Volvo began producing cars at its Gothenburg, Sweden, factory in 1927. That endeavor grew into the Volvo Group, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial vehicles, selling trucks under Volvo, Renault Trucks, Mack Trucks, Volvo Penta, Prevost, and other brands. The group has production sites in 20 countries and sales offices in 190 countries. Volvo showed a prototype vehicle at the California State Fair in 1947. The first export for sale in the U.S., a PV444, arrived at the Port of Los Angeles in 1955. 2025 marks the 70th year Volvo has been selling passenger cars in the U.S.
Impressive Sales
Volvo Cars sold 763,389 vehicles globally in 2024, an 8% increase over 2023. The commercial vehicle business and the passenger car business are separate endeavors. The passenger car business has sold 5 million vehicles in the U.S. since 1955.
Early Volvo cars were billed as “Family Sports Cars.” The brand has always had key attributes: efficiency, fun, and safety.
Safety
Volvo’s safety features alone are reason to buy. Over the years, Volvo has invented or pioneered various safety features like 3-point seat belts, rear-facing child seats, and booster seats. In 1990, they were the first automaker to integrate a booster into a vehicle’s rear seat. Volvo was also the first to add a side airbag in 1991, and, in 1998, was the first to offer a side curtain airbag system for both front and rear passengers. That tradition continues with blind-spot monitoring, rollover prevention, pedestrian detection, drowsy or distracted driver monitoring, and cloud-based vehicle-to-vehicle safety warnings for road conditions ahead.
Efficiency and Fun
Volvo vehicles have typically been efficient, too. While “fun to drive” has always been part of the overall experience, today’s Volvo cars are efficient, thanks to fully electric SUVs like the EX30, XC40, and EX90. Even gasoline-powered Volvos like the XC90, XC60, S90, and S60 are either hybrids or plug-in hybrids. Every new Volvo sold in the U.S. has some electrification, adding power and efficiency.
Want to drive a shockingly quick luxury SUV? Try a Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid. The gas engine is turbocharged and supercharged. With the included electric motor, the combination distributes 455 horsepower to the four wheels. The XC60 doesn’t wear tacky decals or stripes, a loud exhaust, or a $100,000 price tag — just 563 lb-ft of torque in a small SUV that handles well and goes from zero to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds.
Today’s technology is a giant leap compared to popular early models like the PV444, P1800, 240, 940, and early XC90s. Today, the U.S. and Europe are Volvo’s largest markets for new cars, and Volvo builds the EX90 and S60 in the U.S.
Volvo cars compete with brands like Audi, Acura, BMW, Lexus, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz.
