VOLVO MOTOR CORPORATION
The first Volvo car left the assembly line April 14, 1927. Volvo produces models ranging from SUV’s, station wagons, and sedan and coupes.
The Volvo Modular Engine is a family of in-line straight 4, straight 5 and straight 6 piston engines that are naturally aspirated aswell as turbocharged motors that have been produced from the first year that the Volvo 960 appeared with the B6304F engine in 1990. It features an aluminium engine block and aluminium 4 DOHC cylinder heads and uses SFI fuel injection system and uses forged steel connecting rods.
Volvo Car Corporation, Swedish auto manufacturer, or also known as Volvo Personvagnar was founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo was originally formed as a bearing maker, well known in the world market, under the subsidiary name SKF Bearings.
The Sachs Company was reported to invest 334 million US Dollars into the holding company. The Volvo Group is the largest commercial vehicles manufacturer of commercials in the world today. In 2010, Volvo Motor Corporation recorded global sales of 373,525 units.
Volvo is known for its high safety standards. Even though Volvo Corporation is owned by the Ford Motor Company, the safety systems of Volvo are still made standard on all of their vehicles and Ford made this a priority on their inception of the company. Today much of Volvo safety technology also goes into other Ford vehicles including their commercial vehicles.
Volvo cars have long been marketed and stressed their historic reputation for solidity, reliability and more importantly the safety of the occupants of the vehicle. Prior to strong government safety regulations, Volvo had been in the forefront of safety engineering:
- In 1944 Volvo introduced all cars with laminated windscreens.
- In 1957 Volvo was the first company to produce cars with padded dashboards and instrument panels.
- In 1958, Volvo invented and patented the 3 point safety belt system, which became standard on all Volvo vehicles in 1959.
- In 1964 Volvo developed the first rear-facing child seat.
- In 1966 Volvo introduced the first of many crumple zones in the front and rear of their vehicles.
- In 1974 the multistage impact absorbing steering column was introduced.
- In 1995 Volvo was the first to introduce side airbags and installed them as standard equipment in 1996.
- In 1998 Volvo also developed and was the first to install a head protecting airbag. It has been stated by many testing authorities that side head protecting curtain airbags have had the most positive statistical figures. Statistics have shown curtain air bags to reduce the risk of death in a side impact by up to 42% and brain injury by up to 54%.
- In 2004 the BLIS or Blind Spot Information System was introduced (in S40 and V50)
- In 2006 Volvo's Personal Car Communicator (PCC) remote control was launched as an optional feature with the Volvo S80. The driver is able to review the security level of the vehicle by letting the driver know that the vehicle is locked and additionally the system has a heartbeat sensor that warns the driver if someone is hiding inside the car.
