April 14, 1927. It wasn't the day the idea for the brand came up, nor the day the company was founded — that story is told elsewhere. It was the moment when the first Volvo left the gate of the Lundby factory in Gothenburg: the Volvo ÖV4.
At 10 am, Hilmer Johansson, sales director for the Swedish brand, took to the road the Volvo ÖV4 (highlighted) that would become known as “Jakob”, a dark blue convertible with black fenders, equipped with a four-cylinder engine.
Maximum speed? A dizzying 90 km/h. However, the brand advised that the cruising speed was 60 km/h. The bodywork was built on a beech and ash wood frame, covered with metallic foil and was available in this unique color combination.
Hilmer Johansson, driving the original Volvo ÖV4, in 1927.
Assar Gabrielsson and Gustav Larson's dream
“Cars are driven by people. That's why everything we do at Volvo must contribute, first and foremost, to your safety.”
It was with this phrase that the two founders of Volvo, Assar Gabrielsson and Gustav Larson (below), set the tone for the creation of a concept that emerged as a response to a market vacuum. The lack of a car sufficiently robust and prepared for the harsh winters in Scandinavia and the high accident rate on Swedish roads in the 1920s worried Assar and Gustav.
Since then (more than) 90 years have passed, and over that period, the focus on safety and people has not changed. From the three-point seat belt, to the third stop light, to airbags, pedestrian detection and auto-braking cars, there were many Volvo signature innovations.
Volvo in Portugal
The import of Volvo cars to Portugal began in 1933 thanks to Luiz Oscar Jervell, who would then form Auto Sueco, Lda. This would be the parent company of the Auto Sueco Group, which for decades was the exclusive representative of the brand in our parents.
Later, in 2008, Volvo Car Portugal was born, a subsidiary of the Volvo Car Group that from that year was in charge of importing Volvo models.