While Volvos are relative newcomers to the streets of New Zealand, the Swedish company has been manufacturing cars for ninety years. The company, AB Volvo, was originally set up with the assistance of SKF, the ball bearing manufacturers and the name Volvo, which means “I roll” was originally used for bearings. Their earliest designs drew heavily from contemporary American styling and engineering, and this influence has persisted through to the latest models. Volvo intended to contract out most sub-assemblies, keeping a strict eye on the quality of the units which were supplied, rather than the vertical-integration approach of many other manufacturers.

The car which first put Volvo on the international map was the PV444, produced from 1944. Its derivative, the PV544 (from1959 to 1965) was very successful in rallying due to its high power-to- weight ratio. The PV544s were in LHD, and there were a handful in New Zealand. In 1956 Volvo brought out the 120 series, or the Amazon as it was known in Sweden. This was a unitary construction saloon, fitted initially with a 1600cc 4-cylinder (B16). These cars followed in the tracks of the PV’s, also doing well in rallying and saloon racing, including several raced in New Zealand. The 123GT variant is the most sought after, with a high-performance engine and “sporty” accessories.

The P1800 coupe was first produced in 1961 and was fitted with a new 1800cc engine (B18) which was also used in the 120’s. The first 6000 were assembled by Jensen in England, but manufacture was moved to Sweden in 1963 and the car became the 1800s. In 1968 the 1800s was upgraded to a 2-litre engine (B20) though the name remained. When fitted with fuel injection it became the 1800E and a neat wagon version the1800ES was brought out in 1971. Production finally ceased in 1973 when it became impractical to modify the design to cope with stricter American design requirements.

The 120 was phased out in 1970, to be replaced by the 140 series introduced in 1968. This was the first of the ‘boxy” Volvos, with large bumpers and many safety features. The 140 series formalised the numbering scheme in which the first digit was the series number, the second the number of cylinders, and the last the number of doors. (eg the 145 was the estate version). Strict adherence to this scheme was abandoned about 1985. The 140 saw the return of the grille flash which was a feature of the very first Volvos.

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The 140 was, in turn, replaced by the 200 series in 1974, a new generation of Volvo cars. The 240 series were powered by a new B21 engine with overhead camshaft. The 260 series also had a new engine- the B27. This new six cylinder unit was the first result of co-operation between Volvo, Renault and Peugeot for the development of car engines. The 200 series, up until the late nineties was the most common Volvo on New Zealand roads and it was the 240 Turbo which re- established Volvo as a force in saloon car racing, both in Europe and Australasia. 200 series production ceased in1993.

In 1975 a new car model was presented, the Volvo 66 with a 1400cc Renault engine. It was produced in Holland by DAF which changed its name during the year to Volvo Car BV. In 1976 the 66 was replaced by the 343. In 1982 the 360GLT was introduced powered by Volvo’s 2- litre B19E engine and with microprocessor- controlled fuel injection system. The 360 was replaced by the 440 hatchback in 1988 which was powered by a 1722cc engine. In 1993 the 440 became available with a 2 litre B20F engine in an upgraded design.

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After years of intensive development, Volvo was able to introduce the Volvo 760GLE in 1982 powered by the six cylinder B28E engine. In 1984 the gap between the 240 and the760 was filled with the introduction of the740GLE and the 740Turbo followed by the 700 Estates in 1985.

In 1991 Volvo unveiled an exciting new model, the innovative 5 cylinder powered 850. It had front wheel drive with a transverse 2.5 litre 20 valve, 5 cylinder engine. In the same year two new Volvo models of the upgraded design, the 940 and the 960, were included in the range. The 960 featured a completely new drive-line with an in-line 6 cylinder 3 litre engine with 24 valves.

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In 1996 the new S40 / V40 series was launched. This Volvo series is built in Holland  in the same factory as the Mitsubishi Carisma is. Only the 2 litre versions were available in New Zealand.

1997 was an important year for Volvo NZ. Apart from the 40 series, which replaced the 400 series, the 70 series and the 90 series have been introduced. The 70 series is the rebadged 850 series which underwent a major revamp. The 90 series is the revamped 900 series with 3 litre, 6 cylinder in-line engines.

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In 1998 Volvo introduced the S80, the new top of the range model, with in-line 6 cylinder unit transversely in the engine bay, driving the front wheels  and replacing the 90 series, the last of the rear wheeled Volvos.

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The automakers entered the 21st century under a new owner as AB Volvo had been purchased by the Ford Motor Company in 1999. Also, in the year 2000, 422,100 vehicles were sold, a record year for sales. The owners changed again in 2010 having been taken over by Geely.  Volvo has production plants in Sweden, Belgium, China and Malaysia.

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Over the following years there were replacement and upgrade models in the V and S series released as well as the introduction of the XC90 (2002), C30 (2006), XC60 (2008) and XC40 (2017). In July 2017 the automaker announced that the electric motor will be out at the beginning of 2019.

The initial “S” means Sedan, “C” means coupe, convertible and 3 door hatchback,  (aka shooting brake), “V” means versatile, a station wagon, and “XC” means cross country vehicle.  

Volvo cars have a long history as the safest car on the market and in every decade since 1944 new safety measures and devices are tested and incorporated in the vehicles.