1920-1940

Volvo was born on April 14, 1927, when the first car, ÖV4 (nicknamed Jakob) left the factory in Gothenburg.

The 1920s was the decade when cars made a real breakthrough, both in the USA and Europe. In Sweden, people’s interest in cars was seriously aroused in 1923 as the result of a jubilee exhibition in Gothenburg attended by 97 car exhibitors.

Quality was of paramount importance to the men who founded Volvo.
This basic concept, which was formulated back in 1926, still applies to Volvo’s way of making cars.
While the Volvo Group built its first truck in Sweden in 1928, Volvo first entered the North American truck market in 1959. It was not until the mid-1970s that Volvo was established as a permanent part of the U.S. truck market, through Volvo of America Corp.
1959 – Volvo Titan, Volvo Viking, Volvo Starke launched.
1971 – Volvo placed eight F86 trucks in the United States for tests.
1974 – Volvo F86 launched in northeastern United States.
1976 – Volvo F613 medium-duty truck launched.
1981 – A.B. Volvo purchased some assets of White Motor Corp. to form Volvo White Truck Corp., based in Greensboro, NC. Volvo White sold vehicles under the Volvo, White and Autocar nameplates.
1988 – Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corp. was formed as a joint venture between Volvo and General Motors Corp. Volvo GM’s nameplates were WHITEGMC and Autocar. The WHITEGMC nameplate was discontinued in 1995 and Volvo GM’s trucks were sold under the Volvo and Autocar nameplates.
1993 – The Volvo D12 engine launched in the United States.
1996 – Volvo VN launched.
1997 – Volvo purchased all of General Motors’ interests in Volvo GM, and changed the company’s name to Volvo Trucks North America.
2000 – Volvo VHD launched.
2001 – Volvo licensed use of the Autocar name to Grand Vehicle Works Holdings LLC. All Volvo Trucks North America trucks are now sold exclusively under the Volvo brand name.
2002 – The new Volvo VN launched.
2005 – The D16 Engine was launched.
2005 – Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology (VEST) introduced as standard equipment on highway tractors.
2006 – Volvo introduces the new family of Volvo D11, D13 and D16 engines designed to meet the US’07 emissions regulations. Volvo I-Shift transmission launched for North America.
2009 – Volvo introduces EPA ’10 Volvo SCR engines and Volvo Enhanced Cruise (VEC).
2011 – Volvo Trucks delivers 50,000th VEST equipped truck.
2011 – Volvo Trucks assembled its 500,000th truck in the United States.
2011 – Fuel-saving XE13 powertrain package introduced.
2011 – Production of natural gas-powered Volvo VNM model begins.
2012 – Volvo launches Remote Diagnostics aftermarket service.
2012 – Production of natural gas-powered Volvo VNL model begins
2013 – Volvo VNX heavy-haul model introduced.
2013 – Volvo I-Shift automated manual transmission becomes standard on all Volvo-powered models
2014 – Production of natural gas-powered Volvo VNM model begins
2014 – Optimized Series VNM and VNL models introduced

Volvo Trucks North America’s operations and products are guided by the company’s three core values: Quality, Safety and Environmental Care. The Volvo VNM, VNL, VNX, VHD and VAH trucks are assembled in the United States at the New River Valley Plant in Dublin, Virginia, while Volvo engines for North America are assembled in Hagerstown, Maryland. The New River Valley Plant is certified to ISO50001 energy standards. Both plants are certified to ISO14001 environmental and ISO9001 quality standards.

The Volvo Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs about 110,000 people, has production facilities in 19 countries and sells its products in more than 190 markets. In 2013, the Volvo Group’s sales amounted to $41.5 billion. The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo shares are listed on OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm and are traded OTC in the U.S. For more

Volvo Trucks is a global truck manufacturer based in Gothenburg, Sweden, owned by Volvo Group – AB Volvo it is the world’s second largest heavy-duty truck brand.