Written by Volvo Cars
The Swedish car maker founded in Gothenburg in 1927, known for its safety engineering and now owned by China’s Geely Holding. This guide covers the current model lineup, the company’s history and ownership, its safety firsts and records, and its racing history.
Volvo at a Glance
Founded 14 April 1927 Gothenburg, Sweden
Headquarters Gothenburg Torslanda, Sweden
Owner Geely Holding About 79% since 2010
Listed Nasdaq Stockholm VOLCAR B, since 2021
Global sales 2025 710,042 cars Record: 763,389 in 2024
Leadership Håkan Samuelsson CEO; Klaus Zellmer takes over by October 2027
Current Volvo Model Lineup
Volvo sells 13 models in 2026: seven fully electric cars and six plug-in and mild hybrids. Not every model is sold in every country. North America now gets mainly SUVs plus the V60 Cross Country, while the EM90, XC70 and S90 are aimed chiefly at China and other Asian markets. Check local availability with a Volvo retailer.
Fully electric (7)
Small SUV
Volvo EX30
Electric SUV Cross Country version
The smallest Volvo, launched in 2023 and built in China, Belgium and Malaysia. A raised, rugged EX30 Cross Country joined it in 2025. In the United States it is sold for the 2025 and 2026 model years only; Canada and Mexico keep it.
Compact SUV
Volvo EX40
Electric SUV
The electric version of the XC40, sold as the XC40 Recharge until Volvo moved to its current naming in 2024.
Compact coupé-SUV
Volvo EC40
Electric Coupé-SUV
A lower-roofed sister to the EX40, originally sold as the C40 Recharge.
Mid-size SUV
Volvo EX60
Electric SUV New for 2026
Revealed in January 2026 and built at Torslanda, Gothenburg, from April 2026, the first fully electric Volvo designed, developed and built in Sweden. Preliminary WLTP range is up to 810 km / 503 mi; North American cars get a native NACS charging port.
Large seven-seat SUV
Volvo EX90
Electric SUV 7 seats
The flagship electric SUV, built in Ridgeville, South Carolina, and upgraded for 2026 with faster charging and more computing power.
Executive saloon
Volvo ES90
Electric Saloon / fastback
An electric fastback saloon revealed in 2025 that takes the place of the S90 and V90 in Volvo’s European range.
Premium MPV
Volvo EM90
Electric MPV China & select Asian markets
Volvo’s first MPV, shares its underpinnings with the Zeekr 009 from sister brand Zeekr and is aimed at China and other Asian markets.
Plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid (6)
Compact SUV
Volvo XC40
Mild hybrid SUV
The petrol mild-hybrid compact SUV, introduced in 2017 and still one of Volvo’s core models alongside its electric EX40 sibling.
Mid-size SUV
Volvo XC60
Plug-in hybrid Mild hybrid SUV
Volvo’s best-selling model, refreshed for 2026 with a larger 11.2-inch centre screen and the new Volvo Car UX software.
Mid-size SUV
Volvo XC70
Long-range plug-in hybrid SUV China & select markets
Revived in 2025 as an extended-range plug-in hybrid SUV built in Taizhou, China, with up to 180 km / 112 mi of electric range on the Chinese CLTC cycle.
Large seven-seat SUV
Volvo XC90
Plug-in hybrid Mild hybrid 7 seats
The seven-seat SUV that launched Volvo’s SPA platform in 2014, facelifted for 2025. It recorded its best-ever US sales year in 2025.
Mid-size estate
Volvo V60 / V60 Cross Country
Plug-in hybrid Mild hybrid Estate
Volvo’s last estate car. The standard V60 is still built for Europe, while North America takes only the raised all-wheel-drive Cross Country.
Executive saloon
Volvo S90
Plug-in hybrid Mild hybrid Saloon Select markets
The long-wheelbase executive saloon now built for China and a shrinking list of other markets. Production for Europe ended in 2024.
How Volvo names its cars
Letters describe the car and numbers its size: 30 is the smallest, 90 the largest.
- EX Fully electric SUV
- EC Electric coupé-SUV
- ES Electric saloon
- EM Electric MPV
- XC Hybrid SUV (“cross country”)
- V Estate
- S Saloon
- Cross Country Raised, all-wheel-drive version
What Is Volvo Cars?
Volvo Cars (Volvo Car AB) is a premium car maker headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Its name is Latin for “I roll”. The company grew out of the ball-bearing maker SKF, whose managers Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson set out to build cars that could cope with Swedish roads and winters. The first series-built car, the ÖV4, left the factory on 14 April 1927.
From the start, Gabrielsson and Larson put safety at the centre of the brand: “Cars are driven by people. The guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo, therefore, is — and must remain — safety.” That focus produced the three-point seat belt, a long list of crash-protection firsts and one of the car industry’s longest-running accident research programmes.
Today Volvo Cars sells cars in more than 100 countries. Its largest markets in 2025 were China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden. It is a separate company from AB Volvo, the truck and bus maker it split from in 1999, although the two still share the name and the iron-mark logo.
Nearly a Century of Volvo
Key moments from the founding in 1927 to the electric era.
- 1926 SKF, the Swedish ball-bearing maker, backs Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson’s plan for a Swedish car built for Swedish roads and winters.
- 1927 The first Volvo, the ÖV4 “Jakob”, leaves the factory in Hisingen, Gothenburg, on 14 April.
- 1935 AB Volvo is separated from SKF and listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.
- 1944 The PV444 debuts with a safety cage and laminated windscreen and turns Volvo into a volume car maker.
- 1959 Nils Bohlin’s three-point seat belt becomes standard on the PV544 and Amazon, and the patent is shared with the industry.
- 1964 The Torslanda plant opens in Gothenburg. It remains Volvo’s main factory.
- 1974 The 240 series arrives and stays in production until 1993.
- 1999 AB Volvo sells Volvo Cars to Ford for about US$6.5 billion, and Volvo joins Ford’s Premier Automotive Group with Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin.
- 2010 Geely Holding buys Volvo Cars from Ford for US$1.8 billion.
- 2014 The second-generation XC90 launches Volvo’s SPA platform and a new design language.
- 2017 Polestar is relaunched as a separate electric performance brand.
- 2021 Volvo Cars lists on Nasdaq Stockholm.
- 2026 The EX60, the first Volvo on the new SPA3 platform, goes into production at Torslanda.
Iconic Volvo Models
Six cars that shaped Volvo’s reputation, from its first tourer to the 850 of the 1990s.
1927–1929
Volvo ÖV4 “Jakob”
Open tourer First Volvo
The first series-built Volvo left the Hisingen factory in Gothenburg on 14 April 1927, the date Volvo counts as its founding day.
1944–1965
Volvo PV444 / PV544
Saloon Safety cage
The compact post-war car that made Volvo a volume maker, with a safety cage and laminated windscreen from launch. From 1959 the PV544, along with the Amazon, came with three-point seat belts as standard.
1956–1970
Volvo Amazon (120 series)
Saloon Estate Rally car
Volvo’s bestseller of the 1960s and a successful rally car, offered as a saloon and an estate.
1961–1973
Volvo P1800
Sports coupé Shooting brake
The sports coupé seen in the TV series The Saint. American owner Irv Gordon drove his 1966 P1800 more than 3.2 million miles / 5.1 million km, a Guinness World Record.
1974–1993
Volvo 240
Saloon Estate Over 2.8 million built
The boxy, long-lived 200 series defined Volvo’s safe-and-sturdy image for a generation. Its Turbo version won the 1985 European Touring Car Championship.
1991–1997
Volvo 850
Saloon Estate Front-wheel drive
Volvo’s first front-wheel-drive large car, introduced side-impact protection (SIPS) and, in 1994, the world’s first side airbags. The 850 estate famously raced in the British Touring Car Championship.
Who Owns Volvo Cars?
Volvo Cars has had four owners in its history. Since 2010 it has belonged to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which also owns or holds stakes in several other car brands. Volvo Cars in turn owns part or all of several companies. Where AutoGathering already has a page for a brand, its name below links to that page.
Parent company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Hangzhou, China · about 79% of Volvo Cars
This page Volvo Cars Volvo Car AB (publ), Gothenburg · remaining shares listed on Nasdaq Stockholm
About 20% Polestar Electric performance cars; started as Volvo’s racing and tuning partner
100% Novo Energy Battery company, fully owned since Volvo bought out Northvolt in 2025
100% Zenseact Software for driver assistance and autonomous driving
Sister brands in the Geely family
These brands share an owner with Volvo, and several share platforms, software or factories with it. Volvo Cars has also been Lynk & Co’s exclusive importer in Europe since March 2026.
- Geely Auto
- Zeekr
- Lynk & Co
- Lotus
- Polestar
- smart (joint venture with Mercedes-Benz)
- LEVC (London taxis)
- Proton (49.9%)
Geely also holds minority stakes in Aston Martin and Renault Korea, co-owns the engine maker Horse Powertrain with Renault, and is a major shareholder in AB Volvo, the truck maker.
Previous owners
- 1927–1935: SKF The bearing maker funded Volvo and gave it its name.
- 1935–1999: AB Volvo Cars were part of the Volvo industrial group with trucks and buses.
- 1999–2010: Ford Part of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group alongside Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin; Lincoln was briefly part of the group too.
- 2010–present: Geely Holding Now the majority owner, with a minority of shares traded publicly since 2021.
Major Accomplishments
Volvo’s best-known achievements are in safety, but its record book also includes production milestones and a world mileage record.
1944
Safety cage
The PV444 had a passenger safety cage and a laminated windscreen from launch.
1959
Three-point seat belt
Developed by Nils Bohlin and shared with the whole industry. It is credited with saving more than one million lives.
1972
Rear-facing child seat
Volvo put rear-facing child seats into production after testing a prototype in 1964, followed by the booster cushion in 1978.
1991
Side Impact Protection System
Introduced on the 850, followed by the world’s first side airbags in 1994.
1998
WHIPS and inflatable curtains
A whiplash protection seat and curtain airbags protecting front and rear passengers.
2008
City Safety
Automatic braking at low speeds became standard on the XC60, an early step for automatic emergency braking.
1970–today
Accident research
Volvo’s own accident research team has studied tens of thousands of real crashes since 1970. Since 2019 its E.V.A. initiative has shared that data openly.
3.2 million mi
Highest-mileage car
Irv Gordon’s 1966 P1800 holds the Guinness World Record at over 5.1 million km / 3.2 million mi.
763,389
Record year
Volvo’s highest-ever global sales, set in 2024, with record revenue of SEK 400 billion.
Volvo Racing History
Volvo’s motorsport history is mainly in rallying and touring cars, where it has won European and world titles.
Rallying, 1950s–1960s
Volvo PV544 and Amazon
Rally European champion
Gunnar Andersson won the European Rally Championship for Volvo in 1958 and 1963, and Joginder and Jaswant Singh won the 1965 East African Safari Rally in a PV544.
Touring cars, 1985
Volvo 240 Turbo
ETCC champion DTM champion
Nicknamed “the flying brick”, the 240 Turbo won the 1985 European Touring Car Championship with Thomas Lindström, while Per Stureson won the German DTM title in a privately run 240.
British Touring Cars, 1994–1999
Volvo 850 and S40
BTCC TWR
Tom Walkinshaw Racing entered the 850 estate in the 1994 BTCC, then the 850 saloon and the S40. Rickard Rydell won the 1998 drivers’ title in an S40.
World Touring Cars, 2017
Volvo S60 Polestar TC1
World champion Cyan Racing
Thed Björk and Polestar Cyan Racing won the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles in the final season of the World Touring Car Championship. The team had earlier won Swedish touring car titles in Volvos under the Flash Engineering and Polestar Racing names.
Talk Volvo With Other Owners
From a first-generation 240 to a new EX60, every Volvo has a story. AutoGathering will connect this page to a Volvo community space where owners and enthusiasts can compare cars, share repair tips and plan meetups.
- Model comparisons
- Owner reviews
- Maintenance and repairs
- Classic Volvo restoration
- EV charging and range
- Buying used
- Volvo meets and events
- Wagon appreciation
Volvo FAQ
Who owns Volvo Cars?
Volvo Cars is majority-owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group of China, which holds about 79% of the shares through Geely Sweden Holdings. The remaining shares trade on Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker VOLCAR B, listed in October 2021. Geely bought Volvo Cars from Ford in 2010.
Is Volvo a Swedish or Chinese company?
Both descriptions are partly true. Volvo Cars is a Swedish company headquartered in Gothenburg, where its design, engineering and main factory are based, but its majority owner is China’s Geely Holding. Cars are built in Sweden, Belgium, the United States, China and Malaysia.
Are Volvo Cars and Volvo Trucks the same company?
No. Volvo Cars and AB Volvo (the Volvo Group: trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine engines) have been separate companies since 1999, when AB Volvo sold its car business to Ford. They share the Volvo name and logo and jointly run the Volvo Museum. Geely Holding is also a large shareholder in AB Volvo but does not control it.
Does Volvo own Polestar?
Not any more. Polestar began as a Volvo racing partner and performance brand, and Volvo relaunched it as a stand-alone electric car brand in 2017. After share transfers in 2024 Volvo Cars holds roughly 20% of Polestar; Geely and its founder Li Shufu’s investment company are now the largest owners.
What does the name Volvo mean?
Volvo is Latin for “I roll”. The name was first registered by the Swedish bearing maker SKF, which funded the car company’s start in 1927.
Did Volvo invent the seat belt?
Volvo did not invent the seat belt, but Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin developed the modern three-point seat belt, introduced as standard on the PV544 and Amazon in 1959. Volvo made the patent available to other car makers, and the design is credited with saving more than a million lives.
Is Volvo going fully electric?
Volvo originally aimed to sell only fully electric cars by 2030. In 2024 it softened that goal to a range made up of 90 to 100% electrified cars, counting plug-in hybrids, and it continues to sell mild and plug-in hybrids alongside its electric models. Its longer-term target is net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
Where are Volvo cars made?
Volvo Cars builds cars at Torslanda in Gothenburg, Sweden; Ghent in Belgium; Ridgeville in South Carolina, United States; and several plants in China. The EX30 is also assembled in Shah Alam, Malaysia. Where a particular model is built depends on the market it is sold in.
Explore More Manufacturers
Compare Volvo with its former parent company, its sister brands and its competitors.
Photo credits
- Header image: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Volvo EX30 small electric SUV parked in…: Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Volvo XC40 Recharge, the model since renamed…: Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Black Volvo EC40 Ultra Twin Motor in…: Chanokchon, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Volvo EX60 electric mid-size SUV in Bietigheim-Bissingen,…: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Volvo ES90 electric saloon on the Volvo…: Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Volvo EM90 electric MPV photographed in China: JustAnotherCarDesigner, CC0, cropped and resized.
- White Volvo XC40 B4 facelift in a…: Damian B Oh, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- White Volvo XC60 B5 facelift in a…: Damian B Oh, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Volvo XC70 plug-in hybrid SUV (2025 generation)…: JustAnotherCarDesigner, CC0, cropped and resized.
- 2025 facelifted Volvo XC90 photographed in Glen…: Kevauto, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Volvo V60 Cross Country B4 AWD facelift…: © M 93, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, cropped and resized.
- Dark blue 2025 facelift Volvo S90 saloon…: JustAnotherCarDesigner, CC0, cropped and resized.
- Volvo EX90 seven-seat electric SUV at Auto…: Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- 1928 Volvo ÖV4 open tourer at the…: Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Black Volvo PV444 in Väte, Gotland, Sweden: Bene Riobó, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- White 1966 Volvo 122S Amazon saloon: Oleg Yunakov, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Silver 1964 Volvo P1800 coupé at Classic-Gala…: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Silver 1992 Volvo 240 GLE estate parked…: Riley from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0, cropped and resized.
- Cream-yellow 1995 Volvo 850 T-5R estate in…: User3204, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Rally-prepared Volvo PV544 on display at the…: Andrzej Otrębski, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized.
- Volvo 240 Turbo Group A driven by…: Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, cropped and resized.
- Volvo 850 estate in 1994 British Touring…: Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Volvo S60 Polestar TC1, the 2017 World…: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.