Still keeping things safe at 90
Founded in April 1927, Volvo Cars is celebrating its 90th birthday this month with the start of production of the allnew XC60 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The new XC60 will leave the factory 90 years to the month after the first Volvo, the ÖV4, saw the light of day on April 14 1927.
This first Volvo sold a total of 275 vehicles in its lifetime, which was modest even in those days. The all-new XC60 replaces one of the best-selling models in the company’s 90year history.
The original XC60 was a success, with sales figures that have increased every year since it was introduced in 2008. Seven years after it was revealed, it became the best-selling premium mid-sized SUV in Europe. The XC60 today represents about 30% of Volvo’s total global sales since the company was founded (966,000 units in total) and, in April 2017, the number of original XC60s produced will surpass the 1-million mark.
FOCUS SHIFT
“Volvo is proud of its history. The past 90 years have been exciting, but the 10 years left until our 100th anniversary may come to be more exciting as industry focus shifts to autonomous driving, electrification and connectivity,” says Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo Cars CEO.
The company’s founder, Assar Gabrielsson, saw an opportunity for car manufacturing in Sweden after having seen the growing car industries in the US and Europe from his position within sales at the Swedish ball bearing maker SKF, a supplier to the automotive sector.
Pointing towards Sweden’s readily accessible steel, cheap labour and skilled engineers, he managed to convince SKF to invest in a spin-off car business called AB Volvo.
The first mass-produced Swedish car was quite a conventional vehicle with elements of American car design, a wooden frame made of beech and ash wood, a 1.9l side valve engine and artillery wheels with wooden spokes. Only one colour combination was available: dark blue with black fenders.
SAFE CARS
Despite how the brand’s cars have evolved over the past 90 years, one thing has remained the same: the company’s commitment to making the world’s safest cars.
The company says its new XC60 is one of the safest cars yet made and offers the latest in safety technology, including the new Oncoming Lane Mitigation system, which uses the Steer Assist function to help mitigate head-on collisions.
Volvo’s semi-autonomous driver assistance system, Pilot Assist, which takes care of steering, acceleration and braking on well-marked roads up to 130km/h, will be available as an option when the car is launched in SA in 2018 and Volvo will be another year closer to its 100year anniversary.