(established 1924)
Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson in Gothenburg founded this well-known Swedish manufacturer in 1924, with the first Volvo car—an open-topped four-cylinder model—produced in 1927. Their aim was to build cars fabricated from high-quality Swedish steel that were more suited to the extremes of the Scandinavian climate than their competitors imported from the United States. In 1928 Volvo began exporting and also set up its first subsidiary in Finland. In its early years the company survived largely on the sale of its trucks, buses, and taxis. However, in the 1930s the strong contemporary influence of streamlining made itself felt and style became increasingly important in the advertising, selling, and purchase of cars. This was particularly marked in the PV36 Carioca of 1936, the design of which had involved American collaboration and was in some ways reminiscent of the Chrysler Airflow of 1934. It also had independent front-wheel suspension and an all-steel body. The PV51 of 1936 proved to be popular as well as inexpensive, although the first genuine ‘people's car’ produced by Volvo, the PV60, did not go into production until 1946. Safety, which was to be an extremely significant aspect of Volvo corporate policy as well as consumer appeal in the decades following the end of the Second World War, emerged as a key aspect of Volvo's outlook during the 1930s. In the 1950s Volvo cars began to capture new markets, as with the versatile and utilitarian Duett van and estate car of 1953, which proved highly attractive to businessmen and craftsworkers on account of its load-carrying capacity. The Duett of 1953 van and estate car very popular with business and crafts works for practicality and load-carrying capacity. The P1200 (later 120) Amazon also made a considerable impact, particularly on account of the flowing lines of its modern style, its appeal confirmed with the release of the estate version of 1962. Designed by Jan Wilsgaard, a dominant figure in Volvo design for more than 40 years, it was on sale for fourteen years from 1957, with sales of more than 667,000. The stylish P1800 sports car also injected some verve and joie de vivre into the company's products. Shown at the Brussels Motor Show of 1960 and building on a design idea of Wilsgaard and Helmer Patterson with styling initiated by the Italian body-styling company Ghia but completed by its associate company Frua, it was later driven by Roger Moore in the dashing title role of The Saint television series, based on the novels of Leslie Charteris. It remained in production until 1967. With disc brakes and collapsible steering wheel provided as standard, the Volvo 144 was launched in 1966 and was voted ‘Car of the Year’ and ‘the safest car in the world’. Although rather box-like the car sold well with sales of over half a million. For some years the square, rather functional look dominated and Volvo as a brand was associated with high levels of passenger comfort and safety. For many people this design went hand in glove with the ethos of the Swedish welfare state rather than the highly commercial styling associated with the majority of cars, particularly in the United States. In the 1950s Volvo had hired its first designer, Jan Wilsgaard, later head of styling from 1981 to 1991. He was succeeded by Peter Horsbury, under whose regime there was a much greater tendency towards flowing soft lines and curves, as in the 1996 S/V40 range developed jointly with Mitsubishi. The elegant Volvo S80 of 1998 commanded huge sales across the world and was able to compete with luxury BMW and Mercedes models. In 1971 the PRV company (Peugeot- Renault-Volvo), a Franco-Swedish enterprise, was formed, a partnership that ultimately failed, and in 1999 Volvo was bought by Ford.
