Volvo Cars History 1927+

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1924: Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson decide to start Volvo.

1927 April 14: The Volvo OV4, the first Volvo car, was produced.

1935: PV36 ("Carioca") launched; only 500 were built and sold (--V.).

1944: PV 444 presented at Royal Tennis Hall(!) in Stockholm.

1953: Duett station wagon.
red
PV445 / Duett, 1953+

1955 First sxports to the U.S..

1956: The P120 ("Amazon").

1958: Gunnar Andersson won the European rally championship in a PV 544.
green
a 1960 PV 544

1959: Volvo made a three-point safety belt standard - a first for a series-manufactured car.

Volvo on 1800 models:
P1800 - cars produced from the start in 1961 to February 1963.
P1800S - cars produced from February 1963 until July 1963.
1800S - cars produced from July 1963 until November 1969.
1800E - cars (coupes) produced from November 1969 until June 1972.
1800ES - cars (sportswagons) produced from 1971 until June 1973.

1961: The first Volvos, 120s and 1800s, were imported into Australia.

The Saint, Simon Templar (Roger Moore), drove a Volvo P1800 in the British TV series (1962-1969) based on the hero of a series of books by Leslie Charteris; the Saint drove a (fictional) Hirondelle in the books.

1962, February: The Amazon estate car (station wagon), SEK14,475 + tax, was launched at the Stockholm Motor Show -- V..
blue s/w
P220 / Amazon, 1962+

1966: Launch of the Volvo 144.

white
a 1969 1800S

1974: Volvo 240 presented. It remained on sale until 1993 by which time 2.8 million 240s had been produced.

1976: The Volvo 343 was based on the Dutsch `DAF' with continuously variable transmission (CVT).

1976: First car producer to have a catalytic converter and Lambda sensor.

1982: Volvo 760 launched.

1985: Volvo 480 ES coupe from the Netherlands, the first front wheel drive Volvo.

1985 March: Volvo 780, designed and built by Bertone, at the Geneva Motor Show. 2.8 V6, turbo I4, or turbo diesel I6, SEK 290,000. From MY 1988, with independent rear suspension. 1990, end of production (8,518) -- Volvo.

1990: Volvo 960 and 940.

1991-1997: The Volvo 850 had front-wheel drive and a transverse 5-cylinder engine, with a turbo version for the 1994 MY.

1995: Volvo S40 and V40 (introduced in Australia in 1997).

1996-2005: Volvo C70 Coupe.

1997, November: The S70 sedan and V70 station wagon replaced the 850 range.

1997: Volvo V70 Cross Country introduced.

1998: Volvo S80.

1999: Volvo Cars (not trucks) bought by the Ford Motor Company for us$6.45billion.

2000: V70 revised, new Volvo Cross Country introduced.

2000: Volvo S60.

2002: Volvo XC90 Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) presented in Detroit.

2009: Ford began moves to sell Volvo which was loosing $billions.

2010, March 28: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. (.cn) signed to buy Volvo Cars from Ford for us$1.8billion. The deal was completed by 2 August 2010.

2021, October 29: Volvo listed on the Stockholm stock exchange closing at a value of us$22bn.

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