When most people think of the cars in Volvo dealers, they automatically consider the passenger vehicles that carry the name. Whilst Volvo passenger vehicles are considered some of the safest, highest quality vehicles on the road, the company is actually involved in the manufacturing of heavy vehicles, too, as well as a whole host of other vehicle types.
The entire Volvo Group is a Swedish conglomerate which spans a variety of sectors, from financial services and aerospace components to commercial vehicles, such as trucks, buses, drive systems for marine and industrial vehicles and construction equipment.
From the outset, Volvos founders, Assar Gabrielsson and Gustav Larson, decided to build vehicles that were safer than the standards of the time and could also withstand the harsh climate and poor roads that were so apparent in Sweden in the early days of the company. Their belief was simple and that 'safety is and must always be the basic principle in all design work', something which has been the most important feature of Volvo products ever since.
Volvo was incorporated in 1915 as a subsidiary of AB SKF, which was a Swedish ball bearing manufacturer. The name Volvo is Latin for I roll and was originally trademarked by SKF to be used for a special edition of its ball bearings. This was just temporary, though and the carmaker was officially founded on 14 April 1927, the date that their first car, the Volvo V4 series rolled off the production line in Gsteborg, Sweden. The companys first truck, a Series 1, was showcased in January of the following year and became an immediate success. In fact, the Series 1 quickly sold out and the rest of Europe caught notice of Volvos trucks, leading them to begin exporting them in the 1930s.
Marine engines have been a part of the Volvo Group almost as long as trucks. The marine engine maker Pentaverken was founded in 1907 and acquired by Volvo in 1935. However, as early as 1929, Volvos legendary U-21 outboard engine was introduced.
Not content with cars, trucks and marine engines, Volvo launched their first bus, the aptly-named B1 in 1934 and they added aircraft engines to their growing range of products in the 1940s.
In 1999, the Volvo Group sold its car division, Volvo Cars, to the US car giant Ford, meaning that the two companies now share the Volvo trademark. However, the Volvo Groups position in the area of trucks was consolidated with the acquisition of Mack Trucks and Renault Trucks in 2001. Then, during 2006 and 2007, the Volvo Group acquired the Japanese truck manufacturer Nissan Diesel and they also reached an agreement with Ingersoll Rand to acquire their road development division. Expanding their reach in Asia even further, Volvo recently acquired a 70 percent stake in Lingong, one of the largest manufacturers of wheel loaders in China.
Volvo has a solid history in the automotive industry. Prospective buyers can take comfort in the fact that they can walk into any of the Volvo dealers around the world and drive away with a high quality car with the heart of a commercial vehicle.
Author Resource:-
Jardine Motors Group UK operates a large portfolio of specialist franchises of the world's most prestigious marques, including Volvo dealers.
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