Initially and internally known as Project Galaxy, the Volvo 440 it was the result of work started 10 years before, with the objective of creating a front-wheel drive, fun to drive, with good interior space and compact external dimensions.
Sharing some of the technology with the 480, a futuristic hatchback and just three doors and the first of the 400 family to be introduced, the 440 was also the model that first showed the direction Volvo wanted to take in its front-wheel drive models.
After the presentation of the first prototype, called the G4, still in September 1980, the Galaxy Project would culminate in the creation of two series: the 400, whose first model, the 480, was officially presented at the International Salon in Geneva in 1986; and in the 850 series, presented in the summer of 1991.
Modern and innovative car
But if the 480 was a proposal for a niche market, the Volvo 440, made known in 1988, would be a much more generalist car and a huge success in the middle segment. Following it, the following year, the 460, ten centimeters longer than the 440.
Car with modern lines, smooth and low, in addition to almost vertical windows, the 440 did not hide some connections to the 700 range, while inside, the especially practical rear seats could be divided into two sections. On the other hand, the instrument panel, placed in front of the driver, made access to controls much easier.
In the chapter of engines, only four-cylinder engines, with capacities of 1.6, 2.0 and a 1.7 l turbo.
Produced in Born, Holland, where the 340/360 and 480 models were also produced, the 440 also had a priority in safety, providing, as early as 1989, the ABS, or, in 1991, the pretensioners of the safety belts. safety and airbags, although all of them initially optional.
Back in 1994, it was time for the introduction of the side impact protection system — SIPS.
The end came in 1996
The Volvo 400 was discontinued in November 1996, at a time when its successors, the Volvo S40 and V40, were already in production.
However, along the way, there were some unusual proposals, such as the version designed for the police forces or the rally version, equipped with a 2.3 l block, 16 valves, 715 hp and all-wheel drive that competed in 1992. But never one. van — a body with a strong tradition at Volvo —, although a Dutch company has even sold, even without Volvo's authorization, a kit, which replaced the tailgate with a roof, side windows and trunk lids, made of fiberglass. glass, for model conversion.
