Volvo

Rating 5.0 (votes: 1)

Owning a Volvo

Advantages:
  • Premium-quality and reliability. Volvo cars are very durable and can go years without major errors. They are included in the list of the world’s most reliable cars.
  • Comfortable payment program. Volvo offers ‘Care by Volvo’ program, which means that a consumer may set a comfortable payment plan and make a partial deposit each time without upsetting fees.
  • Smart storage solutions. While Volvo cars are quite compact, they are designed to be comfortable for passengers and roomy enough for luggage.
  • Reasonable pricing. Volvo cars are not expensive comparing to many similar cars of other brands. Together with flexible and client-friendly payment options, it makes Volvos the number one choice for young people and families.
Disadvantages:
  • Smaller fuel tank. A lot of popular Volvo models have their fuel tanks smaller than similar cars of other producers like Toyota or BMW.
  • Infotainment system lags. Lots of consumers complain about Volvo software being too complicated and difficult to operate. Lots of functions and programs become often reason for errors and touch screen lags.

History

The company was founded in 1927 with a concept of making driving safer. The brand was completely owned by the Swedish SKF company. Assar Gabrielsson was Volvo’s first managing director, while Gustav Larson was appointed the technical director.

The Volvo trademark was registered by SKF in 1915, yet it was never used before 1927 when the first car was produced. In the beginning, the company specialized in manufacturing closed-top cabriolets. The cars were designed for the Swedish consumers and fitted well for the local climate and weather. The cars’ design was not unique. The engineers were inspired by the previously produced cars of other companies and simply combined different features to create popular car models.

Facing the world’s crisis during the Second World War, Volvo started projecting cheaper and smaller city cars. Volvo’s first sedan was presented in 1944. Yet the cars became available for purchase only three years later in 1947. After conquering the European car market, Volvo started its expansion to other countries. In 1963 Volvo built its first offshore factory in Canada. A few years later, the cars were sent to all continents of the world.

Volvo faced a great inner crisis in 2008. Two years later Volvo was sold to the Geely company for $1.8 billion. It became the largest overseas acquisition by the Chinese car market. Under the management of Geely, Volvo sales increased dramatically. In 2015 half a million Volvo cars were sold globally. This became the best result in the history of the brand. Seles grew for 10-50% depending on the region.

In 2017 Volvo started to work on an innovative collection of electro mobiles. The company also announced that it was planning to recreate the most popular car models with hybrid or electric motors.

Company's Profile

Year of Incorporation: 1927

Founder: Assar Gabrielsson, Gustaf Larson

Key people: Li Shufu, Hakan Samuelson

Location of headquarters: Sweden

Location of factories: Sweden, China, US, India, Russia, Belgium, Malaysia

Company’s slogan: Volvo for life

Types of produced cars: sedans, compact cars, station wagons, sports cars