About Volvo
Volvo built its reputation on a single idea: that a car should protect the people inside it. Founded in Gothenburg in 1927, the company gave the world the three-point seatbelt in 1959 and made the patent freely available to every carmaker, a decision that has saved countless lives. For decades, boxy Volvo wagons were the default choice for cautious families and architects alike, and the brand's name became shorthand for safety, durability and Scandinavian common sense.
Ford bought Volvo Cars in 1999 and sold it to China's Geely in 2010, and the Geely era brought a remarkable revival. The second-generation XC90 of 2014 introduced a new design language, with Thor's hammer headlights and minimalist interiors, and a modular platform that underpins much of the range. Volvo Cars is a separate company from the Volvo Group, which builds trucks, buses and construction equipment, though the two share a name and a logo. Polestar, once Volvo's performance division, became a separate electric brand.
The current lineup includes the XC40, XC60 and XC90 SUVs, plug-in hybrids and a growing electric family led by the EX30, EX60, EX90 and ES90. Volvo backed away from its pledge to sell only electric cars by 2030, and has faced tariffs, falling profits, job cuts and a slumping share price, with high hopes resting on the electric EX60. Rivals include BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Lexus and Tesla. Coverage tracks launches, recalls, safety technology, software updates, quarterly results and the company's turnaround.