Volvo Cars, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish automobile manufacturer The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells the world's motor vehicles. The automotive industry is one of the most important economic sectors by revenue founded in 1927, in the city of Gothenburg Gothenburg (Swedish: Göteborg; pronounced [jœteˈbɔrj] ) is the second-largest city in Sweden (after Stockholm) and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the southwest coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 508,714, with 510,491 in the urban area and total of 920,283 inhabitants in the metropolitan area, Sweden Sweden (pronounced /ˈswiːdən/ SWEE-dən, Swedish: Sverige [ˈsvær.jə]), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige (help·info)), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and water borders with Denmark, Germany and. It is currently owned by Ford Motor Company The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars in Sweden, and a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK. Ford', which has agreed to sell the firm to the parent of Geely Automobile Geely Automobile (SEHK: 0175) is a Chinese automaker and is the first independent and largest private automobile manufacturer in the People's Republic of China. The parent company is Geely Holding Group (吉利控股集团), which began manufacturing in 1986 in Taizhou in Zhejiang province. In 2009, Geely announced that it was close to an of China China is seen variously as an ancient civilization extending over a large area in East Asia, a nation and/or a multinational entity in a deal expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2010.[3]

Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing which uses balls to maintain the separation between the moving parts of the bearing maker SKF SKF, Svenska Kullagerfabriken AB, later AB SKF, is a Swedish bearing company founded in 1907, supplying bearings, seals, lubrication and lubrication systems, maintenance products, mechatronics products, power transmission products and related services globally. 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 AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Until 1999 it also produced cars. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services. Although Volvo was incorporated in 1915 as a subsidiary of AB SKF, a Swedish ball bearing manufacturer, the until 1999, when it was acquired by the Ford Motor Company as part of its Premier Automotive Group The Premier Automotive Group , is a group within the Ford Motor Company which was formed in 1999 to oversee the business operations of Ford's high-end automotive marques.

Volvo produces models ranging from SUVs A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. Usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle, some SUVs include the towing capacity of a pickup truck with the passenger-, station wagons (estates) A station wagon is a passenger car body style similar in terms of passengers to the sedan/saloon style but incorporating a full-size back cargo compartment accessible via a fifth door instead of the standard sedan trunk slot. Station wagons are not to be confused with hatchbacks, whose difference lies in the size of the said compartment, with, and sedans (saloons) A sedan car or saloon car (British English) is a passenger car with two rows of seats and adequate passenger space in the rear compartment for adult passengers. The vehicle usually has a separate rear trunk (boot in British English) for luggage, although some manufacturers such as Chevrolet, Tatra, and Volkswagen have made rear-engined models. It, to compact executive sedans and coupes A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style, the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time. Coupés are often hardtopped sports cars or sporty variants of sedan (saloon) body styles, with doors commonly reduced from 4 to 2, and a close-coupled interior (i.e., the rear seat placed further forward than in a. With 2,500 dealerships worldwide in 100 markets, 60 percent of sales come from Europe, 30 percent from North America, and the other 10 percent from the rest of the world.[citation needed]

Volvo's market share is shrinking in North America.[citation needed] However, Volvo increased its market share in new markets such as Russia, China, and India.[citation needed] Specifically, Volvo expected sales in Russia to double and exceed 20,000 units by the end of 2007, making Russia one of the ten-biggest markets for the company. Volvo already boasts the leading position in Russia's luxury car segment.[4]

Volvo is often compared[5] to and nicknamed tractors,[6] partially because Volvo AB was and still is a manufacturer of heavy equipment, earlier Bolinder-Munktell, now Volvo Construction Equipment Volvo Construction Equipment is a subsidiary and business area of AB Volvo. Volvo Construction Equipment develops, manufactures and markets equipment for the construction and related industries. Some consumers considered older models to be slow and heavy,[7] thus earning the distinction, "brick",[8] as a term of endearment for the classic, block-shaped Volvo, with the more powerful turbocharged variants known as "turbobricks".[8] The company moved away from the boxy styles of the 1970s and 1980s, to models which gained a reputation for sporting performance, including the factory-supported Volvo 240 The Volvo 200 series was a range of luxury cars, regarded as mid-size cars in the US, but large-size in Europe, produced by Volvo from 1974 to 1993, with more than 2.8 million sold worldwide. The 200 series was essentially an updated version of the 140; both were designed by Jan Wilsgaard. It shared the same body, but included a number of turbos, which won the 1985 European Touring Car Championship (ETC) and 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC).[9]

Owners are often proud of achieving high mileage;[10] one well-documented 1966 Volvo P1800S has been driven over 2.6 million miles.[11] According to some figures, the average age of a Volvo being discarded is 19.8 years, second only to Mercedes.[12] Reliability is considered better than average.[13] In the US, Volvo AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Until 1999 it also produced cars. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services. Although Volvo was incorporated in 1915 as a subsidiary of AB SKF, a Swedish ball bearing manufacturer, the dealers are listed by Forbes as the ninth best general car manufacturer,[14] and sixth best for luxury cars.[15]

Ford Motor Company decided to consider putting Volvo Cars on the market in December 2008, after suffering huge losses that year.[16] On October 28, 2009, Ford confirmed that, after considering several offers, the preferred buyer of Volvo Cars is Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the parent of Chinese motor manufacturer Geely Automobile Geely Automobile (SEHK: 0175) is a Chinese automaker and is the first independent and largest private automobile manufacturer in the People's Republic of China. The parent company is Geely Holding Group (吉利控股集团), which began manufacturing in 1986 in Taizhou in Zhejiang province. In 2009, Geely announced that it was close to an.[17][18] On December 23, 2009, Ford confirmed that all substantive commercial terms of the sale to Geely have been settled. A definitive agreement worth $1.8 billion was signed on March 28, 2010, with the deal expected to close in the early part of August 2010.[19][20]

Contents

History

Gustav Larson and Assar Gabrielsson

Volvo company was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1927. The company was created as a subsidiary company 100% owned by SKF. Assar Gabrielsson was appointed the managing director and Gustav Larson as the technical manager.

"Cars are driven by people. The guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo, therefore, is and must remain, safety", Assar Gabrielsson and Gustav Larson 1927.

Volvo logotype (PRV-registr.) 1927

The trademark Volvo was first registered by SKF the 11 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.

The first Volvo car left the assembly line April 14, 1927, and 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. In the registration application for Volvo logotype in 1927, they simply made a copy of the entire radiator 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 Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe. Today it is a busy city with a port, Belgium plant was opened, which is the company's second largest production site (chiefly small cars). Finally in 1989 the Uddevalla Uddevalla is a city and the seat of Uddevalla Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 30,513 inhabitants in 2005 plant in Sweden was opened, which is now jointly operated by Volvo Car Corporation and Pininfarina Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder in Cambiano, Italy of Italy.

Volvo ÖV4 Touring 1927 Volvo PV4 4-Door saloon 1927 Volvo 144 saloon 1972 Volvo 850 The Volvo 850 is a compact executive car produced by Volvo Cars from 1992 to 1997 and designed by Jan Wilsgaard. Available in sedan/saloon and station wagon/estate body styles, the Volvo 850 was notable as the first front-wheel drive vehicle from this Swedish manufacturer to be exported to North America. It is often considered the vehicle that estate 2002 Volvo S80 The Volvo S80 is an executive sedan from Swedish automaker Volvo and was introduced in 1998 as a replacement for the rear-wheel drive Volvo 960/S90 sedan. The Volvo S80 was built at the Torslanda Plant in Gothenburg, Sweden. Unlike most Volvo models, it did not have a station wagon version for its first generation. Now, the third generation V70

A collection of Volvo's most important historical vehicles are now housed in The Volvo Museum, which opened in a permanent location in Arendal at Hisingen on May 30, 1995.[21] For several years, the collection had been housed at "The Blue Hangar," at the then closed Torslanda Airport.[21]

Volvo Cars was owned by AB Volvo AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Until 1999 it also produced cars. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services. Although Volvo was incorporated in 1915 as a subsidiary of AB SKF, a Swedish ball bearing manufacturer, the until 1999, when it was acquired by the Ford Motor Company as part of its Premier Automotive Group The Premier Automotive Group , is a group within the Ford Motor Company which was formed in 1999 to oversee the business operations of Ford's high-end automotive marques.

Sale to Geely

On 1 December 2008, Ford announced an intention to "re-evaluate its strategic options for Volvo," including the possible sale of the marque.[16] On 28 October 2009, Ford confirmed that the preferred buyer of Volvo Cars was Chinese auto manufacturer Geely Automobile Geely Automobile (SEHK: 0175) is a Chinese automaker and is the first independent and largest private automobile manufacturer in the People's Republic of China. The parent company is Geely Holding Group (吉利控股集团), which began manufacturing in 1986 in Taizhou in Zhejiang province. In 2009, Geely announced that it was close to an.[17] On December 23, 2009, Ford confirmed that all substantive commercial terms the sale to Geely had been settled. On 28 March 2010, a deal was signed between Geely and Ford for the sale of Volvo Cars for $1.8 billion. The sale is expected to close in the third quarter of 2010.

Safety

Volvo cars have long been marketed and stressed their historic reputation for solidity and reliability. Prior to strong government safety regulation Volvo had been in the forefront of safety engineering.[22]

In 1944, laminated glass Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breaking, it is held in place by an interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral , between its two or more layers of glass. The interlayer keeps the layers of glass bonded even when broken, and its high strength prevents the glass from breaking up into was introduced in the PV model.[23] In 1958, Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin invented and patented the modern 3-Point Safety Belt A seat belt, sometimes called safety belts, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop. As part of an overall automobile passive safety system, seat belts are intended to reduce injuries by stopping the wearer from hitting hard interior elements of the, which became standard on all Volvo cars in 1959.[24] Volvo was the first company to produce cars with padded dashboards starting in late 1956 with their Amazon model The Volvo Amazon was a mid-size car manufactured by Volvo Cars from 1956 until July 3 1970 at the company's Torslandaverken — with 667,323 vehicles produced.[citation needed] Additionally, Volvo developed the first rear-facing child seat in 1964[23] and introduced its own booster seat in 1978.[23]

In 1986, Volvo introduced the first central high-mounted stoplight[23][not in citation given] (a brake light not shared with the rear tail lights), which became federally mandated in the United States in the 1986 model year. Seat belt and child seat innovation continued as shown in the 1991 960. The 960 introduced the first three-point seat belt for the middle of the rear seat and a child safety cushion integrated in the middle armrest.[23] Also in 1991 came the introduction of the Side Impact Protection System (SIPS) on the 940/960 and 850 The Volvo 850 is a compact executive car produced by Volvo Cars from 1992 to 1997 and designed by Jan Wilsgaard. Available in sedan/saloon and station wagon/estate body styles, the Volvo 850 was notable as the first front-wheel drive vehicle from this Swedish manufacturer to be exported to North America. It is often considered the vehicle that models, which channeled the force of a side impact away from the doors and into the safety cage.[25]

To add to its SIPS, in 1995 Volvo was the first to introduce side airbags and installed them as standard equipment in all models in 1996. At the start of the 1995 model year, Side Impact Protection (SIPs) bags were standard on high line Volvo 850s, and optional on other 850s. By the middle of the production year, they were standard on all 850s. In Model Year 1996 SIPs bags were standard on all Volvo models.

In 1998 Volvo also developed and was the first to install a head-protecting airbag,[citation needed] which was made standard in all new models as well as some existing models. The head-protecting airbag was not available on the 1996 C70 due to the initial design deploying the airbag from the roof; the C70, being a convertible, could not accommodate such an airbag. Later years of the C70 featured a head-protecting airbag deploying upwards from the door, negating the issue of roof position. It has been stated by many testing authorities that side head protecting curtain airbags can reduce risk of death in a side impact by up to 40% and brain injury by up to 55%, as well as protecting in a rollover situation.[26]

In 1998, Volvo introduced its Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), a safety device to prevent injury of front seat users during collisions.[23] 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. Much of Volvo's safety technology now also goes into other Ford vehicles. In 2005 Volvo presented the second generation of Volvo C70 The Volvo C70 is a two-door manufactured by Volvo Cars in two generations: the first from model years 1997-2002 as coupé and from 1997-2005 as a softop convertible. The second generation C70 has been marketed since 2006 as a retractable hardtop, 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 The Volvo S80 is an executive sedan from Swedish automaker Volvo and was introduced in 1998 as a replacement for the rear-wheel drive Volvo 960/S90 sedan. The Volvo S80 was built at the Torslanda Plant in Gothenburg, Sweden. Unlike most Volvo models, it did not have a station wagon version for its first generation. Now, the third generation V70. 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, a heartbeat sensor warns if someone is hiding inside the car. The all new Volvo S80 The Volvo S80 is an executive sedan from Swedish automaker Volvo and was introduced in 1998 as a replacement for the rear-wheel drive Volvo 960/S90 sedan. The Volvo S80 was built at the Torslanda Plant in Gothenburg, Sweden. Unlike most Volvo models, it did not have a station wagon version for its first generation. Now, the third generation V70 is also the first Volvo model to feature Adaptive cruise control Autonomous cruise control is an optional cruise control system appearing on some more upscale vehicles. The system goes under many different trade names according to the manufacturer. These systems use either a radar or laser setup allowing the vehicle to slow when approaching another vehicle and accelerate again to the preset speed when traffic (ACC) with Collision Warning and Brake Support (CWBS).[citation needed]

Since 2004 all Volvo models except for the C70 The Volvo C70 is a two-door manufactured by Volvo Cars in two generations: the first from model years 1997-2002 as coupé and from 1997-2005 as a softop convertible. The second generation C70 has been marketed since 2006 as a retractable hardtop and C30 The Volvo C30 is a small car produced by Volvo . The C30 is a three-door, four-seat hatchback powered by straight-4 and straight-5 engines. The car is a hatchback version of the S40/V50/C70 range, and uses the same Ford C1 (or Volvo P1) platform are available with an all-wheel drive system developed by Haldex Traction Haldex Traction AB is a division of the Swedish manufacturing company Haldex AB. It specialises in the development and manufacture of All-Wheel Drive systems. Haldex is currently producing their fourth generation AWD system called, by Saab, XWD . The first generation of Haldex’s four-wheel drive system was introduced in 1998. Through continued of Sweden.[27]

Even though Volvo Car Corp is owned by the Ford Motor Company, the safety systems of Volvo are still made standard on all of their vehicles. Volvo has patented all of their safety innovations, including SIPS SIPS, acronym for Side Impact Protection System, is a system of protection against side impacts developed by Volvo, WHIPS, ROPS, DSTC, IC, and body structures. Some of these systems have shown up in other Ford vehicles in related forms to that of Volvo systems only because Volvo has licenced the FOMOCO and other PAG members to utilize these features.[citation needed]

A 2005 FOLKSAM report[28] puts the 740/940 (from 1982 on) in the 15% better than average category, the second from the top category.[citation needed] The Volvo 745 was also recalled due to that the front seatbelts mounts could break in a collision.[29]

In 2005, when the American non-profit, non-governmental Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released its first annual Top Safety Picks vehicles list, none of Volvo's offered vehicles in the U.S. were included on the list.[30] According to Russ Rader, a spokesman for IIHS, Volvo was lagging behind its competitors.[31] 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."[32]

According to IIHS The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is a U.S. non-profit organization funded by auto insurers, established in 1959. It works to reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes, and the rate of injuries and amount of property damage in the crashes that still occur. It carries out research and produces ratings for popular passenger vehicles as, Volvo's S80 became one of 2009 Top Safety Picks Award winner, but Volvo's S40 and S60 (both 2005–09 models with standard side airbags) failed to attain the highest rating in their side impact test. Volvo's C30 is not tested by IIHS The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is a U.S. non-profit organization funded by auto insurers, established in 1959. It works to reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes, and the rate of injuries and amount of property damage in the crashes that still occur. It carries out research and produces ratings for popular passenger vehicles as yet,[33][34] but received 5 star safety in EuroNCAP The European New Car Assessment Programme is a European car safety performance assessment programme founded in 1997 by the Transport Research Laboratory for the UK Department for Transport and now the standard throughout Western Europe. [citation needed].[35]

However, according to the IIHS The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is a U.S. non-profit organization funded by auto insurers, established in 1959. It works to reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes, and the rate of injuries and amount of property damage in the crashes that still occur. It carries out research and produces ratings for popular passenger vehicles as, in recent years Volvo Cars have still managed to maintain their high class safety ratings as seen in test results.[36] The Volvo XC90,[37] S80[38] and C70[39] all score top scores in these rated crash tests.

In 2008 a French court found Volvo partially responsible for causing the death of two children and serious injuries of one in Wasselonne Wasselonne is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France on June 17, 1999, when the brakes of a 1996 Volvo 850 The Volvo 850 is a compact executive car produced by Volvo Cars from 1992 to 1997 and designed by Jan Wilsgaard. Available in sedan/saloon and station wagon/estate body styles, the Volvo 850 was notable as the first front-wheel drive vehicle from this Swedish manufacturer to be exported to North America. It is often considered the vehicle that failed. The court subjected Volvo to a 200,000 Euro fine.[22][40][41][42]

Safety milestones

The Amazon was noted for its safety features, with a padded dashboard, front and rear seat belts and a laminated windshield.[43]

Acquisitions

In the early 1970s, Volvo acquired the passenger car division of the Dutch company DAF DAF Trucks NV is a Dutch truck manufacturing company and a division of PACCAR. Its headquarters and main plant are in Eindhoven. Cabs and axle assemblies are produced at its Westerlo plant in Belgium. Some of the truck models sold with the DAF brand are designed and built by Leyland Trucks at their plant in England, and marketed their small cars as Volvos before releasing the Dutch-built Volvo 340 The Volvo 300 series was a rear wheel drive automobile sold as both a hatchback and a conventional saloon from 1976-1991. It was launched in The Netherlands in 1976, shortly after Volvo acquired a controlling share of the passenger car division of DAF in 1975. The series consisted of the Volvo 343 and 345 up to 1982, and Volvo 340 / 360 afterwards, which went on to be one of the biggest-selling cars in the UK The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[note 7] is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land market in the 1980s.

Volvo Group, as one of the largest manufacturers of commercial vehicles 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 the acquisition was completed at a price of $6.45 billion USD The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents.

As a result of the divestiture In finance and economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of asset for either financial or ethical objectives or sale of an existing business by a firm. A divestment is the opposite of an investment, the Volvo trademark is now utilized by two separate companies:

Corporate history within Ford

Volvo Car Corporation is part of Ford Motor Company's Premier Automotive Group (PAG). Since its acquisition by the PAG, the company has grown in its range of vehicles. It is the only brand left in the group since the sale of Jaguar, Aston Martin and Land Rover.

After the sale of JLR to Tata Motors of India, Ford decided to keep Volvo Cars despite mounting losses and gross economic down turns. Ford decided to restructure plans for Volvo Cars, pushing it further upmarket alongside the lower end of Mercedes and BMW sedans, wagons, and SUV crossovers. The outcome was the luxurious second generation Volvo S80 and the new small premium crossover Volvo XC60.

Recently, talks about the fate of Volvo Cars in the event of failure of US automakers, including Volvo's parent Ford. Swedish concerns mounted after repeated mass layoffs at Volvo, prompting Sweden to enter the spotlight to help its automotive industry. The government was asked to look into a possible state ownership of Volvo, or financial bailout for Volvo Cars and SAAB of GM. Eventually, AB Volvo responded to heated talks and decided that they do not want to see Volvo Cars fail, so they agreed to help Volvo cut costs through partnerships and even a possible share ownership amongst a larger consortium. AB Volvo repeated and stood stern that they will not buy back Volvo cars nor be sole majority owner. They are only willing to become part share owner of their erstwhile car unit.

Volvo Cars sales

Ford announced in December 2008 that it was considering selling Volvo Cars and making complex evaluations; a sale price of US$6 billion was reported,[44] but meanwhile it will try to make Volvo an independent company. The Swedish government was interested in helping with a possible Swedish acquisition of Volvo Cars in the near future along with AB Volvo. It was believed that BMW AG of Germany, Investor AB of Sweden, Chinese investors, or Russian investors were all possible candidates for purchase. Ultimately price was thought not to be the sole factor in the sale – Volvo Cars preference for its new owner, as well as the long-term strategic interest of Ford, will also influence the decision. Besides, AB Volvo must release the trademark rights to the new owner. Ford has chosen Geely Automotive in acquiring Volvo Cars from Ford. The Sale is expected to completed by Q2 of 2010.

Geely initially denied the plan for buying Volvo,[45] followed by denials from both Ford and Volvo.[46] After later estimates suggested that Volvo is only worth US$1-1.5 billion,[47] Geely's parent company, Geely Group Holdings Co., planned to bid for Volvo,[48] with Goldman Sachs investing HK$2.59 billion (334 million USD) to the holding company.[49][50]

Car models

1927 Volvo ÖV 4 Volvo PV544

Early years

Tri-digit nomenclature

Starting with the 140 series in 1966, Volvo used a tri-digit 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. Volvo Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN codes) had always been given YV1 symbolizing Sweden, Volvo, and Volvo Car Corp

Current models

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 as in 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 led to a complaint from Ferrari, who used the Ferrari F40 name on their legendary sports car. This led to Volvo switching the "F" to "V", for versatile.

1998 Volvo V70 estate

Concept cars

Alternative propulsion

The 2005 Volvo FlexiFuel S40 was one of the first E85 flex cars launched in the Swedish market by a domestic automaker. The Volvo FlexiFuel is now offered on the European market.

Flexible-fuel vehicles

In 2005 Volvo introduced to the Sweden market the company's first E85 flexifuel models. Volvo introduced its S40 and V50 with flexible-fuel engines, joined in late 2006 by the then new C30. All Volvo models were initially restricted to the Sweden market, until 2007, when these three models were launched in eight new European markets.[51] In 2008 Volvo launched the V70 with a 2.5-litre turbocharged flexifuel engine.[52]

Plug-in hybrids

The Volvo ReCharge is a plug-in hybrid concept car with an all-electric range (AER) of 60 miles (97 km). It was officially unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show.[53]

On June 1, 2009, Volvo announced the launching of series production diesel-electric plug-in hybrids by 2012.[54][55][56] The company plans to sell a series hybrid with the goal of achieving emissions of less than 50 grams of CO2 per kilometer.[55][56] Three Volvo V70 demonstrators will be converted to PHEVs during the 2009 summer to be tested in real world conditions. Among other challenges, this test will allow to experience the electric car range at low temperatures, which has been a disadvantage of plug-in vehicles.[56][57] This is a joint venture with Vattenfall, a Swedish energy company. Vattenfall will offer Volvo customers the supply of renewable electricity generated from wind power or hydropower.[57]

Production locations

Assembly locations around the world:

Volvo Cars have previously had production facilities on these locations:

Engine types

Volvo uses in-line, or straight engines in their production vehicles. Volvo is also known for the application of the in-line 5-cylinder engine to its vehicle line up since its introduction in 1993 in the Volvo 850.

Transmissions

Volvo automatic transmissions in the past were made by the ZF Friedrichshafen company, but now the transmissions are co-developed with Aisin of Japan. Geartronic is Volvo Cars' name for its manumatic transmission.

Sales

Volvo Cars sales during 2007 (2006).

Source: Volvo Cars

By market

1. United States 106,125 (115,818) 2. Sweden 62,229 (55,455) 3. Germany 32,329 (35,626) 4. United Kingdom 30,003 (30,512) 5. Russia 21,077 (10,803) 6. Italy 20,290 (17,554) 7. Netherlands 20,253 (16,607) 8. Spain 18,400 (18,247) 9. Belgium 13,991 (11,844) 10. France 13,497 (10,726)

All markets: 458,323 (427,747)

By model

1. XC90 79,140 2. V70 69,067 3. S40 63,062 4. V50 62,348 5. C30 46,726 6. S80 41,839 7. S60 41,726 8. XC70 36,279 9. C70 17,415

Marketing

The symbol for Mars has been used since ancient times to represent iron.

The name Volvo, is Latin for "I roll".

Logo

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 radiator.

A model of a Volvo XC90 made of Lego pieces on display at Volvo Ocean Race – 2006 in Baltimore Inner Harbor

Sponsorship

Volvo entered the European Touring Car Championship with the Volvo 240 in the mid-80s. The cars also entered the Guia Race, part of the Macau Grand Prix in 1985, 1986 and 1987, winning in both 1985 and 1986.

Volvo also entered the British Touring Car Championship in the 90s with Tom Walkinshaw Racing. This partnership was responsible for the controversial 850 Estate racing car, which was only rendered uncompetitive when the FIA allowed the use of aerodynamic aids in 1995. TWR then built and ran the works 850 Saloon, six wins in 1995 and five wins in 1996, and S40, one wins in 1997 in the BTCC. In 1998, TWR Volvo won the British Touring Car Championship with Rickard Rydell driving the S40R.

In 2008 Volvo entered the Swedish Touring Car Championship with a C30 powered by bioethanol E85 fuel. Robert Dahlgreen and Tommy Rustad were the drivers, finishing 5th and 10th respectively in the championship. Volvo have also signalled their intentions to enter the 2009 British Touring Car Championship with the same car.[58]

The Volvo trademark is now jointly owned (50/50) by Volvo Group and Volvo Car Corporation.[citation needed] One of the main promotional activities for the brand is the sailing Race Volvo Ocean Race, formerly known as the Whitbread Around the World Race. There is also a Volvo Baltic Race and Volvo Pacific Race, and Volvo likes to encourage its affluent image by sponsoring golf tournaments all over the world including major championship events called the Volvo Masters and Volvo China Open.

Volvo sponsored the Volvo Ocean Race, the world's leading round-the-world yacht race for the first time in 2001–2002. The next edition is taking place between 2011 and 2012. Volvo has also had a long-standing commitment to the ISAF and is involved in the Volvo/ISAF World Youth Sailing Championships since 1997.

Volvo has since the 1950s had special international sales programs for customers assigned abroad, for example Diplomat Sales, Military Sales and Expat Sales.

See also

Gallery

This section looks like an image gallery. Wikipedia policy discourages galleries of random images of the article subject; please edit or remove the section accordingly, moving freely licensed images to Wikimedia Commons if not already hosted there.

Volvo PV4 4-Door 1927

Volvo PV4 Special 4-door 1928

Volvo PV651 4-door 1929

Volvo PV654 4-door 1933

Volvo PV654 4-door 1933

Volvo PV654 4-door 1933

Volvo PV655 ambulance 1934

Volvo PV659 4-door 1935

Volvo TR704 4-door 1937

Volvo PV5X 4-door

Volvo PV53 4-door 1939

Volvo PV56 4-door 1939

Volvo PV56 4-door 1939

Volvo PV56 4-door 1939

Volvo PV56 4-door 1939

Volvo PV54 pick-up 1939

Volvo PV57 pick-up 1939

Volvo PV60 4-door 1946

Volvo PV60 4-door taxi 1946

Volvo PV 831 1954

1990 Volvo 240

References

  1. ^ "O'Dell to Drive Volvo Forward" at Directorship
  2. ^ "Volvo no longer run by a Swede" at BusinessWeek
  3. ^ "Ford closes deal with China's Geely to sell Volvo". MarketWatch. 28 March 2010. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ford-reaches-deal-to-sell-volvo-for-18-billion-2010-03-28?reflink=MW_news_stmp. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  4. ^ Volvo Car Corporation Doubles its Sales in Russia
  5. ^ SvD: Volvo på väg mot Kina
  6. ^ DI: Skoda utmanar Torslandas traktorfabrik
  7. ^ Kraniel Konsument: Konsumenttest Hult Healey
  8. ^ a b Unleashing the Muscle Car Inside the Trusty Volvo, NY Times (March 3, 2005)
  9. ^ Volvo 240 Turbo Group 'A' racing information, Anthony Hyde
  10. ^ UK High Mileage register Volvo Club UK
  11. ^ 2 million mile 1800s Palo Alto Daily News (August 26, 2007)
  12. ^ Vehicles discarded against refund, 2000: Mercedes and Volvo last longer
  13. ^ Reliability index
  14. ^ ForbesAutos.com
  15. ^ Luxury Car Reviews, Prices and Advice on ForbesAutos.com
  16. ^ a b Re-Evaluate Strategic Options for Volvo Car Corporation
  17. ^ a b Clark, Andrew (2009-10-28). "Ford set to offload Volvo to Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely | Business | guardian.co.uk". London: Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/28/volvo-ford-geely-china-car. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  18. ^ "Geely/Volvo deal 'done by Feb'". Autocar.co.uk. 2009-12-17. http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/246037/. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
  19. ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704682604575368753026353136.html
  20. ^ "FORD REACHES AGREEMENT TO SELL VOLVO CARS AND RELATED ASSETS TO GEELY". www.ford.com/about-ford/news-announcements. http://www.ford.com/about-ford/news-announcements/press-releases/press-releases-detail/pr-ford-reaches-agreement-to-sell-32294. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  21. ^ a b "Volvo Historical Collection Marks 10th Anniversary". DesignTAXI.com, 29 May 2005. http://www.designtaxi.com/news.jsp?id=476&monthview=1&month=3&year=2005.
  22. ^ a b The Independent: Volvo in 'killer brakes' inquiry
  23. ^ a b c d e f Volvo Safety Firsts
  24. ^ The 50-year-old Innovation
  25. ^ Volvo Cars Safety
  26. ^ Hyundai Motor America – abouthyundai, news, 2005 10 18
  27. ^ Haldex Traction Systems – About Us
  28. ^ English (Reports) – Folksam
  29. ^ Safety Recalls Safety Recalls
  30. ^ "2006 Safety Picks". SecurityWorld.com. http://www.securityworld.com/ia-24-2006-safety-picks.aspx. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  31. ^ KSBI-TV: Top 10 Safest Cars
  32. ^ KSBI-TV – Home – Insurance Institute: Top 10 Safest Cars
  33. ^ "IIHS-HLDI: Volvo S40". Iihs.org. http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=411. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  34. ^ "IIHS-HLDI: Volvo S60". Iihs.org. http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=412. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  35. ^ "Volvo C30". euroncap.com/tests/volvo_c30. http://www.euroncap.com/tests/volvo_c30_2007/280.aspx. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  36. ^ IIHS-HLDI: Volvo 850/S70
  37. ^ IIHS-HLDI: Volvo XC90
  38. ^ IIHS-HLDI: Volvo S80
  39. ^ http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=411. Although it would be noted the smaller S40 only achieved an 'acceptable' rating for side impact protection http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=411
  40. ^ DN: Volvo vållade barns död
  41. ^ Yahoo News: Volvo fined 200,000 euros over fatal French car crash
  42. ^ The Local: Volvo fined over children's death
  43. ^ Retrospective: Volvo History (Channel 4)
  44. ^ Ford wants US$6 billion for Volvo
  45. ^ REPORT: Geely denies plans to buy Volvo
  46. ^ REPORT: Geely agrees to buy Volvo? Ford silent
  47. ^ Geely's Volvo bid not 'worth it'
  48. ^ Geely Confirms Interest In Volvo
  49. ^ Geely's Volvo bid may be aided by Goldman stake
  50. ^ Goldman investment boosts China Geely's global hopes
  51. ^ Volvo Cars Press Release (2006-11-08). "Volvo Expands Range of FlexiFuel Cars". World Car Fans. http://www.worldcarfans.com/2061108.005/volvo-expands-range-of-flexifuel-cars. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
  52. ^ "About Volvo Corporation 2007 and 2008". Volvo Cars. 2008. http://www.volvocars.com/intl/corporation/FactsandFigures/Pages/default.aspx. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
  53. ^ "Volvo ReCharge Concept Debuts at Frankfurt Motor Show". media.ford.com. http://media.ford.com/newsroom/feature_display.cfm?release=25980. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  54. ^ "Volvo promises diesel-electric plug-in hybrid by 2012". Motor Authority. 2009-06-01. http://www.motorauthority.com/volvo-promises-diesel-electric-plug-in-hybrid-by-2012.html. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
  55. ^ a b Scott Doggett (2009-06-01). "Volvo Unveils Plug-in Diesel-Electric Hybrid Car, Says It Will Be Available in 2012". Edmunds.com. http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2009/06/volvo-unveils-plug-in-diesel-electric-hybrid-car-says-it-will-be-available-in-2012.html. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
  56. ^ a b c John Voelcker (2009-06-02). "Volvo to Introduce Plug-In Diesel by 2012". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,524378,00.html. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
  57. ^ a b "Volvo Cars and Vattenfall to Develop New Plug-in Diesel-Electric Hybrids; Three V70 PHEV Demonstrators on the Road This Summer". Green Car Congress. 2009-06-01. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/06/volvo-phev-20090601.html. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
  58. ^ "Volvo to Expand Green Racer". PopSci.com.au. 2009-01-30. http://www.popsci.com.au/cars/article/2009-01/volvo-expand-green-racer. Retrieved 2009-01-30.

External links

— Volvo Cars, a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company since 1999, road car timeline, 1960s–present
Type 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
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 0
Small family car 544 66
340/360 C30
Volvo 440/460/480
S40 S40 S40
Compact executive car Amazon / 120 / 130 S60 S60
140 240 850 S70
Luxury car 740 940 S80 S80
164 760 960 S90
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
Estate car V40 V50
145 240 850 V70 V70 V70
Duett 740 940 V90
Crossover XC60
XC70 XC70 XC70
XC90
Ford Motor Company
People

Henry Ford (Founder) • William Clay Ford, Jr. (Chairman) • Alan R. Mulally (President & Chief executive officer) • Ford Family
Current Brands

Ford • Lincoln • Mercury • Troller • Ford Motor Credit Company • Motorcraft
Defunct Brands

Continental • Edsel • Merkur • Meteor
Former Brands

Daimler • Land Rover • Jaguar • Aston Martin • Th!nk • Volvo • New Holland
Automotive Assets

Vehicles • Platforms • Engines • Transmissions • Factories • Proving grounds •

Subsidiaries & Joint Ventures

Ford of Argentina • Ford of Australia • Ford of Brazil • Ford of Britain • Ford of Canada • Ford of Europe • Ford of France • Ford of Germany • Ford India • Ford Motor Company Philippines • Ford of Russia • Ford Performance Vehicles (Australia) • Arabian Motors Group • AutoAlliance International • AutoAlliance Thailand • Automobile Craiova • Chang'an Ford • Jiangling Motors • Mazda • Ford-Otosan • Volvo Cars • Getrag Ford Transmissions • Premier Automotive Group
Website: Ford.com • Ticker:(NYSE: F) • founded: June 16, 1903 • Headquarters: Dearborn, Michigan

Categories: Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange | Companies of Sweden | Ford Motor Company | Volvo Cars | Volvo | Companies established in 1927

 

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Geely: 150K yearly Volvo sales in China by 2015
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Geely: 150K yearly Volvo sales in China by 2015

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ue, 29 Jun 2010 02:40:18 GM

150k vehicles/year by 2015 is not unreasonable, given the population and expected GDP increase for China and overal growth of purchasing power that comes with it. Also . Volvo. has sold many . cars. worldwide solely on their reputation for ...

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How much mileage is too much mileage for a volvo? Do they have more problems (mechanically) like other cars?
Q. I know alot of cars have very bad mechanical problems with higher mileage.
Asked by Sasha - Sun Jan 21 14:50:11 2007 - - 2 Answers - 1 Comments

A. i own a repair shop,and Volvo,s are the same way,they do give problems when they get higher mileage on them also,anything over 150 thousand would be too much to fool with on a Volvo,all though they are good cars ,and well built,,they do give problems like anything else does ,they only way you could find a real good one would to find one that the original owner was selling,,this might help you to get a better car,but even then,its like any other car it will give problems sooner or later,good luck with it i hope this help,s.
Answered by dodge man - Sun Jan 21 15:00:54 2007

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