Sweden

Sept. 8, 2008 -- Volvo Car Corporation and the Swedish National Road Administration will work together to avoid or lessen the effects of road accidents. This is the thrust of the declaration of intent that Volvo Cars' President and CEO Fredrik Arp and the Swedish National Road Administration's Director General Ingemar Skogö signed at the start of the traffic safety seminar today in Tylösand.

The Swedish National Road Administration has worked on its zero-vision approach since 1997, while Volvo Car Corporation presented a vision in 2007 whose aim is to design cars that do not crash. In the shorter term, this means that by the year 2020, nobody should be injured or killed in a Volvo.

2008-07-22 -- Two Saab concept cars, signaling the global expansion of the Swedish brand’s product portfolio, are displayed at this year’s London Motor Show. The Saab 9-X BioHybrid and 9-4X BioPower Concept share signature Scandinavian styling themes while showcasing future developments in efficient powertrain technology. They symbolize Saab’s commitment to enter all major segments of the car market with distinctive premium products.

9-4X BioPower Concept, Saab 9-X BioHybrid Concept

Share of voting rights will amount to 68.60 percent

Wolfsburg, 17 July 2008 -- The Volkswagen Group has received the antitrust approvals necessary to acquire a majority voting stake in Swedish truck manufacturer Scania AB. The majority voting stake is expected to be acquired on July 22, 2008. In addition to the approval by the European Commission, a large number of antitrust proceedings were required in other countries worldwide.

Volvo's biggest car news from 1968

July 2, 2008 -- After more than ten years without a six-cylinder model to offer customers, it was time in August 1968 for Volvo to unveil its 1969 model range which included a new large car for the more prestige- and luxury-oriented segments. The model was called the 164, with the figure "6" in the middle denoting that unlike the cars in the 140 Series, this model featured a six-cylinder engine.

Stylish, elegant and comfortable

June 25, 2008 -- As part of an extensive cost reduction programme, Volvo is planning to reduce its workforce by 1,400 white collar (consultants included) and 600 blue collar members of its workforce. The company is today handing in a notice of these actions to the Swedish authorities (the Swedish Public Employment Service).

The notice includes 1,200 employees at Volvo Car Corporation in Gothenburg (1,105 employees), Volvo Car Sweden (45 employees) and Volvo Cars Body Components in Olofström (50 employees). Also, contracts with around 500 consultants will be cancelled. The company is also planning to reduce its workforce by 300 people abroad.

2008-06-19 -- General Motors (GM) has allocated production of the next generation Saab 9-3 to the Trollhattan plant in Sweden. This morning the Saab staff was informed by GM Europe President and Chairman of the Saab Board Carl-Peter Forster.

“This is obviously extremely positive news for our organization and the region and a clear signal of the confidence in our ability to deliver world class production quality and efficiency”, says Saab Automobile Managing Director Jan Åke Jonsson.

“Since we had been allocated production of the next generation global Compact Vehicles in April of 2007 it’s really good to know we can start focusing on building a range of next generation Saab 9-3 vehicles”.

2008-06-12 -- Saab Automobile is the principal sponsor of Sweden’s most prestigious design prize, Design S – the Swedish Design Award – together with the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. This sponsorship is an expression of Saab’s commitment to Scandinavian design principles and interest in promoting a holistic view on design issues. The bi-annual award was founded by Svensk Form, SVID (the Swedish Industrial Design Foundation), and the Advertising Association of Sweden. The Minister for Trade, Ewa Björling, presented the award at the prize-giving ceremony.

Sales of bioethanol cars reach 100,000.

2008-05-28 -- The market for E85 flex-fuelled cars is booming. Saab, the largest seller of flex-fuel cars in Europe, recently delivered the 100,000th flex-fuel car in the Swedish market – a Saab 9-3 BioPower. In fact, Saab BioPower models have been the main contributor to Sweden’s leading position in the switch to renewable fuels within Europe.

It took seven years to sell the first 300 flex-fuel cars in Sweden. Six years later there were 50,000 on the roads. An additional 50,000 flex-fuel cars have been sold during the last 15 months alone – proof that the market is truly expanding. A joint strategy between central and local government, fuel producers, retailers and car manufacturers has been a key to this success.

May 23, 2008 -- Per Ericsson has been named new manager of Volvo Event Management Golf, succeeding Mel Pyatt, who has retired. He will assume his position on June 1.

Per Ericsson, 45, is a graduate economist and has more than 20 years experience in leading positions within events and media, including from the Swedish Exhibition Center in Göteborg and the Carat media agency. He has also served as CEO of Novamedia that, among other products, produces the Swedish TV game shows Bingolotto and Postkodmiljonären.

May 15, 2008 -- 47 Volvo P1800 cars from German and Swiss Volvo Owner clubs visit Sweden and Volvo Car Corporation in connection with the clubs' 30 year anniversary. An impressive sight.

Historical Volvo P1800 visit to Sweden

The German Volvo P1800 IG and the Swiss Volvo-Sport Club P1800 are both celebrating their anniversary with a week's visit to Sweden. The group consists of 38 cars from Germany and 9 from Switzerland. The different Volvos are; 35 ES, 11 P/S/E and an Amazon GT, altogether 95 club members. The troop arrived with the ferry to Göteborg habour in the beginning of the week and will tour western Sweden for a couple of days.