Volvo’s first truck had 28 horsepower and could carry 1.5 tonnes. Today’s largest Volvo is the most powerful production truck in the world with its 660 hp engine capable of hauling 200 tonnes.
Between them lie 80 years of dedicated work by generations of enthusiastic Volvo employees. All of whom were driven by the same strong feeling of belonging and the same concern for quality and safety that the company’s two founders originally planted in Volvo from the very start.
Economist Assar Gabrielsson was just 33 years old when he became sales manager of Svenska Kullagerfabriken (SKF). However, he wanted something different - he had his heart set on building cars. Then, cheer chance in 1924 he met a former colleague, Gustaf Larson, an engineer widely acclaimed for his technical expertise and a man who shared the very same dream.
The drawings for Volvo’s first truck - the Series 1 - were already complete when the company’s first passenger car left the factory on 14th April 1927, with the first truck introduced in February 1928.
The wheel is perhaps Man’s most important invention and now Volvo - which means “I roll” in Latin - had taken over the wheel !
The Volvo spirit
Larson and Gabrielsson knew that Swedish iron was of better quality than iron from anywhere else. Accordingly, their ‘Swedish car’ would be better than imported cars. That’s exactly the way it worked out and sales went well, especially for the company’s trucks. Exports got under way back in 1928, seeing Volvo’s on roads in countries as far apart as China and Argentina.
The “Volvo” name was easy to remember and pronounce in every language the world over. Trucks continued to be the most important product for Volvo through to the 1950’s, when more people were able to afford cars and car production rose.
The two founders of the company worked consistently and with dedication to make Volvo a very special company. From the President all the way to the errand-boy, the company was characterised by a special enthusiasm for the work and dedication to the company - a feeling that soon came to be called ‘the Volvo spirit’. Having a job at Volvo was regarded as an enviable achievement, and many, many thousands of employees the world over have proudly carried the Volvo spirit further over the past 80 years.
The importance of getting into the EC
The losses of the first years evaporated in autumn 1929 and by 1935, the company’s was doing so well that SKF terminated its majority shareholding by floating Volvo on the Stockholm stock exchange.
After almost 30 years, Volvo’s founders handed over the company’s reins in 1956 to Gunnar Engellau. In the early 1960s, he gave his colleague Lars Malmros the task of examining the viability of establishing a presence in the embryonic EC. In this market, demand for Volvo’s trucks had increased considerably at the same time as the economic union was increasingly protecting itself behind high customs and tariff barriers. In 1965 a factory was inaugurated for the production of cars, while truck production was increased in the importer’s factory in Alsemberg. In 1975 truck production was relocated to a new factory alongside the car production plant in Gent, Belgium. Volvo had now gained a firm foothold in Europe and underwent considerable expansion there.
In 1970 Volvo’s truck operations were separated into an independent unit within Volvo with the formation of the Volvo Truck Division, with Lars Malmros as President and CEO.
Globalisation
There were several pioneers linked to the company during this period of global expansion for Volvo, such as Saracakis brothers in Greece and Max Winkler in Australia. Their dedicated work on behalf of Volvo meant that the company could establish a strong following in these countries.
In the mid-70’s, the company started looking west. Volvo first established a presence in Brazil and soon became one of the biggest brands on this market. This was followed by North America and in 1981 Volvo acquired US truck-maker White. This purchase also signalled the real start of sales for Volvo’s own trucks in North America and Volvo Trucks now became a truly global company. Over the next few years, a new modular concept for the largest trucks was introduced, resulting in the Volvo FH/FM Series. A decision was also taken to build the first truck in the US featuring Volvo technology.
1996 saw the launch of the Volvo VN in the USA and in the following years a global industrial system was created that encompassed a global system of suppliers. Both production and the aftermarket were streamlined, leading among other things to the use of a far smaller variety of parts.
FH - the foundation for today’s trucks
1993 saw the introduction of the trucks that form the basis for today’s model range - the Volvo FH12/FH16. They were based on a modular platform that also forms the basis for the global product range encompassing the FH, FM, VN, VHD and VT that came later. The heart of the new best-seller was an entirely new, highly modern 12-litre engine that set a new standard for transport economy and environmental performance. Safety levels too had been significantly raised.
Since the start of the 1990s, the environment has been in firm focus and Volvo has shown a variety of concept vehicles - the best-known being the hybrid Environmental Concept Truck - and vehicles running on alternative fuels such as ethanol and DME, as well as fuel cells. In 2006, a hybrid truck featuring a diesel and electric motor attracted considerable attention.
1999 was a tumultuous year for the Volvo Group. There was an unexpected announcement that Volvo Cars would be sold to the Ford Motor Co. The move was accordingly ratified at an emotionally charged extraordinary general meeting in March of that year. However, only a month or so passed before AB Volvo announced that it had acquired French truck manufacturer Renault V.I. and its subsidiary Mack Trucks in the USA.
Volvo now became Europe’s largest - and the world’s second largest - manufacturer of heavy trucks. Volvo is also the world’s largest manufacturer of 9-16 litre diesel engines and no other truck maker can match Volvo with its presence in no less than 133 countries.
The aim of the acquisition of Renault and Mack was to generate economies of scale so as to develop more efficient trucks that meet both forthcoming environmental legislation and increasingly tough productivity demands.
Taking on the future with confidence
During the following seven years, truck operations were successfully integrated within the Volvo Group. The three brands live and develop alongside each other and each has its own specific target groups.
In February 2006, Volvo Trucks launched the world’s most powerful truck engine, a 16-litre engine producing 660 hp. That same year also started off with the acquisition of a significant shareholding in and cooperation with Japan’s Nissan Diesel, and just before Volvo’s 80th jubilee it was announced that Volvo intends to acquire all of Nissan Diesel.
2006 was yet another record year for Volvo Trucks and the company faces with considerable confidence a future characterised by major challenges, not least environmental demands on tomorrow’s trucks. Volvo is all set to roll with confidence towards its next 80 years of operation !
In 1998, Rose Mapendo was sitting on the concrete floor of a Congolese prison cell summoning up every ounce of courage, strength and intellect to protect her children. Almost ten years later, she has used that same determination and drive to help protect and rescue countless thousands of fellow refugees of genocide, and tonight was honored for her humanitarian outreach at the 5th Annual Volvo for life Awards ceremony in the heart of New York City. Volvo named Mapendo “America’s Greatest Hometown Hero” and awarded her a $50,000 charitable contribution and a new Volvo every three years for the rest of her life.
Mapendo, a Tutsi, was imprisoned and tortured by Congolese soldiers in the wake of the Rwandan genocide. Following 16 months of daily confrontations with death, witnessing the torture and execution of her husband and giving birth to premature twins on the floor of her cell, Mapendo and her nine children ended up in a refugee camp in Cameroon, from where she resettled to Phoenix, Ariz. Once safely established in the U.S., Mapendo helped found Mapendo International with the man responsible for her rescue. Mapendo International works with the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations to identify and assist Africa’s forgotten, those who are at risk of falling through the cracks of humanitarian aid efforts. The organization helps these people through its medical clinic in Kenya and through a rescue operations initiative, identifying at-risk individuals, families and groups of refugees and working to get them out of danger.
Held at the world famous 42nd St. Cipriani on April 5, the Volvo for life Awards ceremony was the climax of the largest-ever national search for and celebration of everyday heroes, with Volvo Cars of North America providing $1 million annually in awards and contributions. This year, in honor of the Awards’ 5th Anniversary, Volvo selected the top five heroes from every state in America and asked the public to visit : volvoforlifeawards.com and vote for their favorite unsung hometown hero. Volvo received hundreds of thousands of votes from across the country.
A panel of distinguished judges- including Hank Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Caroline Kennedy, Maya Lin, Val Kilmer, Paul Newman, Dr. Sally Ride, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and previous Volvo for life Awards grand winners - selected the program’s top three winners in the categories of Safety, Quality of Life and Environment. Mapendo was the Quality of Life category winner.
“The heroes selected as this year’s honorees have incredibly moving and powerful stories that symbolize Volvo’s core values of conscience, care and character and we are exceedingly proud to have the chance to honor them,” said Anne Blec, president and chief executive officer for Volvo Cars of North America. “It’s hard for anyone to imagine living through what Rose and her family had to endure, but to then go on to help other victims like herself is truly inspirational. She gives Africa’s forgotten refugees a voice and we hope this recent recognition will help America listen.”
More About Rose Mapendo
When Mapendo and her children were captured, one of her daughters, Nangabire, was away from home and avoided imprisonment. In 2000, when U.S. rescue workers spotted Mapendo and her malnourished twin baby boys, they were able to relocate the Mapendo family to Arizona but Nangabire, lost and presumed dead, was left behind. It wasn’t until 2002 that Mapendo discovered that her daughter was alive and safe with Mapendo’s parents, and then a further five years before mother and daughter were reunited briefly when Mapendo visited Africa this January. Finally, after years of determination and mountains of paperwork, Nangabire, now 17, was reunited with her mother in New York, April 4th - the day before the ceremony - and will go home to join her nine brothers and sisters in Arizona this Friday.
Mapendo currently serves as the Mapendo Organization’s spokesperson while working full time at a local hospice and, as a single mother, raises her children, all of whom attend school and college. Mapendo was nominated for the Volvo for life Awards by actress Susan Sarandon, an advisory board member of Mapendo International.
All parents want to protect their children to the best of their ability. This includes travelling by car. Despite this, children are injured and die unecessarily in cars because their child seats are incorrectly installed or are not suitable for their age, height or weight. Or, worse still, because they are travelling in cars without either child seats or safety belts. Since this is often due to lack of knowledge, Volvo Cars has produced a manual describing how pregnant women and children of different ages can travel as safely as possible in the car.
Many questions
“Pregnant women or new parents have many questions, especially how the newest addition to the family can be carried safely in the car,” says Lotta Jakobsson, Child Safety Specialist at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “We get many questions about the safest place in the car for the child, how he or she should be secured in the child seat and whether a safety belt can harm the mother-to-be. These are answered in our new child safety manual.”
Rear-facing safest
Lotta Jakobsson explains that a child’s head is big and heavy relative to its body. The head of a nine-month-old baby accounts for no less than 25 percent of the child’s body weight, compared with 6 percent in an adult. A child’s neck and neck vertebraes are not fully developed and are very different from those of an adult. In a frontal collision, the head of a forward-facing occupant is thrown forward with violent force. However, while the neck of an adult can withstand this stress relatively well, that of a small child cannot. And since frontal collisions are the most common and usually the most violent type, it is particularly important that small children are seated facing the rear.
“Facing the rear is absolutely the safest way of travelling in a car and Volvo Cars recommends this as far as practically possible,” comments Lotta.
Research based on real-life accidents
Among other sources, child safety research carried out by Volvo Cars, as well as the recommendations contained in the new manual, are based on the company’s own studies of real-life road accidents. The Volvo Cars Accident Research Team database contains details of over 36,000 accidents, involving more than 60,000 people.
“These accident statistics are unique of their kind,” comments Lotta Jakobsson. “The team’s studies show clearly that rear-facing child seats offer a very high degree of protection.”
Protection for older children
The Volvo Cars child safety manual also deals with questions such as the age at which the child may be seated facing forward and, in that case, what type of protection is suitable.
“At the earliest, we advise parents not to face a child forward until it has outgrown its rear-facing seat and has reached an age of at least 3 years,” adds Lotta. “By then, the body proportions have evened out and the neck has developed. However, the child is still too small to use a safety belt alone and a child booster cushion should be used. This ensures that the lap belt is in secure contact with the thighs, not against the child’s stomach, thus protecting the delicate internal organs in a crash situation. To encourage this practice, Volvo Cars recently introduced an integrated two-stage child booster cushion in its new V70 and XC70. The lower level is suitable for children between 115 and 140 cm in height, while the upper level is designed for smaller children between 95 and 120 cm.”
Child safety is not just a matter of technical solutions. Unfortunately, knowledge of how children should travel safely in cars is lacking in many parts of the world. In many cases, children travel completely unrestrained or secured incorrectly in protective equipment not designed for them. In addition, attitudes and legislation vary from country to country.
“We hope and believe that our safety manual will be very useful to everybody who carries their children in the car,” concludes Lotta Jakobsson.
Among other outlets, the manual will be available from Volvo dealers and as part of various market activities.
Volvo Cars has a long tradition of child safety development and the company currently offers four different child seats, two of which have been developed in collaboration with Britax, one of the world’s leaders in child restraints.
A number of distinctive design cues take the new Volvo S40 a visual step closer to the new S-range look as first shown on the all-new Volvo S80. At the same time, the V50 approaches the new V-range and the all-new V70 without compromising on its original compact and sporty attributes.
“When it comes to the exterior, we’re aiming for increased differentiation between the two models. The interior refinements have focused on liberating smart storage space,” says Volvo Cars Design Director Steve Mattin.
Starting with the new S40, the source of the inspiration can be seen clearly when the compact sedan is viewed from the front.
The new colour-coordinated soft nose creates a broader, lower stance thanks to a new grille with a larger Volvo iron mark, new headlamps and a lower air intake that sweeps across the entire front unlike the current model’s three-part design.
“The new, lower and more horizontal appearance radiates smooth power. This impression is reinforced when the car is seen from the side. At the rear, it is the shape of the new tail lamps and the new bumper that further boost the dynamic appearance,” says Steve Harper, who has been responsible for the design of the new Volvo S40 and V50.
Sportier V50 grille
The new black egg-crate grille with its larger Volvo iron mark emphasises a sporty language. The new headlamps and the three sculpted lower air intakes are other details that give the new colour-coordinated soft-nose V50 front an increased impression of solidity.
“Here, we’ve created visual vertical elements in order to further emphasise the new grille,” says Steve Harper.
Slimmer tail lamps
The lower part of the tail lamp panel on both the S40 and V50 is 30 millimetres higher than before and the lamps themselves have an entirely new graphic layout. The brake lights are now of LED type and the position marker lamps emphasise the car’s shoulders.
The new bumper features integrated reflectors in the lower corners and the lower, broader design language is supplemented with the more horizontal lines of the exhaust tailpipe.
“The improved shape and position of the exhaust tailpipes is a good example of how a little extra visual touch can create a highly potent impression,” says Steve Harper.
Freeing up storage space
When refining the interior, the design team transformed itself into something of a liberation movement for storage space.
“The criticism of the current models’ limited storage space served as high-octane fuel when the time came to sketch the new interior of the S40 and V50. We weren’t entirely satisfied until we felt we had exploited every single available cubic centimetre in an efficient way,” relates Steve Harper.
The team concentrated its efforts on two areas: the door sides and the centre stack.
The entire lower part of the front door inside panels was redesigned. The audio system loudspeakers were reshaped to free up space for a new, larger storage compartment with space for an A4 format book, an upright soft drinks can or a water bottle lying down.
As an added bonus, space was also freed up for an extra Dynaudio loudspeaker (only for Premium Sound), which adds even more spice to the audio experience.
Larger and more intelligent centre console
The already iconic super-slim centre console is available in additional decor versions such as the Nordic Light Oak real wood inlay, and the theme now flows smoothly with similar elegant soft curvature surfaces all the way to the rear seat.
The storage space between the seats has also been refined with the help of Scandinavian design tradition’s most renowned hallmark - smart functionality.
The handbrake has a more compact design, which in turn has freed space for more generous storage capacity.
Sliding cover and flexible armrest
The sliding cover over the larger storage compartments, in which there are also two holders that provide secure support for large and small cups, is complemented by an improved flexible armrest for the driver. This also has a built-in feature that the design team playfully call the “hamburger table”.
“We’ve even utilised the small spaces that are usually simply covered over when they’re not housing controls for options or accessories. Now instead, the space has been converted into a handy compartment, for instance for a mobile phone. After all, the phone is not something we should be using while driving, anyway,” explains Steve Harper, and adds:
“And on the back of the console there is another little jewel: a flip-up holder for a 1.5-litre bottle within easy reach of passengers in the rear-seat.”
New upholstery and green highlight colour
New design details in the instrument panel and air vents also contribute to the interior refinement in the new S40 and V50.
The upholstery range has been expanded both at base level and for the more exclusive options, for instance with a new, finer grained leather. At base level there is a green ‘accent’ colour fabric with the poetic name of Spring Green.
“The green upholstery is entirely in line with the increasing demand for personalised choices by our customers. We started with blue and red upholstery in the new Volvo C30, and now we are introducing green in the new S40 and V50. I’m sure it’s going to be very popular,” says Steve Harper.
he rugged Volvo VHD vocational truck and tractor are now available with a factory-installed 42-inch sleeper cab, designated the VHD 430. The Volvo VHD 430 is designed to provide customers with a comfortable and efficient sleeper without sacrificing reliability or performance in demanding vocational applications. The VHD was previously only available with a daycab.
Volvo will be showing the new VHD 430 to the public for the first time at ExpoCam in Montreal, Que. this week.
“The VHD has always given drivers an outstanding working environment, with a strong emphasis on safety, along with the durability that our vocational customers demand,†says Brent Weary, regional-vice president, sales and marketing for Volvo Trucks Canada. “Now, with the VHD 430, we can put this great vocational truck to work in applications that require a sleeper.â€
The VHD 430 is customizable and comes as a 6×4, 8×4 or 8×6 tractor or truck, in axle forward and axle back configurations.
Major features include:
-a Volvo D13 engine, with up to 485 hp and 1650 lb-ft of torque;
-Transmissions – Volvo I-Shift 12-speed automated manual transmission, Eaton Fuller 10- to 18-speed manuals and AutoShift, and Allison automatic;
-front axle to 20,000-pound capacity; front axle position at 29.1 and 51.2 inches;
-Volvo T-Ride rear suspensions up to 70,000-pound capacity, optional Hendrickson suspensions;
-Frame rails available in five thicknesses (up to 0.44 inches thick), with 1.88 million to 4.2 million RBM;
-One-piece cab and sleeper, constructed of robotically-welded High-Strength Steel (HSS);
-Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology (VEST) for advanced traction and stability control, and rollover protection; and
-Standard Volvo Link Sentry remote vehicle monitoring and Volvo Action Service coverage
Volvo officials say the one-piece 42-inch sleeper on the VHD 430 is as strong and rugged as the rest of the truck, having passed the Swedish Cab Impact Test, the most demanding cab structure and impact testing in the world.
The sleeper’s one-piece design aims to eliminate the compromises necessary to mount aftermarket sleeper boxes, including the risk of reduced structural integrity from cutting away the back wall, and to eliminate the risk of water and air leaks at the seal between sleeper boxes and cabs. The one-piece construction is also designed to create less noise intrusion and better thermal insulation. The entire cab and sleeper is covered by Volvo’s cab structure warranty of 72 months/750,000 miles/15,000 operating hours.
The VHD 430’s sleeper has 118 cubic feet of space and includes a full-length bed, with windshield and sleeper curtains inside.
The rugged Volvo VHD vocational truck and tractor are now available with a factory-installed 42-inch sleeper cab, designated the VHD 430. The Volvo VHD 430 is designed to provide customers with a comfortable and efficient sleeper without sacrificing reliability or performance in demanding vocational applications. The VHD was previously only available with a day cab.
Volvo will be showing the new VHD 430 to the public for the first time at ExpoCam in Montreal, Que. this week.
“The VHD has always given drivers an outstanding working environment, with a strong emphasis on safety, along with the durability that our vocational customers demand,†says Brent Weary, regional-vice president, sales and marketing for Volvo Trucks Canada. “Now, with the VHD 430, we can put this great vocational truck to work in applications that require a sleeper.â€
The VHD 430 is customizable and comes as a 6×4, 8×4 or 8×6 tractor or truck, in axle forward and axle back configurations.
Major features include:
-a Volvo D13 engine, with up to 485 hp and 1650 lb-ft of torque;
-Transmissions – Volvo I-Shift 12-speed automated manual transmission, Eaton Fuller 10- to 18-speed manuals and AutoShift, and Allison automatic;
-front axle to 20,000-pound capacity; front axle position at 29.1 and 51.2 inches;
-Volvo T-Ride rear suspensions up to 70,000-pound capacity, optional Hendrickson suspensions;
-Frame rails available in five thicknesses (up to 0.44 inches thick), with 1.88 million to 4.2 million RBM;
-One-piece cab and sleeper, constructed of robotically-welded High-Strength Steel (HSS);
-Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology (VEST) for advanced traction and stability control, and rollover protection; and
-Standard Volvo Link Sentry remote vehicle monitoring and Volvo Action Service coverage
Volvo officials say the one-piece 42-inch sleeper on the VHD 430 is as strong and rugged as the rest of the truck, having passed the Swedish Cab Impact Test, the most demanding cab structure and impact testing in the world.
The sleeper’s one-piece design aims to eliminate the compromises necessary to mount aftermarket sleeper boxes, including the risk of reduced structural integrity from cutting away the back wall, and to eliminate the risk of water and air leaks at the seal between sleeper boxes and cabs. The one-piece construction is also designed to create less noise intrusion and better thermal insulation. The entire cab and sleeper is covered by Volvo’s cab structure warranty of 72 months/750,000 miles/15,000 operating hours.
The VHD 430’s sleeper has 118 cubic feet of space and includes a full-length bed, with windshield and sleeper curtains inside.
