The Volvo Owners Club has put many of these historic documents together here to make them easier to find. These documents contain lots of useful information, both of a general and technical nature.

1920-2005
Technical facts about the various models with photographs, and a comprehensive Volvo Car Production Statistics from 1927.

1920-2000
These documents have fuller details about the year and the models.

History Articles
A series of documents from Volvo and other sources. Some have company statistics and other detail the background of Volvo and car production. Most are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

Visit the Volvo Community Forums, a series of forums covering all models of Volvo cars.


If you are new to forums then read our
Forum Introduction.

Visit the Volvo Sales and Wants, a place to buy or sell any Volvo car or car parts.

Visit the Volvo Gallery, a place to view and upload your own photographs of Volvo cars.

The 2000's Models

The V-sign

THE NEW VOLVO V70 - AN ESTATE FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

2000
The new millennium starts very well for Volvo Cars. In 2000, the company sells 422,100 vehicles, a record year.
Four new models are launched:
the Volvo V70, the Volvo Cross Country, Phase II of the Volvo S40/V40 and the new saloon model, the Volvo S60. Many feature the new rear seat with the 40/20/40 split. The new, sporty, compact saloon model, the Volvo S60, is extremely well-received by both the press and car buyers.
Other headline-grabbing innovations from Volvo are three new concept cars:
ACC - the Adventure Concept Car - a version of the Cross Country which is more like an SUV.
SCC - the Safety Concept Car - a model packed with new solutions for increased safety.
PCC - the Performance Concept Car - a high-performance model based on the Volvo S60.

A lot is happening within the company, including: Hans-Olov Olsson becomes President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation. King Carl XVI Gustav opens the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. Volvo's Road Accident Research Team has its thir-tieth birthday. Volvo Cars sells its share of NedCar in the Netherlands to Mitsubishi. At the end of the year, Volvo Cars acquires TWR's share of the Uddevalla plant, where the Volvo C70 is made.

 

2001 - The Year of Refinements

After launching more new models in a single year than ever before in 2000, Volvo Cars' work in 2001 is focused on development and new technology solutions. The Volvo Cars Safety Centre is also developed, and Volvo Cars now has superior crash test capabilities in its crash laboratory. Using the new movable test track, two-vehicle crash-tests can be staged from all possible angles at any speed.
The round-the-world sailing event, Volvo Ocean Race, sets out from Southampton on 20 September 2001.
Ahead of them the yacht crews have a voyage of 32,250 nautical miles before they reach the finishing line in Kiel in June 2002. Volvo's Cannondale mountain bike team, which has dominated the World Championships since 1994, reaps new successes and celebrates the decision to make mountain biking an Olympic sport in 2004.
Volvo Cars also invests heavily in working with schools on environmental issues.
In Barcelona, Volvo Cars opens a new design centre.

A NEW GENERATION OF ENGINES
A new generation of diesel engines is launched. They are made entirely of light alloy, which gives them very low weight. Low weight is important to fuel consumption, and it also has positive effects on handling. It also helps counteract understeering.
The engines are equipped with a Common Rail fuel system. This system features "pilot injection", which achieves a smoother initial phase in combustion and thus lower noise levels. A new turbo unit develops higher pressure, resulting in better acceleration and higher torque without affecting the diesel engine's fuel consump-tion. Carbon dioxide emissions from Volvo's new diesel engines are up to 30% lower than those from petrol engines of similar power output.
The basis of Volvo's Bi Fuel system (dual fuel and tank system) is Volvo's petrol engines. The low level of friction in the engines contributes to better fuel
economy and lower levels of harmful emissions. Switching between burning gas and burning petrol is fully automatic, without the driver even noticing.
These engines can be supplied for either CNG (compressed natural gas) or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), plus petrol.
The exhaust gases from a Bi Fuel engine powered by LPG are completely free of particulates. A strong product line-up, alongside Volvo's new diesel engines.
Volvo's Bi Fuel engines reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20%.
Thanks to a new design, Volvo's gas tanks no longer take up any cargo space in the cars.

THE VOLVO S60 AWD IS LAUNCHED
The AWD system is a further development of the earlier Volvo All Wheel Drive system. At the heart of the system is a Haldex clutch, a Swedish invention. The new AWD system is a hydraulic system with electronic control. The signals controlling the Haldex clutch are:

- Wheel speed
  (signals from the ABS sensors)
- Throttle status
- Engine torque
- Engine speed
- The braking system

OTHER ADVANCES
EBA (Emergency Brake System) senses how sharply the driver is pressing the brake pedal and therefore whether or not it is an emergency braking situation. When it senses emergency braking, the brake-system pressure is immediately maximised, considerably reducing the car's stopping distance.
Volvo's Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) can now remain active at speeds of up to 120 km/hour and may also be combined with AWD.
A new type of headlight, GDL (Gas Discharge Lights), is introduced for Volvo cars. This uses xenon lamps, which generate a very intense light. GDL ensures that approaching drivers are not dazzled by automatically adjusting the beam width. A sensor detects how heavy the car's load is and adjusts the beam width accordingly.

2002
Just days into the new year, an outstanding new Volvo is launched at the international motor show in Detroit: the Volvo XC90.

Volvo XC90 - the next generation SUV
The Volvo XC90 is an SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) derived from Volvo's large-car development platform. Safety was an overriding consideration throughout its development, including the safety of other road users: smaller cars, pedestrians and cyclists.

The Volvo XC90's centre of gravity is lower than that of conventional SUVs. This in itself helps reduce the risk of rollover accidents, and the Volco XC90 also has a sophisticated Rollover Protection System (ROPS).

The Volvo XC90 is also the only vehicle in its size class which is offered with forward-facing seats for seven people in three rows.

From the outset, buyers were offered the choice of a five or six-cylinder petrol engine or a five-cylinder turbodiesel.

Volvo S60 R and VOLVO V70 R unveiled at the Paris Motor Show 2002.
The new high-performance models, the Volvo S60 R and the Volvo V70 R, were first shown to the world at the Paris Motor Show. With a 300 bhp engine developing 400 Nm of torque, these cars have a six-speed manual gearbox and AWD. First introduced in these models was the Four-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) system, which allows the driver to switch between the suspension modes Comfort, Sport and Advanced Sport at the touch of a button.

Volvo Car Corporation celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding with a banquet for 500 guests. Amongst them were HRH Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and the actor Roger Moore.

At the end of the Volvo Ocean Race, the German yacht illbruck Challenge skippered by John Kosteck was watched by a jubilant crowd as it crossed the finishing line in Kiel. Just before the last leg, the race fleet made a memorable stopover of several days in Volvo's home city, Gothenburg.

2003
The year started off with the Volvo XC90 receiving the "North American Truck of the Year 2003" award from a panel of leading motoring journalists, making this the model with the greatest number of awards to its name in Volvo's entire history. With five stars in Euro-NCAP, the XC90 received the highest possible safety rating in this safety test. It marked the first time an SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) secured the highest rating.

The Volvo S80 was launched with both exterior and interior changes. The Volvo S80 was now available for the first time with AWD (all-wheel drive).

The major event in 2003 was the launch of the new generation Volvo S40 at the Frankfurt motor show. The new S40 is somewhat shorter, wider and taller than its predecessor. The exterior puts the emphasis on sporty, dynamic appeal. The interior has an entirely new design language, clearly anchored in Scandinavian heritage. For the first time, Volvo is offering 5-cylinder engines in this size of car, with power outputs from 140 bhp all the way to 220 bhp. The new Volvo S40 boasts an extremely high safety level, with features such as an entirely new patented frontal structure with several crumple zones and a body that is almost 68% more torsionally rigid than before. Side-impact protection is of the same type as found on Volvo's larger models.

V40 Phase 2

S40 Phase 2

The next new model was the Volvo V50, a sports wagon that replaces the Volvo V40. The V50 was unveiled at the end of 2003 and entered the showrooms during the first half of 2004.

At the Geneva motor show, Volvo surprised everyone by pulling the wraps off an entirely new concept model called the VCC, Versatility Concept Car - a vision of the future showing a premium-class estate car. The VCC has a number of innovative features, not least as regards comfort and environmental compatibility.

THE ALL-NEW VOLVO S40

• Distinctive Scandinavian design
• Unique centre stack
• Innovative interior styling

The biggest event by far in 2003 was the launch of the all-new Volvo S40 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. The all-new S40 is not as long as the earlier model of the same name, but it is slightly wider and taller. The exterior styling is sporty and dynamic. The interior is in a completely new idiom, taking much inspiration from classic Scandinavian design. The all-new S40 is to be offered in a wide range of engine options, with five-cylinder engines available for the first time in this class. The power options range from 140 bhp right up to 220 bhp. The all-new S40 has been designed from scratch to Volvo's high environmental standards.

85 per cent (by weight) of all materials used in the car are recyclable, and recycled materials have been used for certain interior components. A pollen filter for the cabin air is standard equipment. Like other Volvos, the new Volvo S40 is supplied with an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Safety was, as always, a prime consideration in the new Volvo S40. The patented front-end design of the new car has been divided into a series of crumple zones, each with a specific role in the event of a collision. The torsional rigidity of the body is 68 per cent higher than that of the old S40. The side-impact protection system is the same type as used in the larger Volvos.

The Volvo V50, a sports wagon, will reach the dealership showrooms in the first half of 2004

VERSATILITY CONCEPT CAR
When the 2003 Geneva Motor Show opened its doors, Volvo had a brand new concept car to share with the world - the Versatility Concept Car (VCC). Volvo's vision of a premium estate car of the future.

Its exterior styling draws on classic Volvo features: the distinctive broad shoulders, the styling of the grille and bonnet, the tailgate tending towards the vertical in traditional Volvo estate car style. The VCC's highly distinctive headlights include a system known as "Static Bending Light" - three light units per side aimed at different angles.

Some point straight ahead, others are activated only when the car is cornering to left or right. The X-framed roof is mostly of semi-transparent glass, vastly increasing the passengers' sense of space. Solar panels in the roof produce electricity for the VAAC, Volvo Ambient Air Cleaner system, an innovation which removes pollutants from the air outside the car even when the engine is not running. The four individual seats are covered with saddle-quality Swedish leather, complemented by soft Nubuck.

The aluminium centre console extends right through the car, incorporating many of the driver's controls. Another striking feature is the Volvo V-Pulse. A further development of existing remote controls for central locking, the V-Pulse goes with the driver when out of the car. It remains in contact with systems in the car at all times. When all is normal, its pulse rate is calm and regular. But if the car's alarm sounds or a door is opened, its pulse rate quickens noticeably. Open it up, and the display inside tells you what has happened.

The floor of the load space is electrically operated, sliding in and out for more convenient loading and unloading. Beneath the floor there are two storage compartments. One is heated - for hot food. The other is cooled - for chilled drinks. On the left there is a removable over-night bag in matching leather. As a concept car, obviously the VCC is not for sale, but many of its genes are very likely to set their stamp on the Volvos of the future.