Volvo exudes emotions of luxury, safety and endurance. The Volvo Amazon, noted for its safety features, including seat belts, was one the most successful Volvos of the 60’s. It had seat belts when very few, if any, had them, underlining Volvo’s innovativeness in safety.

Volvo cars have been quietly on Zimbabwe’s roads for a long time, but without much visibility, as they seem out of the range of the mass market. Volvos have historically been owned by a few privileged members of society. In the 1990’s the available were the 740, and 850.

The Swedish were never really perceived as auto makers against giants like the Germans, French and British, who also benefited from having colonies and therefore a presence in Africa. It was only in the early 2000’s, with the launch of the Volvo S80, that executives began to see an alternative to the German luxury brands. The presence of a dealer in Frexzim, also helped to put the brand on a higher pedestal, benefiting from local sales and service support.

The Volvo brand was born from another great Swedish company, SKF, who first registered the Volvo brand and trademark in 1927, as a full subsidiary of SKF.

From the onset, the founders, Assar Gabrielsson and Gustav Larson, were about safety,

“Cars are driven by people. The guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo, therefore, is and must remain, safety”. They said way back in 1927.

Over the years there have been various challenges, and consolidations, that saw the company being at one time a part of Ford, in a larger group that included Jaguar Land Rover. Today, Volvo is owned by the little known (in Zimbabwe) Chinese automotive giant, Geely, since 2010. Volvo are also owners of the performance brand, Polestar.

During the Ford era, 1999 to 2010, Volvo went up the luxury ladder to compete with German luxuries in America, but the entry of Subaru and Lexus into the same segment in the USA, left Volvo less competitive.

Geely has largely managed to turn around the company by expanding the portfolio across various segments, and also benefited from the huge Chinese market.

Among the current Volvo models are the S series, representing sedans such as the S40, S60, S80, and S90. Hatchbacks (5 door and station wagons) are denoted by a V, such as the V90.

The XC series covers all-wheel drive, including the SUV’s, such as the XC40, XC60, and XC90. The XC90 competes at the high end of the market with the likes of Audi Q9, BMW X5, among others.

From 2019, Volvo will be ending the production of purely internal combustion vehicles, moving into hybrid or electric, under both Volvo and Polestar brands.