Year and place: 1927-1998, Göteborg. (Then Volvo Cars was bought by Ford Motor Company, and the rest of Volvo formed the Volvo Group).
Konditori 100 texts: GL / Larson Volvo 1927-1959 Volvo 1960-1998 Volvo Group 1999- Volvo/Ford 1999-
Part 2 of 2. Back to part 1
With good speed into the 60s
The P1800 was presented at the Brussels International Motor Show in January 1960, and it went into production in May 1961. The 2-seater had the completely new engine, the B18B. This time the Volvo sports car was made in greater numbers. (Maybe partly since it was chosen to be the car used by Simon Templar, 'The Saint' in the TV serie with the same name - starring Roger Moore.)
Both the PV544 and the Amazon made good results in a number of rally competitions. Among others Volvo won the World championship in rally in 1965.
In 1962 the Amazon came with an estate body, which quickly became popular. The Amazon was also the first car especially fitted for the police force. In February 1962 the 100.000th Amazon was produced.
In 1963 Volvo's first foreign assembly plant was opened in Halifax in Canada. The next year other plants in Belgium, and in Portugal. The U.S.A. was the largest export market in 1963, with Volvo as number four on the list of imported cars.
The first mass-produced swedish track-driven transport vehicle came in 1963, Bandvagn 202 (Bv 202). An all-terrain articulated vehicle with power on all four tracks, manufactured by Volvo BM. It can negotiate 1.1m obstacles, 3.6m trenches, 60% gradients, 40% side slopes, has a top speed of 35 km/h and is amphibious without preparation. The front part has room for two persons, and the rear end can carry 800kg (cargo, or about half a dozen men with packs). Yes, primarily for military use.
Volvos new plant in Torslanda, Sweden, was opened in April 1964, giving potential for expansion. In 1964 118.464 Volvo vehicles were produced, among them the millionth Volvo.
Much happened in the late 60s
The 1965 model of Amazon was equipped with disc brakes at the front on all models and brake servo on estates. Volvo also presented a new type of front seat with positive effect considering safety for the passengers.
The last PV544 was finished in October 1965. The model had been produced during 21 years, 440.000 of them. And in February 1969 the last Duett was produced. In 1970 the last Amazon left the plant, the Amazon number 667.323. So, during these years Volvos greatest successes until then went out of production.
But other models became big sellers. In the mid 60s the bus model B58 was introduced, and it is told that it still is in production in Brazil. With the introduction of the articulated bus in 1967, a B58, the passenger capacity in one bus grew. (An articulated bus consists of two parts, connected in a way that gives it handling functions like a shorter vehicle with a wagon but inside it is like one long bus.)
A combined loading and digging vehicle was introduced by AB Bolinder-Munktell in 1965 (and it stayed in production until 1997). In 1966 the first dumper with the steering construction in the middle of the frame, instead of with a pair of wheels, is presented.
Cars for various soldiers
And the swedish army continued as a customer. The cross-country 4-wheel drive Valpen replaced the old Volvo terrain car TPV built from the late 40s based on the PV800 series - and used for a lot of years. Valpen was also sold to private customers, with the name Volvo Laplander. A work-horse more than a comfortable car, the customers often were companys with personell often working in the countryside. Some Valpen was also built as amphibious cars.
The Laplander also became a usual fire engine, with its ability to drive in rough terrain. By the mid 60s Volvos were often used as the base for fire engines.
One interesting thing with fire engines is that two of them seldom are identical (a thing which has changed a bit in later years). Fire engines are often built on regular truck chassises (or other cars), and only built in small quantities by specialised workshops, and different fire brigades have different needs and wishes. From the first motorized fire engines, and at least into the late 60s, a fire engine could be based on any chassis or car, and be equipped in multitudes of ways. (Nowadays they are more 'dull' to look at.)
Even safer Volvos
Naturally the PV544 and the Amazon was followed by a new model. In August 1966 the Volvo 144 was presented.
This was really a new Volvo, not just a new model. It had disc brakes on all wheels, and two brake circuits (if one of them failed, 80% of the braking effect remained). It also had a split steering column, and the body was constructed with energy-absorbing crumple zones at the front and rear. And there were more safety improvements. (Some of these improvements were fit in the elder Volvo models too while in production.)
The Volvo 144 was chosen 'Car of the Year' in Sweden in 1966. From 1969 the cars also were equipped with head restraints on the front seats, safety belts for three passengers in the rear seat and an electrically-heated rear window.
The 144 also got positive reception abroad. In the U.S.A. it even complied with the new safety regulations there before they had been made public.
The number 144 tells that it is the series 140, and a car with a 4-cylinder engine and a 4-door body. In June 1967 came 142 (yes, 2 doors), and later in 1967 came 145 (oh yes, with 5 doors).
The roomy Duett was followed by 145 Express, a 145 with a raised roof.
So, Volvo could celebrate its 40th anniversary with all flags flying.
A growing company
In 1968 Volvo produced some cars that helped the company holding positions, and establishing new ones. The 144 Taxi was a specially equipped 144, and it quickly became a very usual Taxi in Sweden. The 140 Series, larger than the recent models, was also used as the base for special vehicles like ambulances.
Volvo 164 was a prestige car, more luxurious and with a 145 hp 6-cylinder engine. The top speed was 175 km/h.
In 1971 a fastback model of the sports car P1800 was introduced, named P1800 ES.
New sales records was reached with the 140 series, and it was the best-selling car in Sweden. In Great Britain, Volvos sales rose by 70% during 1968. In 1970 Volvo has produced 2 million vehicles.
Also in 1968 an assembly plant was opened in Malaysia. In 1971 an agreement is made with Peugeot and Renault about development, design and production of passenger car engines - and with Saviem (France), DAF (Holland) and KlöcknerHumboldt-Deutz (Germany) to design and develop 6-13-ton trucks.
In 1969 Volvo bought Svenska Stålpressnings AB in Olofström, the company that had pressed the bodies to Volvos cars since the first models ÖV4 and PV4.
In 1972 Volvo acquires a 33% interest in DAF, and 75% of the shares of Ailsa Trucks Ltd. in Great Britain. Among others. Motoauto SpA in Bologna, Italy is purchased in 1973, a new warehouse is opened in Ghent, and seven new truck workshops are opened in Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Poland. DAFs private car production was taken over in 1974, and the company got the name Volvo Car BV. In 1975 a new truck factory opened in Ghent.
Consolidating the scene
The Volvo Experimental Safety Car (VESC), a small number of mobile laboratories for testing safety components, were presented in 1972. Among the components were anti-locking brakes, airbags and telescopic bumpers - of which several were fitted in later Volvos. Also in 1972 Volvo opened the Volvo Technical Centre. Safety and technical solutions were even more improved.
On the truck scene the N7 was introduced in 1973 - the first modern standard-built truck. 12.000 of them were built before production ended in 1986. Also in 1973 AB Bolinder-Munktell became Volvo BM AB.
With the purchase of DAF, Volvo once again were in the small car market. From 1975 the car had the model name Volvo 66.
The 240 series ...
Introduced in 1974, the 240-series and the 260-series became Volvos next long-lived successes. With several improvements in safety, these Volvos were among the safest mass produced cars.
In 1975 the Swedish Automobile Association presented Volvo with a gold medal for safety features, including day-running lights and the master brake cylinder with the stepped bore. The following year the traffic safety administration (NHTSA) in the U.S.A. bought Volvo 240s, and used them to set the safety standards that all new cars on the market were tested with.
With a number of improvements the series were in production in ten years. Among the news were the estate car 245 in 1975, the first 6-cylinder diesel engine for private cars (developed together with Volkswagen) in 1979, and the 50th anniversary model in 1977 with special details.
The luxury model 262 Coupé, presented in 1977, was finished by the italian coachwork company Bertone.
... and other Volvos in the late 70s
The new small car 343 was introduced in 1976, but its quality was not as high as the customers expected in a Volvo. However, from the 1978 model it was a 'real' Volvo. It was a practical car, with a large rear hatch. The rear seats could be folded to increase the space for luggage. In 1979 the 345 came, with 5 doors. In a way, I think it is a rather good-looking car too.
Volvo received the "Truck of the Year 1979" award for the Volvo F7, the first time it was awarded a Volvo truck. The jury consisted of European journalists.
Safer vehicles. Trucks like F12 got among others bumpers in a lower position, so that smaller cars would not get under the truck in case of a collission, better seat belts and a new steering wheel. Safety was improved for air passengers too by Volvo ... a series of rescue vehicles for air ports was produced. With their 6-cylinder 365 hp engines they could get up to 80 kilometres per hour in 40 seconds, which isn't bad for a 6-wheeled truck weighing up to 24 metric tonnes.
A new bus chassis, the B10M, came at the end of the 70s. Through the years it has become one of the most-used bus chassis in the world.
... and other Volvo news in the late 70s
Another world first is introduced in California, U.S.A., in 1976 - the 3-way catalytic converter with the Lambda Sond. This reduced the discharge of harmful exhaust gases by an average of 90%.
The customers were protected in more ways than by safer cars. In 1976 a new type of service warranty came, protecting them from unexpected costs for service and repairs during the first three years of the life of the car.
In the late 70s there were several discussions and actions in and around the company. Reorganisations and more new plants in Sweden and other countries.
Maybe a merger between Volvo and Saab-Scania, the other large car producer in Sweden? A joint venture agreement with Norway? Neither of them. But an agreement with French Renault involving industrial co-operation, research and product development.
In the late 1970s discussions began concerning a cooperation between Volvo and Finnish Valmet for tractor production. Both companies had made studies for their continued tractor production, and come to the same conclusions. In 1979-80 this segment was let over to Finnish company Valmet Oy, as did the forestry machine segment. The name Volvo BM Valmet were to be used until the end of 1985, and thereafter the name on the tractors would be Valmet. For some years Volvo continued to produce for Valmet, both parts and complete tractors. The last tractor produced in a Volvo factory was finished in December 1987, a Valmet 2005 with the chassis number 21.000.
Other Volvo companies were also involved in changes. One of them is Volvo Aero, earlier Volvo Flygmotor, which continues manufacturing engines for jet planes. In 1979 for Saab JA37B Viggen.
Volvo Aero really took a giant step upwards on Christmas Eve 1979, when the first Ariane 1 rocket was launched - with a Volvo combustion chamber.
The number of Volvos on this planet grew. In 1976 the 3-millionth was built, and in 1979 the 4-millionth.
Short about the 80s
The decade saw the first turbocharged Volvo car. The 240 Turbo with the B21ET 155hp engine was almost like a sports car to drive.
A big change in bus production was made in 1981, when the coachwork company Höglunds was acquired. For the first time Volvo built complete buses.
One of several steps to consolidate Volvos positions was taken in 1981, with the acquisition of the truck division of White Motor Corporation in the U.S.A.
In 1982 the 760 was introduced. Initially it was delivered with two engine alternatives, the 6-cylinder B28E petrol engine or the new turbocharged 6-cylinder diesel, the TD24. With the TD24 the Volvo 760 GLE accelerated from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in 13 seconds, which made it one of the world's fastest diesel-powered cars.
The last road scraper was made in 1981, and the last tractor for use on farms in 1984.
In 1984 Volvo received its second "Truck of the Year" award, for the Volvo F10 Intercooler.
VME Group is started in 1985, with 50% owned by Volvo and the other 50% by the U.S. Clark Equipment Company. Volvo BM AB becomes a part of VME Group.
The 740 came in 1984, initially as a well equipped GLE, and the 745 and 765 estate cars came in 1985.
1985 also gave us Volvo 780, an exclusive 2-door model that tops Volvos program, and the Volvo 480 ES, a front-wheel driven car which is in a way a sports car. Volvo 480 Turbo comes in 1987.
In 1986 it happened again. Volvo was awarded the "Truck of the Year", this time for the Volvo FL Series.
The intermediate class is the target for the 1988 release of the Volvo 440. At the end of the decade Volvo presented the 740 GLT, equipped with the new 16-valve 159 hp engine with a catalytic converter.
In 1988 Leyland Bus in Great Britain was acquired - the company that among others produce the Olympian doubledecker.
In the early 80s the automobile market was in a recession, but Volvo grew in several markets. In 1981 Volvo was the largest European car exporter to the U.S.A. The number of millionth Volvos grew rapidly: in 1983 number 5, in 1987 number 7. In 1986 117,000 estates were produced, making Volvo the largest producer of estates in that size.
Investments in safety and environment
The Volvo Concept Car, the VCC, was presented in 1980. The purpose was to test new concepts and technical solutions in the fields of energy and the environment. In 1983 four new test cars were presented in the Light Component Project, LCP 2000, with among others low fuel consumption as a target. An advanced wind tunnel was taken in use to better study the air flow around the bodies, in order to find solutions that don't become obstacles.
A series of safety accessories for children in cars were introduced in 1986. Among them a detachable seat for children up to four years old.
The Volvo Traffic Safety Award - an award of 500.000 Swedish kronor - was presented for the first time in 1986. And a centre for the communications technology of the future was inaugurated.
At the Experimental Safety Vehicle Conference in Gothenburg in 1989 Volvo presented among others side-collision protection and a child booster cushion integrated into the rear seat of the car.
The Volvo Car Corporation's safety work received recognition on two occasions in 1989. Nils Bohlin, who designed the three-point safety belt, was elected to the American Safety and Health Hall of Fame, and the mechanical safety belt tensioner earned the Prince Michael Road Safety Award.
The private cars in the early 90s
Late 1990 the 940/960 series arrived, with the 960 becoming the new top-of-the-line model. In 1994 a new version of the 960 with a new chassis was presented.
In the summer of 1991 came the 850 GLT, a completely new car. It was marketed as "a dynamic car with four unique innovations". These were: the transverse in-line 5-cylinder engine; the Delta-link rear axle, which unites the advantages of the live rear axle with those of individual suspension; the integrated side impact protection system SIPS, and the self-adjusting belt reel.
One year later the family car 850 GLE was launched, with the same advanced technology. In early 1993 the 850 Estate was introduced, and in the late summer the Volvo 850 Turbo with Volvo's most powerful engine to date - 225 hp at only 2.000 rpm. Since its introduction the 850 has earned more than 40 international awards.
In 1995 the Volvo 850 Racing, a saloon version of the 850, made its breakthrough on the British racetracks.
Other models went out of production. The last Volvo 240, an estate, was made in 1993, the last of more than 2.8 million cars in the 240 Series. The last of 80.000 Volvo 480s was finished in 1995. In 1996 the last car in the 400 Series was manufactured, after production of almost 700.000 units since 1985.
Brand new on the scene was the compact S40/V40, presented in 1995. The Volvo S40 was a 4-door saloon, and the V40 a 5-door tourer. Both models had front-wheel drive, and the bodies softer lines than the latest Volvos. Among the standard safety equipment were side-impact airbags.
Other growing markets
In 1990 Volvo and Renault agreed to cooperate in the car, truck and bus product areas. During the 90s several bus producing companies came into the Volvo sphere, so the market share grew for Volvo.
Volvos first rear-engine bus, the B12, was introduced in 1991. It was designed for tourist and express traffic.
A sign of Volvos care for the environment was given in 1992, with the introduction of the first natural gas powered "CNG Buses" and the Bio-gas and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). Since then 400 more of these have got into traffic in many towns and cities in Europe.
The Volvo FH-series was chosen "Truck of the Year 1994" by European journalists. The same year the B10L bus chassis, with a low floor, was launched in Europe. And in China the first Volvo coach was built.
In 1994 Volvo Buses entered a joint-venture agreement with Xian Aircraft Industries for the manufacturing of coaches in Xian, Shaanxi, China.
Volvo purchased the rest of the VME Group in 1995, and gave the company the name Volvo Construction Equipment Group. In 1997 the name Volvo BM became 'just' Volvo. In this market too, a number of other companies were acquired.
ECC, ECB and ECT
The Environmental Concept Car, the ECC, was presented in 1992, at the Paris Motor Show. Its driveline is a series hybrid unit based on a gas turbine with an integrated high-speed generator (HSG), batteries and electric motor. The gas turbine can be driven by virtually any gas or liquid fuel, providing extremely low levels of harmful exhaust emissions. The body is made of recyclable aluminium.
In 1995 it was followed by the Environmental Concept Bus, the ECB, and the Environmental Concept Truck, the ECT. These vehicles are research platforms for the development of efficient, safe and environmentally optimised cars to come. (Photo Volvo Bus Corporation.)
The bus and truck are also equipped with several high-tech features and solutions.
The truck, as an example, has a cab with the boarding height just 60cm above the road. The rear wheel steering gives a small turning circle and very good manoeuvrability. With a length of 10 metres and a wheelbase of 5,3 metres, the outer turning circle is 17 metres.
An active suspension system gives a variety of ways to raising and lowering the truck. The driver is helped by computers and display screens for full control over the various functions.
An eventful end of the millenium
In 1996 several new models were presented. The 850 Series was extended with 850 Bi-Fuel - with twin fuel systems it can be driven on either petrol or methane gas. And the Volvo 850 AWD (All Wheel Drive) came.
The Volvo C70 Coupe was the new luxury model. Later in 1996 the open Volvo C70 Convertible was introduced.
The successors to the 850 Series were also introduced in 1996, the S70 and V70 (in the photo). Not just an usual model change. It is told that there were more than 1.800 improvements, all kinds of improvements. (And I thought the previous cars were very good ...)
This year, 1996, a dark green Volvo 960 Royal was a real speciality. It was the ten-millionth Volvo car, produced at the Volvo plant in Malaysia in September.
In 1997 Volvo celebrated 70 years as a car producer.
Then the Volvo S80 came in 1998.
A buzy bus bransch
The bus bransch kept on growing. Shareholding in other busbuilding companies grew, and more plants were built in various countries. A nice event in 1996 was that Volvo Bus received the UN's Best Corporate Practice prize for its role in the development of the public transport system in Curitiba, Brazil.
Among the new bus models were the Volvo B12-600 (voted Coach of the Year in Europe 1996), the 1997 B7R, a rear-engine mid-weight coach chassis for global markets, the 1998 B7L low-floor, city bus chassis, and its complete Volvo 5000 and 7000 models. The 5000 have aluminum bodies and the 7000 stainless steel bodies. Also in 1998 the Volvo Super Olympian was introduced, a 12m low floor double deck air-conditioned chassis.
Two electric hybrid buses will be tested in regular traffic in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 1998. The purpose is to test and evaluate new environmentally optimised technologies. These buses produce extremely low exhaust emissions - the discharge of nitrogen oxides, for instance, is 90% lower compared with a conventional bus.
In mid december 1998 the first of the bi-articulated Volvo B10M buses, the longest in the world at 25 metres and with a capacity of up to 276 passengers, started operating in São Paulo.
Volvo Bus Corporation acquired Volvo Buses de Mexico, formerly MASA, in late 1998. At the end of 1998 Volvo had a production capacity of 5.000 buses per year in NAFTA countries and was the leading producer of buses and coaches in North America.
Volvo rolls on
Volvo vehicles continue to roll off the production lines.
The last days I've read that the production of the C70 Convertible will increase, since so many people want to buy it. And for the fifth time Volvo has recieved the 'Prince Michael Road Safety Award', now for the new Inflatable Curtain (IC) that protects the passengers heads in case of a collission from the side. The IC is standard equipment in Volvo S80, and will be so in other models in the future. The S80 is also fitted with front chairs that reduces the damage of whiplash effects in collissions. I also read something about a revolutionary new paint the other day ...
And in Mexico, where the road race 'La Carrera Pan Americana' was held in the autumn of 1998, a Volvo driven by Bernardo Obrégon won the 'Corona Superturismos Cup'. It was a Volvo PV544.
Divide and unite
On 28 January 1999 a press release announced: "Volvo enters into agreement with Ford to sell Volvo Cars for 50 billion and concentrates on commercial products". Volvo and Ford had signed a Heads of Agreement with the intention of concluding a definitive sale and purchase agreement as soon as practicable. The sale was fulfilled with both Volvo shareholder and customary regulatory approval.
Within the context of a consolidating automotive industry, Volvo had completed a strategic review of its businesses. As a result of that review Volvo concluded that a sale of Volvo Cars to Ford was in the best interests of both Volvo Cars and Volvo´s shareholders. The sale would allow Volvo to focus fully on its commercial vehicles and related businesses, incorporating trucks, buses, construction equipment, marine engines and aerospace equipment.
The Volvo brand name will be jointly owned with the right for Ford to use it for passenger cars, minivans, sport utility vehicles and light trucks. Volvo will use the brand name for commercial and other products.
Good or bad for Volvo? For Sweden? I don't know. But there may be one nice effect, thinking of the comeback of old model names in the U.S.A. like Thunderbird and Impala - will we soon be presented to the brand new Volvo Duett or Ford Amazon?
My info about Volvo during and after this affair will be divided under the captions Volvo Group 1999- and Volvo/Ford 1999-. Such a large company affair takes some time, so I simplify it a bit and sometimes use a 'border' between 1998 and 1999.
2007-04-10. www.konditori100.se. Text/pictures: Arne Granfoss ©. Prod: AG Informice