Volvo Cars

Volvo Cars (Swedish: Volvo personvagnar ), stylized as VOLVO in the logo, is a Swedish vehicle manufacturer established in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven and headquartered on Hisingen, in Gothenburg. As of 2016, 61.4% of its 31,416 worldwide employees were still in Sweden. [Two]

Volvo Car Corporation

Volvo Cars of Canada

Volvo Cars of North America LLC

Albeit often conflated with the Swedish-owned powerful truck and construction equipment conglomerate AB Volvo, also based in Gothenburg, the two firms have been independent since AB Volvo sold Volvo Cars to Ford Motor Company in 1999. Volvo Cars has been possessed since two thousand ten by the Geely Holding Group, a Chinese multinational automotive manufacturing company. Both AB Volvo and Volvo Cars share the Volvo logo and cooperate in running the Volvo Museum.

Volvo Cars was founded as a subsidiary of the ball bearing manufacturer SKF. When AB Volvo was introduced on the Stockholm stock exchange in 1935, SKF sold most of the shares in the company.

Volvo Cars manufactures and markets sport utility vehicles, station wagons, sedans and compact executive sedans. With approximately Two,300 local dealers from around one hundred national sales companies worldwide, Volvo Cars’ largest markets are China, the United States, Sweden, and the other countries in the European Union. [Two]

In 2015, Volvo sold more than half a million cars for the very first time in its 89-year history. Volvo reported strong sales from all three core global regions. Sales in Europe rose 10% in two thousand fifteen to 269k, signifying over 50% of total global volume. Volvo’s revival in the US gained momentum, with sales up 24% in 2015, while China was vapid amid a challenging sales environment, but sales were up 11% in the fourth quarter. [Three]

In July 2017, Volvo announced that fresh models launched from two thousand nineteen will be fully electrical or hybrid-electric, heralding the end of production of almost a century of Volvo vehicles powered solely by the internal combustion engine. [Four]

Contents

1927–1999 Edit

Volvo company was founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden, The company was created as a subsidiary company 100% possessed 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

The trademark Volvo (which is Latin for I roll) was very first registered by SKF the eleven May one thousand nine hundred fifteen 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 (however in the application for the trademark, it was also designated for the purpose of automobiles). The 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 never released to the market, and it was not until one thousand nine hundred twenty seven that the trademark was used again, now as a trademark and company name for an automobile.

The very first Volvo car left the assembly line on fourteen April 1927, and was called Volvo ÖV Four. After this the youthful 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.

Introduced in one thousand nine hundred forty four the Volvo PV444 passenger car only entered production in 1947. It was the smallest Volvo yet and was to take the lion’s share of Volvo production, as well as spearheading their stir into the profitable American market. The very first Volvos arrived in the United States in 1955, after hardware wholesaler Leo Hirsh began distributing cars in California. Later, Texas was added, and in 1956, Volvo themselves began importing cars to the US. North America has consistently provided Volvo with their main outlet since. [7]

In 1963, Volvo opened the Volvo Halifax Assembly plant, the very first assembly plant in the company’s history outside of Sweden, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. [8] In 1964, Volvo opened its Torslanda plant in Sweden, which presently is one of its largest production sites (chiefly large cars and SUVs). [9] Then in 1965, the Ghent, Belgium plant was opened, which is the company’s 2nd largest production site. [Ten] This was also Volvo’s very first location producing cars within the European Economic Community. [8] In 1989, the Uddevalla plant in Sweden was opened, which was jointly operated by Volvo Car Corporation and Pininfarina Sverige AB from two thousand five to 2013. [11]

Volvo’s long-time CEO Pehr G. Gyllenhammar witnessed early on that Volvo was too puny to get through in the future, and attempted several times to merge with other manufacturers. Volvo almost merged with Saab in the late seventies, while in one thousand nine hundred seventy eight an aborted affair would have seen the Norwegian state take over forty percent of the company. In come back, Volvo would receive two hundred million SEK and a ten percent concession in the Oseberg oil field. Major institutional actors in Sweden opposed the deal and blocked it. [12] A deal to merge with Renault was blocked in 1993, mainly opposed by a Swedish stockholders’ association. [13]

A collection of Volvo’s most significant historical vehicles are now housed in the Volvo Museum, which opened in a permanent location in Arendal at Hisingen on thirty May 1995. [14] For several years, the collection had been housed at the Blue Hangar, at the then closed Torslanda Airport. [14]

In the early 1970s, Volvo acquired the passenger car division of the Dutch company DAF, and marketed their petite 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. One thousand nine hundred eighty six marked a record year for Volvo in the US, with 113,267 cars sold. The appearance of Japanese brands like Acura and Lexus in subsequent years meant the loss of a significant market share for Volvo, one which they have never regained. [7]

In 1999, Volvo Group determined to sell its automobile manufacturing business in order to concentrate on commercial vehicles, and to buy a 5% stake in Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors (with which Volvo Group along with the Dutch government participated in a joint venture at the former DAF plant in Born, Netherlands since 1991). Ford witnessed 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 twenty eight January 1999, [15] and in the following year the acquisition was ended at a price of US$6.45 billion. As a result of the divestiture, the Volvo trademark is now utilized by two separate companies:

• Volvo Group – a manufacturer of trucks, buses and construction equipment (among others) wielded by Swedish interests
• Volvo Car Corporation or Volvo Cars – a manufacturer of automobiles wielded by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and formerly wielded by Ford Motor Company

Volvo Group ended its 5% deal with Mitsubishi in November 1999, but sold its stake back to Mitsubishi Strong Industries in March 2001. [16] [17]

Ford era Edit

Volvo Car Corporation was part of Ford Motor Company’s Premier Automotive Group (PAG), along with Jaguar, Aston Martin and Land Rover. While part of the PAG, the company grew in its range of vehicles significantly.

After Ford sold Jaguar Land Rover to Tata Motors of India in 2008, the company originally determined to keep Volvo Cars despite mounting losses and gross economic downturns. Ford determined 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 2nd generation Volvo S80 and the fresh puny premium crossover Volvo XC60.

When the global economic crisis of two thousand eight threatened the US automakers, Swedish authorities became worried about the fate of Volvo if Ford would file for bankruptcy. These concerns mounted after repeated mass-layoffs at Volvo. Ford announced in December two thousand eight that it was considering selling Volvo Cars. Originally, a sale price of US$6 billion was reported, [Legitimate] Ford reported it was also looking into the possibility of spinning off Volvo as an independent company. The Swedish government was asked to look into a possible state ownership of Volvo, or a financial bailout for Volvo Cars and SAAB of GM. Former parent AB Volvo agreed to help Volvo cut costs through partnerships, and suggested taking part in a collective ownership of Volvo Cars amongst a larger consortium. Other rumored candidates to purchase Volvo Cars included BMW AG of Germany, Investor AB of Sweden, Chinese investors, or Russian investors.

Albeit it was rumoured that Volkswagen would buy Volvo Cars, and despite initial denials, Chinese company Geely Holding Group was ultimately selected to take over the Swedish automaker. [Nineteen] Geely Group Holdings Co. allegedly bid about US$1.Five billion to take over Volvo, with Goldman Sachs investing HK$Two.59 billion (334 million USD) in the holding company. [20] [21] [22]

Geely era Edit

Ford Motor Company suggested Volvo Cars for sale in December 2008, after suffering losses that year. [23] On twenty eight October 2009, Ford confirmed that, after considering several offers, the preferred buyer of Volvo Cars was Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the parent of Chinese motor manufacturer Geely Automobile. [24] [25] On twenty three December 2009, Ford confirmed the terms of the sale to Geely had been lodged. A definitive agreement was signed on twenty eight March 2010, for $1.8 billion. The European Commission and China’s Ministry of Commerce approved the deal on six and twenty nine July 2010, respectively. The deal closed on two August two thousand ten with Geely paying $1.Trio billion cash and a $200 million note. Further payments are expected with a later price “true-up”. [26] [27] It is the largest overseas acquisition by a Chinese automaker. [28]

Stefan Jacoby, formerly chief executive of Volkswagen of America, became Volvo Car Corporation’s president and chief executive on sixteen August 2010, substituting Stephen Odell, who became chief executive of Ford Europe. Li Shufu became Volvo Cars’ chairman of the board. His board members include vice-chairman Hans-Olov Olsson, a former president and chief executive of Volvo Cars, and Håkan Samuelsson, formerly chief executive of MAN. [29]

Under Geely ownership, Volvo has refocused its product lineup. The manufacturer has developed a fresh line of 3- and 4-cylinder diesel and petrol engines while eliminating larger engines. It has also developed a fresh vehicle platform, the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), and re-introduced an expanded -90 series of models, including the S90 sedan and V90 wagon in addition to a redesigned XC90 SUV. [30]

In July 2017, the automaker announced that beginning in 2019, all of its fresh models will include an electrified motor in their powertrain. Implementation of the announcement could mean Volvo becoming the very first manufacturer to end production of internal combustion-only vehicles, with all vehicles hybrid or electrical powered. Inbetween two thousand nineteen and 2021, Volvo plans to launch three electrified cars under the Volvo brand and two more under the Polestar spectacle brand. [31]

Volvo cars have long been marketed and stressed their historic reputation for solidity and reliability. [ citation needed ] Prior to strong government safety regulation Volvo had been at the forefront of safety engineering. [32]

In 1944, laminated glass was introduced in the PV model. [33] After Vattenfall engineers introduced their pioneering work to Volvo in the 1950s, [34] Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin invented and patented the modern three-point safety belt, which became standard on all Volvo cars in 1959, [35] and then made this design patent open in the interest of safety and made it available to other car manufacturers for free. [36] [37] Additionally, Volvo developed the very first rear-facing child seat in one thousand nine hundred sixty four [33] and introduced its own booster seat in 1978. [33]

In 1991, the nine hundred sixty introduced the very first three-point seat belt for the middle of the rear seat and a child safety cushion integrated in the middle armrest. [33] Also in 1991, it introduced the Side Influence Protection System (SIPS) on the 700, 940/960 and eight hundred fifty models, which channels the force of a side influence away from the doors and into the safety cell. [38]

In 1994, [39] to add to its SIPS, Volvo was the very first to introduce side airbags and installed them as standard equipment in all models from 1995. At the embark of the one thousand nine hundred ninety five model year, side influence protection airbags were standard on high trim-level Volvo 850s, and optional on other 850s. By the middle of the production year, they were standard on all 850s. In model year 1995, SIPS airbags became standard on all Volvo models. [39]

In 1995, the Volvo seven hundred forty five was recalled as the front seatbelt mounts could break in a collision. [40] [41]

In 1998, Volvo installed a head-protecting airbag, [42] which was made standard in all fresh models as well as some existing models. [39] The IC head-protecting airbag was not available on the one thousand nine hundred ninety seven C70 since the initial design deployed the airbag from the roof, and the C70, being a convertible, could not accommodate such an airbag. A later version of the C70 featured a head-protecting airbag deploying upwards from the door, avoiding this problem. It has been stated by many testing authorities that side head protecting curtain airbags can reduce the risk of death in a side influence by up to 40% and brain injury by up to 55%, as well as protect occupants during a rollover. [43] In 1998, Volvo introduced its Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), a safety device to prevent injury to front seat users during collisions. [33]

In 2004, Volvo introduced the Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), which detects vehicles injecting the vehicle’s blind spot with a side-view-mirror-mounted camera, and alerts the driver with a light. That year also spotted Volvos sold in all markets tooled with side-marker lights and daytime running lights. Also, since two thousand four all Volvo models except for the coupes (C70 and C30) are available with an all-wheel drive system developed by Haldex Traction of Sweden. [44]

In 2005, Volvo introduced the 2nd generation of Volvo C70, which came with extra stiff door-mounted inflatable side curtains (the very first of its kind in a convertible) dubbed ‘DMIC’. [45] [46] [47]

Even however Volvo Car Corporation was wielded by Ford Motor Company, Volvo’s safety systems were still standard on all Volvo vehicles. Volvo has patented all its safety innovations, including SIPS, WHIPS, ROPS, DSTC, and assets structures. Some of these systems were fitted to other Ford vehicles in forms similar to those of Volvo systems, but only because Volvo licensed the FOMOCO and other PAG members to utilize these features. [ citation needed ]

A two thousand five Folksam report, [48] put the 740/940 (from one thousand nine hundred eighty two on) in the 15% better than average category, the 2nd from the top category. [ citation needed ]

In 2005, when the American non-profit, non-governmental Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released its very first annual “Top Safety Picks” vehicles list, none of Volvo’s suggested vehicles in the US were included on the list. [49] According to Russ Rader, a spokesman for IIHS, Volvo lagged behind its competitors. [50] Dan Johnston, a Volvo spokesman, denied that the company’s vehicles were 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. [50]

In 2006, Volvo’s Individual Car Communicator (PCC) remote control was launched as an optional feature with the all-new Volvo S80. Before a driver comes in their car, they can review the security level and know whether they had set the alarm and if the car is locked. [51] [52] Additionally, a heartbeat sensor warns if someone is hiding inwards the car. [51] The S80 was also the very first Volvo model to feature adaptive cruise control (ACC) with Collision Warning and Brake Support (CWBS). [53]

In 2008, a French court found Volvo partially responsible for causing the death of two children and serious injuries of another in Wasselonne on seventeen June 1999, when the brakes of a one thousand nine hundred ninety six Volvo eight hundred fifty failed. The court subjected Volvo to a €200,000 fine. [32] [54] [55] [56]

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Volvo’s S80 became one of the two thousand nine Top Safety Picks Award winners. The previous versions of the S40 and S60 models (2005–09 models with standard side airbags) failed to attain the highest rating in their side influence test. [57] [58] However, according to the IIHS, in latest years Volvo cars have still managed to maintain their high class safety ratings as seen in test results. [59] The Volvo XC90, S80, C70, XC60, S60 and C30 are all rated Top Safety Picks in these crash tests. [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] The two thousand fourteen models of the XC60, XC90, S60 and S80 have even received the Top Safety Pick+ rating. [66] [67]

Volvo has also scored high in EuroNCAP tests. Since 2009, all the Volvo models that EuroNCAP have tested have received five-star safety ratings: Volvo C30, V40, V60, V60 plug-in hybrid, XC60 and V70. [68] The 2nd generation Volvo V40 got the best test result of any car model ever tested by EuroNCAP at the time. [Sixty-nine]

Safety milestones Edit

(This list is not necessarily Volvo innovations, but dates when Volvo incorporated the technology into its cars)

• 1944 – safety cell
• 1944 – laminated windscreen
• 1957 – anchor points for two-point safety belts, front
• 1958 – anchor points for two-point safety belts, rear
• 1959 – three-point safety belt, standard in front seats
• 1964 – rearward-facing child safety seat, very first prototype tested
• 1966 – crumple zones front and rear
• 1966 – safety door-locks
• 1969 – inertia-reel safety belts
• 1971 – reminder safety belt
• 1972 – three-point safety belt, outer rear seats
• 1972 – rearward-facing child safety seat
• 1974 – multistage influence absorbing steering column
• 1974 – bulb integrity sensor
• 1975 – braking system with stepped bore master cylinder
• 1978 – child safety booster cushion
• 1982 – “anti-submarining” protection
• 1986 – three-point safety belt in centre rear seat (740/760)
• 1990 – integrated child safety cushion in centre rear seat (940/960)
• 1991 – Side Influence Protection System (850 and 940/960)
• 1991 – automatic height adjusting safety belt
• 1992 – reinforced rear seats, estate models
• 1995 – front side airbags (seat-mounted) for chest (850), integrated child safety cushion, outer rear seats
• 1997 – Roll Over Protection System (C70)
• 1998 – Whiplash Protection System (S80)
• 1998 – roof-mounted inflatable curtain side airbags (S80)
• 2001 – SCC : Volvo Safety Concept Car
• 2002 – Roll Stability Control (XC90)
• 2003 – Volvo Intelligent Vehicle Architecture, fresh front structure (S40, V50)
• 2003 – rear seat belt reminders (S40, V50)
• 2003 – Intelligent Driver Information System, a system that selectively blocks information to the driver in complicated traffic situations and lets the information through once the situation has calmed down (S40, V50)
• 2003 – Volvo’s Traffic Accident Research Team, inaugurated in Bangkok
• 2004 – Blind Spot Information System, informs the driver of vehicles in the blind catches sight of, using a yellow LED in the A-pillars (S40, V50)
• 2005 – door-mounted inflatable curtain airbags (C70)
• 2006 – Individual Car Communicator (S80)
• 2006 – Collision Warning Brake Support, a system that warns the driver and gives brake support when a collision with another vehicle in front of the car is imminent (S80)
• 2006 – Electrical Parking Brake (S80)
• 2007 – Driver Alert Control, a driver drowsiness detection system that alerts the driver when the system detects that they are becoming tired (S80, V70, XC70)
• 2007 – Lane Departure Warning, a system that warns the driver for unintended lane departures (S80, V70, XC70)
• 2007 – Collision Warning with Auto Brake, a system that automatically brakes the car when a collision with another vehicle in front of the car is imminent (S80, V70, XC70)
• 2007 – Distance Alert, a system that helps the driver keeping a safe distance to the vehicle ahead, by continuously measuring the distance and lighting up the vehicle’s head up display if the time gap becomes shorter than what the driver has specified (S80, V70, XC70)
• 2007 – Alcoguard, a hand-held device that the driver blows into before they can embark the car, mainly aimed for the company-car sector, taxi operators, state authorities and municipalities (S80, V70, XC70)
• 2008 – City Safety, a system that automatically brakes the car at speeds below thirty km/h (Nineteen mph) if an obstruction is detected in front of the car (fresh XC60)
• 2010 – Pedestrian Detection with Auto Brake, a system that warns the driver and automatically brakes the car when a collision with a pedestrian in front of the car is imminent (S60)
• 2012 – pedestrian airbag, covering the A-pillars and the lower part of the windscreen in case of collision with a pedestrian (Volvo V40)
• 2012 – knee airbag, for the driver (V40)
• 2012 – Upgraded City Safety, now working up to fifty km/h (31 mph) (S80, V70, XC70, XC60, S60, V60, fresh V40)
• 2012 – Lane Keeping Aid, a system that steers the car back into the lane again if it is about to unintentionally drift out of the lane (V40)
• 2012 – Road Sign Information, a system that reads road signs and displays them in the information display, thereby helping the driver to reminisce speed boundaries, no-overtaking opens up, low-speed areas, etc. (S80, V70, XC70, XC60, S60, V60, V40)
• 2012 – Enhanced Blind Spot Information System, now able to detect approaching vehicles up to seventy meters behind the car (V40)
• 2012 – Cross Traffic Alert, alerting the driver of crossing traffic approaching from the sides (up to thirty meters away) when reversing out of a parking space (V40)
• 2013 – Cyclist Detection with Auto Brake, a system that warns the driver and automatically brakes the car when a collision with a cyclist travelling in the same direction as the car in front of the car is imminent (S80, V70, XC70, XC60, XC90, S60, V60, V40)

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