Volvo was founded in 1915 in the Swiss city of Gothenburg as a subsidiary of SKF, a manufacturer of bearings. It was founded by former college classmates Assar Gabrielson, an SKF employee, and Gustav Larson. Idea to do automotive business came to the young engineers in the restaurant, for beer and crayfish. Some time later, SKF management approved their idea and allocated funds for the development and production of the first cars.
The name Volvo is derived from the Latin verb volvete, which means "I roll." The Volvo emblem is a symbol of iron and the god of war Mars, who fought exclusively with iron weapons. The associations that this emblem is supposed to give rise to are reliability and durability.
In 1927, the first Volvo car appeared - an open-top phaeton with a four-cylinder engine. It was called OV4, and also had an unofficial name - Jacob. It was not just the first Volvo car, but the first car made in Sweden. The Volvo Jacob had a powerful beech and ash chassis and sprung seats, a rarity in cars of the 1930s. Engine power of 28 hp could accelerate the car up to 90 km / h.
In 1928, Volvo released its first sedan - PV4, and two years later - its modification PV651, with a six-cylinder engine with a capacity of 55 hp. With. This model was used as a taxi in Sweden. In the same year, the first Volvo truck, the Type 1, rolled off the assembly line.
At the Stockholm Motor Show in 1944, Volvo introduced the PV444. This light model has become " people's car» in Sweden, which was due to high quality at low cost. Initially, it was planned to assemble 8,000 cars, however, due to high demand, Volvo produced 200,000 cars. At the same exhibition, the first bus of the company was presented - PV60, with a diesel engine.
In 1951, Volvo moves to assembly line production. In the same year saw the release of the first family car Volvo Duete.
In the 1980s, the company began production of a new generation of cars. They were different modern design and more powerful engines, which have been modified to reduce fuel consumption. The main model of the 80s was the 760 sedan, which was equipped with six-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines. Up to 100 km / h, it accelerated in 13 seconds.
Today, Volvo is owned by the Chinese concern Geely, which bought it from Ford in 2010 for $1.8 billion. However, Volvo's headquarters remained in Gothenburg.
TechnologyVolvo
Throughout its history, Volvo has paid special attention to the development of safety technology.
This Swedish manufacturer was the first to equip its cars with three-point seat belts, triplex laminated windshields and lambda probes - sensors that help reduce exhaust toxicity.
In the 1970s, Volvo developed the world's first child protection system - an extra pillow and a special rear-facing child seat.
Much earlier than other companies, Volvo began to use its own innovative safety solutions on its cars, for example, City Safety, which prevents low-speed collisions.
Volvoin motorsport
Since 2007, the team has been taking part in the World Championship in road racing among touring cars. The best achievement is 11th place in the overall standings in 2011.
From time to time, Volvo exhibits its cars at the famous Dakar Rally. In 1983, the team won the small truck class.
In addition, the Volvo concern participates in the European Truck Racing Championship. Renault-branded cars, which are produced at Volvo factories, won in 2010 and 2011.
Interesting Facts
Volvo is the first company in the world to set up its own dedicated accident investigation team. Based on the data from this unit, new security systems for Swedish cars are being developed.
Volvo P1800, assembled in 1966, got into the Guinness Book of Records as the car with the highest mileage. It amounted to 4,200,000 km.
King Carl Gustaf of Sweden travels on the roads in a small hatchback.
Volvoin Russia
The history of Volvo in Russia began in 1973, when the state-owned company Sovtransavto purchased Swedish trucks for international transportation. The representative office of the brand was opened in Russia in 1994. Especially popular in the 90s were the models and V40 KOMBI. In the 2000s, S-series sedans were running models in Russia. Swedish cars have become popular among Russian motorists due to their classic design, high quality and reliability. These factors even influenced the formation of such a concept among motorists as Volvo - the driver. That was the name of the one who was not in a hurry, observing the rules traffic, appreciating the comfort and safety of the motorist.
The machines were well suited for operation in difficult weather conditions of the country. In addition, success ensured their low cost compared to competing brands.
Today on Russian market presented big choice Volvo cars: C70 hardtop coupe, sedans and, V60 and V80 station wagons, as well as all-wheel drive crossovers XC60, XC70 and. Over the past six years, Russians have been buying about 20,000 Swedish cars a year. most popular model is the XC90. Sales of this crossover account for about 30% of all models presented today.
The company has a small truck assembly plant in Zelenograd. In addition, in 2009, a Volvo Trucks plant was opened in the Kaluga region, which produces up to fifteen thousand trucks a year. Manufacturing plants cars in Russian Volvo not planning to open yet.
Do you know where Volvo is made? The country of origin of this car deserves all the praise. It is produced in Sweden. The car is produced by the Swedish concern Aktiebolaget Volvo. The concern is engaged in commercial and engines and various equipment. Previously, it was possible to purchase from the Volvo concern and passenger cars. Unfortunately, the car branch was sold to the Ford concern, called Volvo Personvagnar. In turn, Ford assigned it to Geely.
The headquarters of the concern is located in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. From Latin "volvo" is translated as "I roll" or "I rotate".
history of the company
The company was founded by Assar Gabrielson and Gustaf Larson in 1915. In fact, it was a subsidiary of the popular bearing manufacturer SKF. The first production car Jakob OV 4 left the factory gates on April 14, 1927. She had an engine with a capacity of 28 Horse power and top speed of 90 km/h.
The country of origin of the Volvo car is beautiful! Who becomes the president of the concern in 1956? Of course, Gunnar Ingellau! He is a doctor of mechanical engineering and economic sciences. During his tenure, the company flourished. Export to the USA starts in 1956. In the United States in 1957, 5,000 Volvo cars were sold. The volume of car production is increasing. In 1956, 31,000 copies were made, and in 1971, 205,000 units were produced.
The country of origin of Volvo has a temperate climate, mainly due to the Gulf Stream. It is very pleasant to work here. It should be added that Nils Ivar Bolin also worked tirelessly at Volvo. He is the inventor of the three-point seat belt. This element was equipped for the first time in the world Volvo brands PV 444 and P120 Amazon.
Model P1800 is made in the form of a two-seater sports coupe. It was released in 1960. And the production of the Volvo-144 began in 1966. It was this model that was equipped with a dual-circuit brake working system. And it was here that the deformable zones of the body were installed. This is an amazing Volvo! What country-manufacturer is able to invent such a candy? Of course, only Sweden.
In 1976, the creators of Volvo developed oxygen sensors Lambda Sond. In the same year, exhaust gas was generated.
The passenger department of Volvo Personvagnar in 1999 was sold Ford. The concern was able to sell the division for $6.45 billion. Volvo Personvagnar AB is known in the US as Volvo Cars. And since 1999, this branch has been transformed into a division of the Ford concern. But in December 2009, Ford announces the sale of Volvo Personvagnar AB to Zhejiang Geely Automobile in China. The branch is now worth $1.8 billion. On March 29, 2010, the Chinese enterprise officially signs the documents. These are papers for the acquisition of the Volvo Cars brand from Ford Motor. The transaction was completed on August 2, 2010.
Management and owners
Why does everyone choose Volvo? The country of origin knows the answer to this question. To do this, you need to find out who is the largest shareholder of the AB Volvo concern? Of course, the Chinese concern Geely. Until 2010, Renault S.A. owned about 20% of the company's shares. She was then the largest owner. In 2012, these shares were acquired by the Chinese concern Geely.
Louis Schweitzer is Chairman of the Board of Directors of this excellent organization. And Leif Johansson holds the positions of executive head and president at the same time.
Organization's activities
At the moment, the Volvo concern supplies trucks to the Swedes. In addition to trucks, the company supplies construction equipment, buses, marine propulsion systems, financial services and space components.
In general, the Volvo brand is owned by the Geely holding. The Volvo Group also manages the following brands:
- Renault Trucks.
- Nissan Diesel.
- Mac.
- Prevost.
- Nova Bus.
The holding consists of nine production companies and eleven business divisions.
Volvo in Russia
The official sale of Volvo cars in the USSR started in 1989. It should be noted that the much-needed Sovtransavto have been purchased since 1973.
Trademark "Volvo" ... The country of origin is located in Northern Europe, in the center of civilization. Currently, the Volvo concern in Russia is represented by CJSC Volvo Vostok and OOO VFS Vostok.
The Volvo company built in Kaluga new plant. The launch of this production took place on January 19, 2009. The production capacity of this plant is very high. It is 15,000 trucks in year. The installation of Volvo FM and FM models is planned here. This is the first full-scale production of commercial trucks of a foreign brand in the Russian state. A little later, Volvo Truck Center-Kaluga was built on the Volvo factory territory. This center opened in the summer of 2009. Volvo Holding has adopted a comprehensive transport solution. Now production, sales and service are all done in one place.
Corporation
Consider one of the industrial companies owned by the Volvo concern. The country of origin, Sweden, is proud of its brainchild, its carmaker. Volvo Trucks Corporation is one of the world's top heavy truck manufacturers. This company was founded by Gustaf Larson and Assar Gabrielson in 1916. It is a subsidiary of the popular bearing manufacturer SKF.
The first mass-produced car left the gates of the plant in 1927. The company gained complete independence from SKF in 1935.
In early 1928, the first truck appeared. It was called "LV series 1" and was an incredible success. It was equipped with a two-liter four-cylinder engine. Engine power was 28 horsepower.
Can anyone forget the Volvo? The country of origin will, on occasion, remind you of this concern. Indeed, in terms of volume in the world market, it is in second place. In 2006 Volvo Trucks sold 105,519 trucks.
Freight Volvo car considered comfortable and safe. The global international corporation Volvo Trucks Corporation includes industrial and design centers located in the USA, Brazil, Sweden and Belgium. It includes an incredible number of assembly firms around the world. Some enterprises represent the corporation as a co-founder along with local production groups. Of course, there are organizations directly owned by the Volvo Group.
Renault Trucks in Russia
The first Renault trucks appeared in Russia in 1912. In the Russian Empire, a run was organized by the Ministry of War, and Renault took part in it.
In 2012, Renault Trucks celebrated its 100th anniversary on the Russian market. The firm owns its own production shop at the Volvo plant in Kaluga. In 2009, the production of the Premium Route tractor began. Today, heavy trucks of the Premium and Kerax models are assembled at the plant. At the end of 2014, it is planned to start production of the latest model range of Renault Trucks trucks.
And in June 2013, an unforgettable ceremony was held in the Kaluga region. The foundation stone of the future plant was laid. It is planned to manufacture cabs for Volvo and Renault trucks at this enterprise.
The first production Volvo rolled off the Gothenburg factory in 1927. Since then, Volvo Car Group has been a world leader in innovative and safe cars. Today Volvo is one of the most famous and respected automotive brands, the company's sales market includes about 100 countries.
Volvo Cars was part of the Swedish Volvo Group until 1999, when it was acquired by the American concern Ford Motor Company. In 2010, Volvo Cars was bought out Chinese concern Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely Holding). The new owner contributed to a radical renewal of the Volvo model range, a significant increase in the company's production capacity and strengthening the position of the Swedish automaker in the global market.
The Volvo brand is owned by Volvo Trademark Holding AB, jointly owned by Volvo Cars and the Volvo Group.
The corporate and brand development strategy - Designed Around You - is focused on the needs of people and underlies the production and business activities of the company, as well as the basis of its corporate culture.
About 2,300 dealers (most of them independent companies) sell Volvo cars in about 100 countries. As of December 2018, Volvo Cars employed around 43,000 people worldwide.
Volvo Cars makes premium cars different types: sedans (S60, S90), station wagons (V40, V60, V90), cars off-road(V60 Cross Country, V90 Cross Country) and crossovers (XC40, XC60, XC90).
In 2018, Volvo Cars sold 642,253 vehicles. This year was the company's fifth consecutive year of record sales. The largest sales market is China, accounting for 20% of total sales in 2018. It is followed by the US (15%), Sweden (10%), the UK (8%) and Germany (7%).
For the 2018 financial year, Volvo Car Group posted an operating profit of SEK 14,185 million (2017: 14,061 million). Revenue for the reporting period was SEK 252,653 million (208,646 million).
Volvo Cars is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, where resources are concentrated for product development, marketing planning and administration of the company's current processes. Since 2011, Volvo Cars has had offices in Shanghai and Chengdu, China. The headquarters of the Chinese division of the company in Shanghai is engaged in sales, marketing, purchasing, development and other support functions. There is a technology center on its territory.
In addition to the main factories in Gothenburg (Sweden) and Ghent (Belgium), engines for Volvo Cars have been produced since the 1930s by a factory in Skövde (Sweden). The production of components for the body since 1969 has been established at the plant in Olofström (Sweden). In addition, the company's assembly plants operate in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Bangalore (India), and in Shanghai, Stockholm and Lund (Sweden) and Silicon Valley (USA) have research and development centers. Finally, Volvo Cars has design centers in Gothenburg, Camarillo (USA) and Shanghai.
In 2013 it was launched mass production at the plant in Chengdu - Volvo cars for the Chinese and American markets are produced here. In 2014, a second plant in China, in Daqing, began operation, and car engines are also produced at a plant in Zhangjiakou (China). Also, the production of Volvo cars is carried out at a plant in the city of Luqiao (China). In June 2018, the opening of a new Volvo Cars plant in South Carolina (USA) took place.
Europe can boast of quality cars. One of them are cars of the company of Swedish origin Volvo. The giant of the automotive industry is engaged in the production of trucks and cars Vehicle, as well as accessories.
Production
Many people confuse which country produces Volvo. This is due to the company's extensive product line.
The Scandinavian Peninsula is home to one of the most recognized manufacturers of reliable vehicles. Volvo's first manufacturing country is Sweden. Since 1927, it is here, in the city of Gothenburg, that best cars, details and nodes.
The company specializes in the manufacture of:
- trucks;
- passenger cars;
- agricultural and forestry machinery;
- engines for various purposes.
The concern successfully carried out its activities in the automotive industry. Until 1999, the company was engaged in the production of passenger models, but then Volvo Personvagnar became the property of Ford, another giant in the production of cars, and later to the Geely concern (China). Today there are several activities of the concern.
Despite the fact that the owner of the Volvo Cars range is located in China, the main production facilities for cars and trucks are still located in the European Union.
European factories of the concern
- XC90;
- V60;
At the facilities of Gothenburg, cars are made for the markets of Europe and the USA. The share in the total output of all vehicles is about 11%.
Nearby, in the city of Shevde, are produced power plants Volvo. The engines are distributed all over the world, to the countries where the parent company's facilities are located. The conveyors of the city of Olofström produce body parts of the Scandinavian brand.
In addition, high-quality products are made in other European countries. So, in Belgium, at the Volvo Cars Ghent plant, located in the city of Ghent, the following models are assembled:
- XC60.
It is the units assembled in Ghent that have the reputation of the highest quality assembly. All thanks to the fact that the enterprise is fully equipped with a closed type of production. The plant produces about 33% of the machines of the total output.
In Thorsland and Uddevalle in Switzerland, models roll off the assembly lines, which account for the lion's share of the total production - 20%:
- XC70;
- S80;
- XC90;
- V601;
- C70.
In addition to the plants presented above, the concern owns the production of buses in the UK, produces vehicles for various purposes in the USA and China. Assembly factories operate in India and Malaysia.
In Copenhagen, the Volvo concern has a research center where they develop and test innovations in the technical units of transport. A team of specialists is working on the creation of new models and the introduction of innovations, every day making comfortable, bladeless and environmental remedies The movement of the Swedish brand is even better.
Factories in Asia
Since 2013, the company has been producing vehicles at the factories of the cities of Chengdu and Chongqing in China. Machines are made here domestic market countries. The opening of a production base in the country made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of car models due to the absence of customs duties. More than half of all production falls on the Chinese market. They make the following car models:
- S90.
Since 2015, the concern has been exporting cars to the United States manufactured in Chinese factories.
Volvo in the USA
The largest consumer market for Volvo vehicles is in North America. The inhabitants of the continent have long been accustomed to the reliability of cars and their high technical specifications. The largest plant for the production of passenger vehicles of the brand is a plant located in Ghent. It accounts for about half of the company's total turnover.
However, today the concern has its own plant in South Carolina, it manufactures models of the 60th, but it is planned to release the 90th class. This made it possible to fill the American market with reliable and recognized cars. Previously, Volvo had only a research center in the United States.
Russian plant Volvo
Russia has become another market where the company has introduced its facilities. Today in Kaluga, the production of trucks of the following series has been launched:
Suppliers of component parts to the plant are Sweden, Belgium and Germany, France and India. The Volvo Trucks concern, whose policy is aimed at selling products in the countries where they are produced, provides the Russian market with reliable freight transport.
The Russian manufacturer plans to produce up to 7,000 trucks per year. Despite the effects of the crisis, Kaluga has maintained a well-established truck manufacturing business and continues to provide employment to thousands of workers.
The company makes big bets on heavy engineering and special transport. The Kaluga plant is the most modern and modernized of all Volvo Trucks units.
Apparently, it was destined by fate that the union of a brilliant financier, a talented businessman with a mechanical engineering genius was doomed to success. The determination and discipline that go into Volvo's production have resulted in the perfect quality for a Swedish car.
Today the lineup this brand has a huge number of cars and trucks, and all the main production units of Volvo Cars are still located in Europe (Ghent, Thorsland, Uddevalle).
Volvo in Sweden
In 1964, Volvo Cars in Torsland opened a brand new car factory, investing in it the largest investment in the industrial history of Sweden. For fifty years, thousands of people have been busy bringing to life the bold projects of the best designers. From the very first Volvo Amazon model, management has taken the right direction for the brand. Half a century later, the Torslanda plant has undergone a major overhaul and modernization and is scheduled to open in a new form on April 24, 2014. The first model released after the facelift will be the XC90.
Volvo in Belgium
The largest production of the concern is today in Belgium. Here in the north-east of the country in the city of Ghent is the largest Volvo plant in Europe. Since its opening in 1965, more than five million cars have rolled off its assembly line, and about 5 thousand people are employed in production. After the production of compact Volvo models from the Dutch plant Ned Car was transferred to Ghent, the volume of car production here increased to 270 thousand units. in year.
Volvo in China
Now the headquarters of the concern is still located in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. But in 2010, 100% of the shares were sold to the Chinese company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.
In order to expand production in this region, Volvo Cars opened its first plant in the Middle Kingdom, near the city of Chengdu, at the end of 2013. The production facilities are located in the Chengdu Technological and Economic Development Zone, covering an area of more than 500,000 square meters. The Swedes are categorically determined to win the lion's share of the local automotive market and call China "the second home". In the near future, the number of cars assembled at this plant should reach 125 thousand units. in year.