Volvo, the Swedish automotive company, was founded in Gothenburg in 1927. It was a project by SKF sales manager Assar Gabrielsson and engineer Gustav Larson as a subsidiary of the SKF bearing company. Although it is known for safety, quality, reliability and sleek Scandinavian design; Volvo has made important contributions to the automotive industry. Here are 10 interesting facts about Volvo:
See: Evolution Of Volvo’s Safety Innovations
- Volvo means “I roll” in Latin.
- The company began as a ball bearing manufacturer. They have also manufactured planes and marine equipment.
- A 1966 Volvo P1800 holds the Guinness World Record for the highest mileage ever recorded on a single car at 3 million miles. The record was set by an American Irv Gordon.
Irvin “Irv” Gordon (USA) clocked up his three-millionth mile in his 1966 Volvo 1800S - Volvo is owned by the Chinese company, Geely Holding, who bought it from Ford in 2010
- Volvo pioneered the three-point seatbelt in 1959. They did not patent it, but instead offered it for free to all other car manufacturers.
- Volvo were the first to introduce laminated windshields to their cars in 1994 with their Volvo PV444 model. This greatly reduced the chances of the glass shattering during an accident and hurting the car occupants.
- Volvo crash tests also include an earthquake simulator.
- Volvo cars have a unique Rollover Protection System (ROPS) that uses a system of gyroscopes, sensors, stability controls and car suspension to prevent a car from rolling in case of an accident.
- Analysts from Volvo’s Accident Research Team have been analyzing accidents that occur around the world. They either visit crash sites or recreate them on their test lab.
- Volvo introduced SIPS(side-impact protecting system) in 1991. SIPS is a system with multiple features that help decrease the chances of major damage in case of a side collision. With SIPS, the sidebars of the rigid door distribute the energy in the event of an accident.
See: How Volvo’s Rollover Protection System (ROPS) Works
