MOTORING NEWS - Founded in April 1927, Volvo Cars is celebrating its 90th birthday with start of production of the all-new Volvo XC60 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The all-new XC60 will leave the factory 90 years to the month after the very first Volvo, the ÖV4. This first Volvo sold a total of 275 vehicles in its lifetime, which was modest even in those days. The all-new XC60 replaces one of the best-selling models in Volvo's 90-year history.
Volvo's original XC60 saw sales figures increasing every year since it was first introduced in 2008. Seven years after it was revealed, it became the best selling premium mid-sized SUV in Europe. With 966 000 units in total, the XC60 today represents around 30% of Volvo's total global sales since the company was founded. This month, the number of original XC60s produced will surpass one million.
Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo Cars, says Volvo is very proud of its history. "The past 90 years have been exciting, but the 10 years left until our 100th anniversary may be more exciting as industry focus shifts to autonomous driving, electrification and connectivity," he says. "The all-new XC60 is in many ways the embodiment of these trends."
Volvo's founder, Assar Gabrielsson, saw an opportunity for car manufacturing in Sweden after having observed the growing industries in the US and Europe from his position within sales at the Swedish ball bearing maker SKF, a supplier to the car industry. Pointing out Sweden's readily accessible steel, cheap labour and skilled engineers, he managed to convince SKF to invest in a spin-off car business called AB Volvo.
The first mass-produced Swedish car was quite a conventional vehicle with elements of American car design, a wooden frame made of beech and ash wood, a 1,9-litre side valve engine and artillery wheels with wooden spokes. Only one colour combination was available: dark blue with black fenders.
Safety has been a watchword ever since and the all-new XC60 is one of the safest cars ever made with the latest in safety technology, including new oncoming lane mitigation which uses the new steer assist function to help mitigate head-on collisions. Volvo's semi-autonomous driver assistance system, Pilot Assist, which takes care of steering, acceleration and braking on well-marked roads up to 130km, is available in the all-new XC60 as an option.
With the all-new XC60 now gradually becoming available for order in markets across the globe, Volvo is set for another record year of sales in 2017. The new medium SUV's South African introduction is set for the second quarter of 2018.
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