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1927 – First car rolls out from the factory. On the morning of 14 April 1927, the first Volvo car drove out through the factory gates in Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden. The car was officially called the ÖV4 and it was an open tourer with a four-cylinder engine. The world's first Volvo was ready to hit the road.
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 a big seller in the UK market in the 1980s. In 1986 Volvo sold 113,267 cars in the US marking a record year for the company.
- Volvo Is Founded
- 1940-1945: Rapid Expansion
- 1964-1969: More Capacity
- From Sweden to Europe
- 1980-1982: Time of Acquisitions
- 1993-1994: New Board - New Strategy
- New Orientation - More Brands
- 2001-2008: Asia Is Growing
- Volvo Aero to GKN
- 2013-2014: Two New Brands
In 1927 the first series-manufactured Volvo car, the Volvo ÖV4, rolled off the production line on the island of Hisingen, Göteborg.
During the war years Volvo's business operations underwent a period of rapid expansion. Volvo acquired a majority shareholding in Svenska Flygmotor, later named Volvo Aero. Volvo continued its round of acquisitions by purchasing Köpings Mekaniska Verkstad, an engineering company that supplied gears and gearboxes and in 1950 Volvo acquired the const...
Two plants were opened, one in Torslanda, Sweden, and one in Alsemberg near Brussels, Belgium. Together, they guaranteed that Volvo would have sufficient car and truck manufacturing capacity to place the company in a world ranking position. The year after a new diesel engine plant was opened in Skövde, Sweden, and 1968 Volvo commenced truck assembl...
With the construction of a second truck manufacturing plant in Belgium, Volvo was now transformed into a European company with a Swedish base, instead of what it had previously been; a predominantly Swedish company with export sales. Two new plants opened in Sweden. A bus plant in Borås and a factory with production of engines started up in Vara.
This was a time of acquisitions, beginning with the acquisition of Beijerinvest AB, with interests in oil trading and food industry followed by the acquisition of the White Motor Corporation in the USA and AB Höglund & Co, in Säffle, Sweden, a company manufacturing bus bodies. A new plant for producing bus chassis and trucks was opened in Curitiba,...
A serious debate culminating in a divorce between the Renault Group and Volvo. The consequences were that the board resigned with immediate effect. A new board was elected in January 1994. Volvo now chose a new strategy: everything not directly connected with core operations, everything not associated with vehicles or transport, would be divested.
An extraordinary general meeting proposed the selling of Volvo's "crown jewel", Volvo Cars, to the Ford Motor Company for SEK 50 billion. A new Group, focusing on the commercial automotive industry, was created. The Volvo Group acquired RVI/Mack with the aim of growing within the truck sectors in both the USA and Europe. Following this deal, the Gr...
Asia was now the Group’s second largest market after Europe and Japan was the largest market in Asia following the acquisition of Nissan Diesel. In China Volvo CE set up production in Shanghai. Volvo Buses and Volvo Penta were already running operations in the country. Volvo CE also completed the acquisition of the shares in Lingong, a large produc...
The Group sold Volvo Aero to the British company, GKN. The Volvo Group now comprised a wide range of different brands and interest focused on positioning them on the market and clarifying their roles.
A partnership agreement was signed with the Chinese vehicle manufacturer, Dongfeng, as a result of which the Group would acquire 45 per cent of a new subsidiary called DFCV. The Volvo Group acquired the Scottish company, Terex Equipment, which specialises in tipper trucks.
The 444 was the first small Volvo car and the one which really set car production at Volvo moving. In-line, 4-cylinder, 1,414 cc (86 cu in); 44 bhp. 3-speed with floor-mounted gear lever. Hydraulic drums on all wheels. Wheelbase 102 in; weight 1,960 lbs when empty. Brief details of the Volvo PV444.
- 2-door saloon
- 1946-1958
- 196,005
Sep 30, 2024 · The Second World War significantly restricted Volvo’s production of cars, but by the autumn of 1944 the company had unveiled one of its most significant cars – the PV444. Volvo’s first "true" small car, its stylish design combined American flair with European size and it was an instant success.
Sep 6, 2024 · The PV444 was one of the most significant cars of the war era, the first true small car, a mixture of American flair and European size, it {ad}would become a resonant success and the best sold ...
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Jan 27, 2024 · The first car in Volvo’s timeline to make a headline was the PV444. Volvo started its production in 1947. In 1955, the car entered California, being the first Volvo car to be imported to the United States. Within a couple of years, Volvo became the second-largest importer of cars in California. Texas was added to the list in 1956.
