • 1954 Defroster vents for windscreen
  • 1956 Windscreen washers
  • 1957 Anchor points for 2–point safety belts front
  • 1958 Anchor points for 2–point safety belts rear
  • 1959 3–point front safety belts standard
  • 1960 Padded instrument panel
  • 1964 Disc brakes front
  • 1964 First rearward–facing child safety seat prototype tested
  • 1966 Rear windscreen defroster
  • 1966 Disc brakes all around
  • 1966 Dual split triangular braking system
  • 1966 Crumple zones front and rear
  • 1966 Safety door–locks
  • 1967 Safety belt rear seats
  • 1968 Head restraints front
  • 1969 Inertia reel safety belts
  • 1969 Heated rear windscreen
  • 1971 Reminder safety belt
  • 1972 3–point safety belts – rear
  • 1972 Rearward–facing child safety seat
  • 1972 Childproof locks on rear doors
  • 1972 Warning lights (hazard)
  • 1973 Side collision protection
  • 1973 Collapsible steering wheel
  • 1974 Energy absorbing bumpers
  • 1974 Safe location of fuel tank
  • 1974 Multistage impact absorbing steering column
  • 1974 Bulb integrity sensor
  • 1974 Headlight wiper/washer
  • 1975 Day running lamps
  • 1975 Braking system with stepped bore master cylinder
  • 1978 Child safety booster cushion
  • 1982 "Anti–submarining" protection
  • 1982 Fog lamps front
  • 1982 Fog lamps rear
  • 1982 Warning lights in opened door
  • 1982 Wide angle rear view mirror
  • 1984 ABS anti–locking brakes
  • 1985 ETC – Electronic Traction Control
  • 1986 Brake lights in rear window
  • 1986 Three–point safety belt centre rear seat
  • 1987 Mechanical safety belt pre–tensioner
  • 1987 Airbag – driver
  • 1990 Integrated child safety cushion in centre rear seat
  • 1991 SIPS – Side Impact Protection System
  • 1991 Automatic height adjusting safety belt
  • 1992 Reinforced rear seats in estate models
  • 1992 Passenger airbag front
  • 1993 Three–point inertia–reel safety belts – all rear positions
  • 1994 SIPS–bag, side airbag
  • 1995 DSA – Dynamic Stability Assistance
  • 1995 Integrated child safety cushion outer rear seats
  • 1997 ROPS – Roll Over Protection System (C70)
  • 1998 WHIPS – Whiplash Protection System
  • 1998 IC – Inflatable Curtain
  • 1998 STC – Stability and Traction Control
  • 1998 DSTC – Dynamic Stability and Traction Control
  • 1998 EBD – Electronic Brake Distribution
  • 2000 ISOFIX anchorages with rearward–facing child safety seat
  • 2000 Dual Stage Airbag
  • 2001 SCC – Volvo Safety Concept Car
  • 2002 RSC – Roll Stability Control
  • 2002 ROPS – Roll Over Protection System (XC90)
  • 2002 New integrated child seat 2nd row (XC90)
  • 2002 Lower Cross Member (XC90)
  • 2002 New compatible front design (XC90)
  • 2002 Safe 3rd row seats (XC90)
  • 2002 New Front Structure (XC90)
  • 2003 New Front Structure called Volvo Intelligent Vehicle Architecture(VIVA) (S40, V50)
  • 2003 Rear seat belt reminders (in S40 and V50)
  • 2003 IDIS – Intelligent Driver Information System (in S40 and V50)
  • 2003 Inauguration of Volvo's Traffic Accident Research Team in Bangkok
  • 2004 BLIS – Blind Spot Information System (in S40 and V50)
  • 2004 Water repellent glass
  • 2005 Introduction of DMIC (Door Mounted Inflatable Curtain) (new Volvo C70)
  • 2006 PCC - Personal Car Communicator (S80)
  • 2006 CWBS - Collision Warning with Brake Support (S80)

[edit] Acquisitions

DAF/Volvo 66
DAF/Volvo 66

In the early 1970s, Volvo acquired the passenger car division of the Dutch company DAF, and marketed their small cars as Volvos before releasing the Dutch-built Volvo 340, which went on to be one of the biggest-selling cars in the UK market in the 1980s.

Volvo, as one of the largest truck manufacturers in the world, took the initiative to sell its automobile manufacturing in 1998 in order to fully focus its efforts on the market for commercial vehicles. Ford, on the other hand saw advantages in acquiring a profitable prestige mid-size European automobile manufacturer, well renowned for its safety aspects, as an addition to its Premier Automotive Group. The buyout of Volvo Cars was announced on January 28, 1998, and in the following year an acquisition was completed at a price of $6.45 billion USD.

As a result of the divestiture, the Volvo name is now utilized by two separate companies:

Volvo Car Corp is a part of the FoMoCo PAG along side Jaguar and Land Rover of Britain. Since its acquisition into the PAG the company has grown in its range of vehicle and year by year is increasingly becoming a large competitor in the luxury segment like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Currently Volvo competes with these luxury marques, but is more of a contender with Acura, Cadillac, Lincoln and Saab.

The Volvo™ trademark is now jointly owned (50/50) by Volvo and Ford. One of the main promotional activities for the trademark is the sailing contest Volvo Ocean Race, formerly the Whitbread Around the World Cup. There is also a Volvo Baltic Race, and Volvo likes to encourage its affluent image by sponsoring golf tournaments all over the world including three major championship event called Volvo Masters in Spain, Volvo China Open and Volvo Masters of Asia in Thailand.

[edit] Car models

1927 Volvo ÖV 4
1927 Volvo ÖV 4
Volvo PV544
Volvo PV544
Volvo 240
Volvo 240

[edit] Early years

[edit] Three-numbered Volvos

Starting with the 140 series in 1968, Volvo used a three number system for their cars. The first number was the series, the second number the number of cylinders and the third number the number of doors; so a 164 was a 1-series with a 6-cylinder engine and 4 doors. However there were exceptions to this rule—the 780 for example, came with turbocharged I4 and naturally-aspirated V6 petrol engines and I6 diesel engines, but never an eight cylinder as the 8 would suggest. Similarly, the 760 often was equipped with a turbocharged I4 engine and the Volvo 360 only had four cylinders. Some 240GLT had a V6 engine. The company dropped the meaning of the final digit for later cars like the 740, but the digit continued to identify cars underhood on the identification plate.

[edit] Models with current denomination

Today, the company uses a system of letters denoting body style followed by the series number. S stands for saloon or sedan, C stands for coupé or convertible and V stands for versatile or estate car. XC stands for cross country originally added to a more rugged V70 model as the V70XC and indicates all wheel drive paired with a raised suspension to give it a mock SUV look. Volvo would later change the name to the XC70 in keeping with its car naming consistent with the XC90. So a V50 is an estate ("V") that is smaller than the V70.

Originally, Volvo was planning a different naming scheme. S and C were to be the same, but "F", standing for flexibility, was to be used on station wagons. When Volvo introduced the first generation S40 and V40 at Frankfurt in 1994, they were announced as the S4 and F4. However, Audi complained that it had inherent rights to the S4 name, since it names its sporty vehicles "S", and the yet-introduced sport version of the Audi A4 would have the S4 name. Volvo agreed to add a second digit, so the vehicles became the S40 and F40. However, that lead to a complaint from Ferrari, who used the Ferrari F40 name on their legendary sports car. This lead to Volvo switching the "F" to "V", for versatile.

1998 Volvo V70 wagon
1998 Volvo V70 wagon

[edit] Concept cars

[edit] Production locations

  • Göteborg (Volvo Torslanda Plant, Torslandaverken) 1964-
    • Volvo XC90, Volvo S80, Volvo V70, Volvo XC70
  • Uddevalla 1989, since 2005 the factory is operated by Volvo Cars and Pininfarina Sverige AB
    • Volvo C70
  • Ghent, Belgium 1965-
    • Volvo S60, Volvo V70, Volvo S40, Volvo V50, Volvo C30
  • Skövde (engines)
  • Olofström
    • Volvo Car Body Components (VCBC)

Assembly locations around the world:

  • Malaysia (Swedish Motor Assemblies SDN BHD)
  • Thailand (Thai-Swedish Assembly Company Limited)
  • China (the Volvo S40 is produced in Ford's Chinese plant for the local market)

Volvo Cars have previously had production facilities on these locations:

[edit] Engine types

See also: List of Volvo engines
  • EB/EC/ED - 3.7 L (3670 cc) OHV - fitted into the PV651/2, TR671/4, PV653/4, TR676/9, PV658/9, PV36, PV51/2, PV53/6, PV801/2, PV821/2, PV831/2 and PV60
  • B4B and B14A - fitted into the Volvo PV and Volvo Duett from 1947 to 1956
  • B16 (A and B) - fitted into the PV, Duett and Volvo Amazon from 1957 to 1960
  • B18 and B20 - 1.8 L/2.0 L OHV 8v fitted into all Volvo models from 1961 to 1974 except 164 (and 1975 U.S. Spec 240 models).
  • B19,   B21,   and B23 - fitted from 1975
  • B200 and B230 - 2.0 L and 2.3 L, respectively, SOHC 8v fitted to 240, 360, 700, 940 series cars from 1985
  • B204 and B234 - 2.0 L and 2.3 L DOHC 16 valve engines
  • B27/B28 and B280- 2.7 and 2.8 L SOHC 12v developed together with Renault and Peugeot
  • B30 - fitted to all 164 models

[edit] Transmissions

  • Volvo AW70 transmission
  • Volvo AW71 transmission
  • Volvo AW72 transmission
  • Volvo M30 transmission
  • Volvo M40 transmission
  • Volvo M400 transmission
  • Volvo M410 transmission
  • Volvo M41 transmission
  • Volvo M45 transmission
  • Volvo M46 transmission
  • Volvo M47 transmission
  • Volvo M50 transmission
  • Volvo M51 transmission
  • Volvo M56 transmission
  • Volvo M58 transmission
  • Volvo M59 transmission
  • Volvo M90 transmission
  • Volvo ZF4HP22 transmission
  • AW50-42 (4-speed automatic, FWD/AWD)
  • AW55-50/51 (5-speed automatic, FWD/AWD)
  • GM4T65EV/GT(4-Speed GM automatic, FWD/AWD)
  • AWTF80-SC (6-speed automatic, FWD/AWD)

[edit] Sales

Volvo Cars sales during 2005 (2004).

Source: DN

[edit] By market

1. United States 123575 (139155)
2. Sweden 52696 (51464)
3. United Kingdom 38307 (40159)
4. Germany 35035 (38085)
5. Italy 20533 (19390)
6. Netherlands 18879 (19225)
7. Spain 18335 (15925)
8. Japan 13427 (13919)
9. Belgium 12638 (12929)
10. Canada 11651 (11651)

All markets: 443947 (456224)

[edit] By model

1. XC90 85994
2. V50 83202
3. S40 75136
4. V70 70156*
5. S60 62528

  • Almost 40% (27999) of the V70's manufactured during 2005 were sold in Sweden, where it has been the best selling car for several years.

[edit] Trivia

Ingvar Kamprad drives a 1993 Volvo 240 GL[12] and Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud drives a Volvo XC90 [13].

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kraniel Konsument: Konsumenttest Hult Healey
  2. ^ e.g. UK High Mileage register, Volvo Club UK
  3. ^ SSB age at scrapping figures
  4. ^ "Honest John", Daily Telegraph motoring correspondent
  5. ^ Reliability index
  6. ^ http://www.forbesautos.com/slideshows/advice/toptens/2007/dealership_experience/best-dealers-all.html
  7. ^ http://www.forbesautos.com/advice/toptens/best-luxury-dealers-2007.html
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ [2]<ref> and patented by [[Mercedes-Benz]] in 1951.<ref>[http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2005/03/11/010089.html]</li> <li id="_note-9">'''[[#_ref-9|^]]''' [http://www.ksbitv.com/home/2057587.html]</li> <li id="_note-10">'''[[#_ref-10|^]]''' [http://www.haldex-traction.com/about_us/haldex_traction_systems.htm]</li> <li id="_note-11">'''[[#_ref-11|^]]''' http://www.forbesautos.com/advice/toptens/billionaire/05-ingvar_kamprad.html</li> <li id="_note-12">'''[[#_ref-12|^]]''' http://www.forbesautos.com/advice/toptens/billionaire/04-prince_alwaleed.html</li></ol></ref>

    [edit] External links


    Volvo Cars, a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company since 1998, road car timeline, 1960s-present  v • d • e 
    Type 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    Small family car 544 66
    340
    360
    480 C30
    440 / 460
    S40 / V40 S40 / V50
    Compact executive car Amazon / 120 / 130
    140 240 850 S70 / V70 S60 / V70
    Duett 740 940
    Executive car 164 760 960 S/V90 S80 S80
    260
    Sport P1800 1800S 1800E 1800ES 242 GT 240 Turbo 850 R S/V70 R S60/V70 T5 S60/V70 R
    Coupé 262C 780 C70 C70
    Crossover XC90
    Members of the Ford Motor Company
    Daimler | Edsel | Ford | Jaguar | Land Rover | Lincoln | Mazda | Mercury | Merkur | Volvo
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