Chicago Volvo Dealer - Volvo History by International Volvo
Volvo comes from the Latin term meaning "I roll". The concept of Volvo was introduced by Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson in 1924. Gabrielsson had a broad range of knowledge in economics, and was a sales manager for the Swedish bearings company SKF when he and Larson first met. Larson had worked for White and Poppe in England, an automotive company. He joined SKF in 1917, only to leave in 1920 to join AB Galco. This was around the time Larson and Gabrielsson met up with each other once again. Their grand plan was to develop an automobile that could take on the Scandinavian climate in contrast to US imports by using grade A quality Swedish steel and other high quality parts. SKF bought into the project by providing money to produce the first 1000 cars. By April of 1927 their first car, the OV4, also nicknamed Jacob, began rolling off the production lines in Gothenberg, Sweden. Interest in cars was seriously arising in Gothenberg, and globally for that matter at this time.
Between the years 1933 and 1935, the PV655 began to come into production. For the first time a grille had been placed in front of the radiator when this vehicle became available to the public. During the 1940's, a novel, smaller sized car by the name of PV444 began to show up. This particular vehicle was special within itself because it had an American design combined with the luxury of European size. This popular vehicle hung around in modified forms for about 20 years, a very impressive feat as far as production run time went back in those days. In the 1950's, Volvo's first sports car, the Volvo Sport, did not find much success among the masses, especially in Sweden. Production did not even last a year, but Volvo moved on. A more popular model, the Duett 445, also known as the 210, gave people a more positive impression that they had finally had a vehicle that could be used for both work and play. Internalization began to also come into the picture in the 1950's, with Volvo wanting their vehicles to make an international presence, especially in the United States. In 1957, the 120 model (also called Amazon) showcased numerous safety features, including a padded dashboard. Internalization became a success, and Volvo was also the first car manufacturer to implement three point safety belts into its vehicles.
In the 1960's, the P1800 began hitting the streets. This vehicle was very attractive and received several awards in the United States. New features also began showing up in Volvo vehicles in the later part of the 1960's as production increased. Disc brakes showed up on all Amazon makes, and station wagons had power assisted brakes. By the 1970's Volvo was a smashing success and produced its most powerful standard car ever, the Volvo 164 E. Equipped with 175 horsepower and fuel injection features, this vehicle was very popular in the 1970's. By the late 1970's, numerous makes and models began hitting the roads and by the 1980's, the first turbocharged vehicle came into production! Growth continued throughout the 1980's and 1990's, with all sorts of makes and models grabbing global attention.
The new millennium also brought success to Volvo, with more innovative vehicles such as the Volvo SUV XC90. This vehicle was produced in America and was very popular. The PCC2 (Performance Concept Car) is another type of Volvo post millennium vehicle that brings a lot of torque and horsepower to the driver. Volvo has much to look forward to as it continues to develop its innovative concepts and turn these concepts into successful vehicles.
International Volvo Of Orland Park a Chicago area Volvo dealer brings you the Volvo information you seek.
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