Welcome to travel in time with Volvo Cars. Here you find stories about the events that made Volvo Cars history.
The first Volvo car equipped with an airbag left the assembly line in 1987 - and since then the company has extended the technology with several world-firsts. Volvo was first with both the seat-mounted side airbag and the Inflatable Curtain (IC) - and in 2012 the technology's 25th anniversary was celebrated with the introduction of the groundbreaking pedestrian airbag in the all-new Volvo V40.
At the world's largest indoor show for classic vehicles - TechnoClassica - Volvo Cars Heritage will focus on the fact that the Amazon Estate celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The show is held March 21 to 25 in the German city of Essen.
"A new Volvo Estate car. An exclusive estate car, designed for European conditions enters the Swedish market. It will be shown for the first time at the Stockholm Motor Show. It is Volvo's much longed for Amazon estate."
Last year, more than 67,000 visitors found their way to the Volvo Museum in Arendal, just outside of Gothenburg, Sweden. That is a 22 percent increase compared to 2010. "One reason behind the new record is that we are drawing a large number of cruise ship passengers. We have also created more attractions", says Head of the museum Sten-Åke Lyngstam.
In February 1982 - 30 years ago - the new Volvo 760 GLE was launched. No typical Volvo, yet unmistakably a Volvo. Seen as elegant and exciting with its characteristic design it was well received. The 760 became the car that actually saved Volvo Car Corporation back then and paved the way to the modern company of today.
Many critics assumed that the Volvo Car Corporation entered the SUV segment too late when the Volvo XC90 was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2002.Instead, the ingenious XC90 revitalized the whole segment by successfully addressing all the problems of earlier SUVs.
No other concept car in the history of Volvo Car Corporation has meant more for the company's technological advancement than the Volvo SCC (Safety Concept Car). Ten years after its 2001 world premiere in Detroit, the safety concept car can look back on a fantastic "career".
After presenting its first front-wheel drive Volvo model – the 480 – in 1985, Volvo Cars continued its comprehensive product and production-technology transition with its next project, launched on June 11, 1991: the Volvo 850 GLT. The car with four world-firsts – one at the front, one at the rear and two in the middle.
Volvo Cars participation at the world's largest indoor show for classic vehicles will focus on a jubilee theme that is met with a lot of enthusiasm by many - the Volvo P1800 celebrates 50 years.
Today all Volvos are either front- or four-wheel driven. In1985 it was a different situation. Since 1927, rear-wheel drive had been used by Volvo Car Corporation but on October 15, 1985, Volvo published a picture of their first series-produced front-wheel drive car - the 480ES. There, a new technical era began and since 1998 all Volvos are either front- or four-wheeldriven. And everything started in 'space'...