Ahoy, raise the main sail, maties! “Somewhere in the World,” Volvo Car Corporation has sunk real-life treasure - a chest filled with $50,000s worth of gold doubloons plus a key to a brand new Volvo XC90 - and will soon be taking would-be pirates on a virtual high seas adventure to find it. Volvo’s online treasure hunt, inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, starts May 4 simultaneously in 22 countries.

Last summer, Volvo embarked on its official partnership with Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise by launching a global online treasure hunt for a buried Volvo XC90 V8. The hunt, like the movie, was a huge success and drew more than 100,000 participants from around the world. This year, with more countries participating and even more booty at stake, Volvo’s hunt promises to be bigger and better, with more than 6,000 treasure hunters already pre-registered.

“We had such a great response to the hunt last year that we really did feel the pressure to come up with something equally cool and attention grabbing this year,” said Linda Gangeri, national advertising manager for Volvo Cars of North America. “So, yes, we really did sink a treasure chest to the ocean floor filled with gold and the key to a new Volvo. It’s sitting there right now just waiting to be found.”

Volvo will release more details about the hunt May 3. All pirates, swashbucklers and scallywags are invited to register now at http://volvocars.us/thehuntsignup.html.

Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson,
the founders of Volvo
Volvo AV4, rolled off the production line at the plant in Hisingen, Gothenburg. Meanwhile, Volvo has developed into both a global manufacturer of commercial vehicles and a world-leading carmaker. Volvo’s founders were convinced that the company’s products had to be safe if Volvo was to make the grade as a vehicle manufacturer and 80 years of successful operations has proved the correctness of this approach.

A modest start Back in the 1920s, business conditions for the hundreds of car manufacturers around the world were far from favorable. The world economy was only just beginning to recover after the war. Many of the smaller independent car manufacturers could not make ends meet, and were forced out of business. However, Volvo’s founders, Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson were not to be deterred.

Determined to get a Swedish car industry under way, the two entrepreneurs, both of whom had backgrounds at the Swedish ball-bearing manufacturer, SKF, set to work. They would build their first cars according to a unique concept - simplicity rather than complexity, quality rather than low price, and a construction based on own components rather than purchased components.

Their efforts paid off. The first car, the AV4, came off the production line in Gothenburg, Western Sweden, in April 1927. However, the car was not a major success, as it was an open-roof model, and not ideal for the cold Swedish climate. Gabrielsson and Larson had more success with their first truck, the LV1, which left the factory a year later.

By the end of the 1920s, Volvo began exporting its vehicles, initially to Sweden’s neighboring country, Finland.

The 1930s - Volvo continues to grow
If Volvo got off to a modest start in the 1920s, it made up for it in the 1930s. One success followed the other, and the Volvo brand became known in places far away from the factory on the island of Hisingen in Gothenburg.

After the first passenger car from 1927 and the first truck in 1928, Volvo followed with a bus, the B1, which was presented in 1934. It received great acclaim, but sales never really took off. It was not until 1936, when Volvo introduced its new omnibus models, that sales volumes really began to increase.

After just a few years, Volvo had established itself as the leading truck brand in Sweden. Several thousand trucks were now being sold each year, and production capacity was gradually increased.

Probably the most important event during the 1930s for Volvo was its acquisition of the Penta plant in Skövde, Sweden, which was founded as far back as 1907. With Penta, Volvo gained control of both development, production and quality control of engines for all its products.

The 1940s - a new start
For Volvo, the 1940s were, of course, very much influenced by the Second World War. Even while supplying the Swedish defence forces with vehicles and the civil population with wood gas generators, Volvo continued to look to the future, and to develop products which would provide post-war customers with top-class products.

Volvo continued to make strategic acquisitions during the 1940s. When it acquired Svenska Flygmotor (now known as Volvo Aero) in Trollhättan, north of Gothenburg, in 1941, Volvo gained access not only to a completely new range of products, but also to high technology competence which would be of great benefit to the other companies in the growing Volvo Group.

In the following year, 1942, Volvo took over Köpings Mekaniska Werkstad, thereby gaining control over its gearbox production as well as its engine production.

The biggest event of the 1940’s for Volvo was without a doubt the Stockholm Fair in 1944. The new passenger car, the PV444 was introduced, along with the first Diesel Trucks, the first diesel bus and the first tractor, a T41. All four products would ensure that Volvo was firmly placed as a leading vehicle manufacturer, not just in Sweden, but in the whole world.

Up until now, Volvo’s success was mainly due to its commercial vehicle range, but the passenger car business was becoming more and more successful.

The 1950s
During the 1950s, Volvo reaped the benefits of the investments it had been making. A broadening range of new products continued to attract new groups of customers.

In 1950, it acquired Bolinder–Munktell (a company which dated back to 1832), an investment which would give a good return and which would turn Volvo into the “engine” of modernisation of Swedish agriculture.

Volvo/Bolinder–Munktell presented its first construction vehicle in 1954. The revolutionary truck known as Titan (with trubo engine) and the L420 Snabbe (with a Volvo-designed front-driven steel cab and powerful V8 engine), along with the mid-engine bus B655 strengthened Volvo’s dominance in the commercial vehicle segment. The PV445 Duett, P1200 Amazon and PV544 passenger cars met with immediate success both “at home” in Sweden and around the world, not least in North America, which would soon become the biggest passenger car market for Volvo.

Nils Bohlin 1959 Inventor of the 3-point safety belt

The new truck factory ’Spetsbågen’ on the island of Hisingen in Gothenburg (1953) provided the company with the production capacity it now desperately needed in order to supply the ever-increasing number of customers with commercial vehicles of high quality.

During the final years of the 1950s, Volvo Penta presented not only the unique, direct injection diesel engine, the MD1, but also the revolutionary Acquamatic. These products brought Volvo to the forefront of the marine engine industry.

During the 1950s, Volvo began to concentrate on improving the safety aspect of its vehicles. In 1959, Volvo became the first car manufacturer in the world to make 3-point seat belts a standard feature in all its passenger cars. The 1960s

PV 544, 1960, in the Volvo Windtunnel

Before the Second World War, Volvo had manufactured largely for the Scandinavian markets. In the 1960s, Volvo decided it was time to expand its horizons further afield. In 1965, a truck and car assembly plant was opened in Gent, Belgium. Volvo began its global expansion in earnest, opening a new passenger car factory in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1968. During the following years, many more assembly plants would be opened in other locations around the world.

Production capacity at home, however, was also increased. In 1963-64 a new factory was opened in Gothenburg, in an area called Torslanda on the island of Hisingen. In the new factory, production of passenger cars and commercial vehicles was completely separate.Product-wise, the 1960s saw several revolutionary years. The System 8 truck range (1965), the new “B50 series” buses (1966) and the 144 passenger car (1966) were among the safest and most economical vehicles in their segments.

The 1970s
In the 1970s, Volvo set about carrying its core values of quality, safety and care for the environment into not only its production facilities, but also its products.

The VESC, “Volvo Environmental Safety Car”, and the F10/F12/Globetrotter truck series brought Volvo to the forefront in the areas of quality, safety and environment.

The 1980s
At the beginning of the 1980s, Volvo was essentially a European company with a certain amount of sales outside of Europe. However, during the 1980s, Volvo was to become truly global. With the acquisition of the US truck manufacturer, White Motor Corporation, and great progress in North America, South America, Asia and Australia, Volvo was slowly but surely becoming one of the world’s leading truck manufacturers and a significant niche player in the passenger car business. Some examples of comfortable, safe Volvo products from the 1980’s were the 760GLE passenger car (1982), the C10M tourist bus (1984) and the FL6, FL7 and FL10 truck series (1985).

Volvo strengthened its position as a leading manufacturer of construction equipment when it joined forces with an American company to build Volvo Michigan Euclid. Today the company is known as Volvo Construction Equipment and is one of the major players in the construction equipment industry, with a broad range of products and dealers all over the world.

The 1990s
During the 1990s, Volvo’s vehicle range became more and more modern, efficient and environmentally-friendly. Volvo continued to make strategic acquisitions in the both the construction equipment and bus chassis areas.

Examples of some of the new products launched during the 1990’s were the new generation of trucks (FH12/FH16, VN, FM7/FM10/FM12, NH12, where all models shared a “global product platform”, along with a wide range of busses with rear-mounted engines.

In 1998, Volvo launched the S80 passenger car to great acclaim. Shortly afterwards, in the spring of 1999, Volvo divested Volvo Car Corporation to the Ford Motor Company, claiming that Ford would be in a better position to provide VCC with the “significant investments required in both the development of new car generations and in distribution”, and that VCC’s future prospects would, by being an important part of one of the world´s largest and most profitable automotive groups, improve considerably. Three years on, Volvo Cars is an integral part of the Premier Automotive Group within the Ford Motor Company, and has indeed gone from strength.

By the end of the 1990’s, Volvo had established a strong foothold in Asia. Volvo trucks, buses and construction equipment were being assembled in India, Thailand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, to name but a few Volvo Construction had successfully completed the acquisition of Samsung of Korea, and the integration of the company into the Volvo Group.

21st century
During the early years of the third millennium, Volvo Group has strengthened its position as a world-leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, construction equipment, marine and industrial engines and services and products for the aerospace industry. Products have been launched on a regular basis by all Volvo companies and several innovative solutions have been presented. Volvo Penta’s launch of the IPS (Inboard Performance System) system has revolutionized the boat industry and the Volvo Group’s unique hybrid solution for heavy vehicles has attracted considerable attention.

Volvo has continued its rapid growth and the early part of the 21st century has been characterized by several acquisitions. On January 2, 2001, the Volvo Group became Europe’s largest and the world’s second largest manufacturer of heavy trucks as a result of the acquisition of Renault V.I., with such makes as Renault and Mack. Both of these truck manufacturers are now well integrated into the Group and access to considerable and coordinated resources has enabled them to launch new and improved products, specifically adapted to the unique needs of their various customers. Volvo Trucks has continued to grow in the global market and to date in the 21st century has renewed its entire product offering.

Volvo Construction Equipment’s development into a more global and complete manufacturer started during the 1990s and has continued into the current decade. The company has now cemented a position as the world’s third largest manufacturer of construction equipment. At the beginning of 2007, the American company Ingersoll Rand’s division for highway construction equipment and Lingong, a Chinese manufacturer of wheel loaders, were acquired. The latter transaction made Volvo CE the world’s largest manufacturer of wheel loaders.

A few months later, the Volvo Group completed a strategically important transaction in Asia – the acquisition of the Japanese truck maker Nissan Diesel. This gave the Volvo Group a presence in Asia similar to that developed in North America and Europe.

In the engine area, the 21st century has entailed a comprehensive shift. A total of 18 engine families have become two, and the Volvo Group is now the world’s largest manufacturer of heavy diesel engines, offering the world’s most modern engine program. The new family of heavy engines satisfies all of the known emission requirements that will gradually become effective up to 2014. As a result of the high growth rate, the Volvo Group has become Sweden’s largest company by far, with nearly 100,000 employees worldwide and sales of nearly SEK 300 billion.

Ingrid Skogsmo, Director Volvo Cars Safety Centre

For Volvo Cars, the 21st century has been characterized by aggressive launches of new cars and expansion into new segments. The greatest success to date has been the introduction of the XC90 SUV model. Ford Motor Company’s ownership resulted in economies of scale and new technologies that formed the foundation for the development of the S40, V50, S80 and most recently the third generation V70 and XC70 models. Volvo Cars made a further aggressive move in 2006, through the introduction of the compact and youthful Volvo C30.

The company has also excited the market through a number of successful concept cars, of which the Safety Concept Car (SCC) and Your Concept Car (YCC) have attracted most attention. The latter car was designed by a completely female project management. The XC60 concept is the latest in a line of concept cars indicating Volvo Cars‘ new design orientation.Volvo Cars is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and currently has approximately 25,500 employees in various parts of the world.

Truck and trailer makers are offering 2007 models certified by the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program. The EPA says the trucks can save owners $11,000 annually while reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and air pollutants.

Freightliner, International, Kenworth, Mack, Peterbilt and Volvo are participating in the program. SmartWay-designated models include the International ProStar and Volvo VN and, in 2008, the Freightliner Century Class S/T and Columbia.

SmartWay-approved equipment can reduce fuel consumption 10 to 20 percent by reducing wind resistance, the EPA says. Each Smartway truck can save 2,000 to 4,000 gallons of diesel per year – or $5,680 to $11,360, at current retail prices.

SmartWay trucks or engines have:

The Volvo VHD vocational truck and tractor are now available with a factory-installed 42-inch sleeper cab, the company announced today. Designated the Volvo VHD 430, it is designed for customers who need a comfortable and efficient sleeper to meet hours of service regulations, without sacrificing reliability or performance in demanding vocational applications, company officials said.

Volvo Trucks North America will show the new VHD 430 to the public for the first time April 12-14 at ExpoCam in Montreal, Quebec.

Volvo said the VHD 430 is designed for customers who want the VHD’s ability to operate in demanding conditions with large or heavy loads, while providing drivers with the sleeper berth required by hours of service regulations. The VHD was previously only available with a daycab.

“The Volvo VHD brings the innovation and technology Volvo is known for with its highway trucks to the vocational market,” Brent Weary, regional vice president for sales and marketing for Volvo Trucks Canada, said. “The VHD has always given drivers an outstanding working environment, with a strong emphasis on safety, along with the durability that our vocational customers demand.

“Now, with the VHD 430, we can put this great vocational truck to work in applications that require a sleeper. The VHD 430 has a very comfortable 42-inch sleeper, made to Volvo’s standards and backed by Volvo’s warranty.”

Volvo said the VHD 430 is highly customizable and comes as a 6×4, 8×4 or 8×6 tractor or truck, in axle forward and axle back configurations. They said the VHD’s basic design is highly flexible to accommodate a wide variety of factory-installed options, with multiple axles, frame rails options and a wide list of available components.

Major features include:

• Volvo D13 engine, with up to 485 hp and 1650 lb-ft of torque.

• Transmissions — Volvo I-Shift 12-speed automated manual transmission; Eaton Fuller 10- to 18-speed manuals and AutoShift; Allison automatic.

• Front axle to 20,000-pound capacity.

• Front axle position at 29.1 and 51.2 inches.

• Volvo T-Ride rear suspensions up to 70,000-pound capacity; optional Hendrickson suspensions.

• Frame rails available in five thicknesses (up to 0.44 inches thick), with 1.88 million to 4.2 million RBM.

• One-piece cab and sleeper, constructed of robotically-welded high-strength steel (HSS).

• Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology (VEST) for advanced traction and stability control, and rollover protection.

• Standard Volvo Link Sentry remote vehicle monitoring and Volvo Action Service coverage

The sleeper’s one-piece design eliminates the compromises necessary to mount aftermarket sleeper boxes, such as the risk of reduced structural integrity from cutting away the back wall, and eliminating the risk of water and air leaks at the seal between sleeper boxes and cabs, Weary said.

“The one-piece construction also means less noise intrusion and better thermal insulation, while the entire cab and sleeper is covered by Volvo’s cab structure warranty of 72 months/750,000 miles/15,000 operating hours. Integrated construction means tighter, more reliable, and better overall design for the complete vehicle.”

The VHD 430’s sleeper has 118 cubic feet of space. Inside the sleeper is a full-length bed, with windshield and sleeper curtains to ensure a good sleep environment for off-duty drivers.

Volvo’s first truck had 28 horsepower and could carry 1.5 tonnes. Today’s largest Volvo is the most powerful production truck in the world with its 660 hp engine capable of hauling 200 tonnes.

Between them lie 80 years of dedicated work by generations of enthusiastic Volvo employees. All of whom were driven by the same strong feeling of belonging and the same concern for quality and safety that the company’s two founders originally planted in Volvo from the very start.

Economist Assar Gabrielsson was just 33 years old when he became sales manager of Svenska Kullagerfabriken (SKF). However, he wanted something different - he had his heart set on building cars. Then, cheer chance in 1924 he met a former colleague, Gustaf Larson, an engineer widely acclaimed for his technical expertise and a man who shared the very same dream.

The drawings for Volvo’s first truck - the Series 1 - were already complete when the company’s first passenger car left the factory on 14th April 1927, with the first truck introduced in February 1928.

The wheel is perhaps Man’s most important invention and now Volvo - which means “I roll” in Latin - had taken over the wheel !

The Volvo spirit
Larson and Gabrielsson knew that Swedish iron was of better quality than iron from anywhere else. Accordingly, their ‘Swedish car’ would be better than imported cars. That’s exactly the way it worked out and sales went well, especially for the company’s trucks. Exports got under way back in 1928, seeing Volvo’s on roads in countries as far apart as China and Argentina.

The “Volvo” name was easy to remember and pronounce in every language the world over. Trucks continued to be the most important product for Volvo through to the 1950’s, when more people were able to afford cars and car production rose.

The two founders of the company worked consistently and with dedication to make Volvo a very special company. From the President all the way to the errand-boy, the company was characterised by a special enthusiasm for the work and dedication to the company - a feeling that soon came to be called ‘the Volvo spirit’. Having a job at Volvo was regarded as an enviable achievement, and many, many thousands of employees the world over have proudly carried the Volvo spirit further over the past 80 years.

The importance of getting into the EC
The losses of the first years evaporated in autumn 1929 and by 1935, the company’s was doing so well that SKF terminated its majority shareholding by floating Volvo on the Stockholm stock exchange.

After almost 30 years, Volvo’s founders handed over the company’s reins in 1956 to Gunnar Engellau. In the early 1960s, he gave his colleague Lars Malmros the task of examining the viability of establishing a presence in the embryonic EC. In this market, demand for Volvo’s trucks had increased considerably at the same time as the economic union was increasingly protecting itself behind high customs and tariff barriers. In 1965 a factory was inaugurated for the production of cars, while truck production was increased in the importer’s factory in Alsemberg. In 1975 truck production was relocated to a new factory alongside the car production plant in Gent, Belgium. Volvo had now gained a firm foothold in Europe and underwent considerable expansion there.

In 1970 Volvo’s truck operations were separated into an independent unit within Volvo with the formation of the Volvo Truck Division, with Lars Malmros as President and CEO.

Globalisation
There were several pioneers linked to the company during this period of global expansion for Volvo, such as Saracakis brothers in Greece and Max Winkler in Australia. Their dedicated work on behalf of Volvo meant that the company could establish a strong following in these countries.

In the mid-70’s, the company started looking west. Volvo first established a presence in Brazil and soon became one of the biggest brands on this market. This was followed by North America and in 1981 Volvo acquired US truck-maker White. This purchase also signalled the real start of sales for Volvo’s own trucks in North America and Volvo Trucks now became a truly global company. Over the next few years, a new modular concept for the largest trucks was introduced, resulting in the Volvo FH/FM Series. A decision was also taken to build the first truck in the US featuring Volvo technology.

1996 saw the launch of the Volvo VN in the USA and in the following years a global industrial system was created that encompassed a global system of suppliers. Both production and the aftermarket were streamlined, leading among other things to the use of a far smaller variety of parts.

FH - the foundation for today’s trucks
1993 saw the introduction of the trucks that form the basis for today’s model range - the Volvo FH12/FH16. They were based on a modular platform that also forms the basis for the global product range encompassing the FH, FM, VN, VHD and VT that came later. The heart of the new best-seller was an entirely new, highly modern 12-litre engine that set a new standard for transport economy and environmental performance. Safety levels too had been significantly raised.

Since the start of the 1990s, the environment has been in firm focus and Volvo has shown a variety of concept vehicles - the best-known being the hybrid Environmental Concept Truck - and vehicles running on alternative fuels such as ethanol and DME, as well as fuel cells. In 2006, a hybrid truck featuring a diesel and electric motor attracted considerable attention.

1999 was a tumultuous year for the Volvo Group. There was an unexpected announcement that Volvo Cars would be sold to the Ford Motor Co. The move was accordingly ratified at an emotionally charged extraordinary general meeting in March of that year. However, only a month or so passed before AB Volvo announced that it had acquired French truck manufacturer Renault V.I. and its subsidiary Mack Trucks in the USA.

Volvo now became Europe’s largest - and the world’s second largest - manufacturer of heavy trucks. Volvo is also the world’s largest manufacturer of 9-16 litre diesel engines and no other truck maker can match Volvo with its presence in no less than 133 countries.

The aim of the acquisition of Renault and Mack was to generate economies of scale so as to develop more efficient trucks that meet both forthcoming environmental legislation and increasingly tough productivity demands.

Taking on the future with confidence
During the following seven years, truck operations were successfully integrated within the Volvo Group. The three brands live and develop alongside each other and each has its own specific target groups.

In February 2006, Volvo Trucks launched the world’s most powerful truck engine, a 16-litre engine producing 660 hp. That same year also started off with the acquisition of a significant shareholding in and cooperation with Japan’s Nissan Diesel, and just before Volvo’s 80th jubilee it was announced that Volvo intends to acquire all of Nissan Diesel.

2006 was yet another record year for Volvo Trucks and the company faces with considerable confidence a future characterised by major challenges, not least environmental demands on tomorrow’s trucks. Volvo is all set to roll with confidence towards its next 80 years of operation !

In 1998, Rose Mapendo was sitting on the concrete floor of a Congolese prison cell summoning up every ounce of courage, strength and intellect to protect her children. Almost ten years later, she has used that same determination and drive to help protect and rescue countless thousands of fellow refugees of genocide, and tonight was honored for her humanitarian outreach at the 5th Annual Volvo for life Awards ceremony in the heart of New York City. Volvo named Mapendo “America’s Greatest Hometown Hero” and awarded her a $50,000 charitable contribution and a new Volvo every three years for the rest of her life.

Mapendo, a Tutsi, was imprisoned and tortured by Congolese soldiers in the wake of the Rwandan genocide. Following 16 months of daily confrontations with death, witnessing the torture and execution of her husband and giving birth to premature twins on the floor of her cell, Mapendo and her nine children ended up in a refugee camp in Cameroon, from where she resettled to Phoenix, Ariz. Once safely established in the U.S., Mapendo helped found Mapendo International with the man responsible for her rescue. Mapendo International works with the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations to identify and assist Africa’s forgotten, those who are at risk of falling through the cracks of humanitarian aid efforts. The organization helps these people through its medical clinic in Kenya and through a rescue operations initiative, identifying at-risk individuals, families and groups of refugees and working to get them out of danger.

Held at the world famous 42nd St. Cipriani on April 5, the Volvo for life Awards ceremony was the climax of the largest-ever national search for and celebration of everyday heroes, with Volvo Cars of North America providing $1 million annually in awards and contributions. This year, in honor of the Awards’ 5th Anniversary, Volvo selected the top five heroes from every state in America and asked the public to visit : volvoforlifeawards.com and vote for their favorite unsung hometown hero. Volvo received hundreds of thousands of votes from across the country.

A panel of distinguished judges- including Hank Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Caroline Kennedy, Maya Lin, Val Kilmer, Paul Newman, Dr. Sally Ride, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and previous Volvo for life Awards grand winners - selected the program’s top three winners in the categories of Safety, Quality of Life and Environment. Mapendo was the Quality of Life category winner.

“The heroes selected as this year’s honorees have incredibly moving and powerful stories that symbolize Volvo’s core values of conscience, care and character and we are exceedingly proud to have the chance to honor them,” said Anne Blec, president and chief executive officer for Volvo Cars of North America. “It’s hard for anyone to imagine living through what Rose and her family had to endure, but to then go on to help other victims like herself is truly inspirational. She gives Africa’s forgotten refugees a voice and we hope this recent recognition will help America listen.”

More About Rose Mapendo
When Mapendo and her children were captured, one of her daughters, Nangabire, was away from home and avoided imprisonment. In 2000, when U.S. rescue workers spotted Mapendo and her malnourished twin baby boys, they were able to relocate the Mapendo family to Arizona but Nangabire, lost and presumed dead, was left behind. It wasn’t until 2002 that Mapendo discovered that her daughter was alive and safe with Mapendo’s parents, and then a further five years before mother and daughter were reunited briefly when Mapendo visited Africa this January. Finally, after years of determination and mountains of paperwork, Nangabire, now 17, was reunited with her mother in New York, April 4th - the day before the ceremony - and will go home to join her nine brothers and sisters in Arizona this Friday.

Mapendo currently serves as the Mapendo Organization’s spokesperson while working full time at a local hospice and, as a single mother, raises her children, all of whom attend school and college. Mapendo was nominated for the Volvo for life Awards by actress Susan Sarandon, an advisory board member of Mapendo International.

All parents want to protect their children to the best of their ability. This includes travelling by car. Despite this, children are injured and die unecessarily in cars because their child seats are incorrectly installed or are not suitable for their age, height or weight. Or, worse still, because they are travelling in cars without either child seats or safety belts. Since this is often due to lack of knowledge, Volvo Cars has produced a manual describing how pregnant women and children of different ages can travel as safely as possible in the car.

Many questions
“Pregnant women or new parents have many questions, especially how the newest addition to the family can be carried safely in the car,” says Lotta Jakobsson, Child Safety Specialist at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “We get many questions about the safest place in the car for the child, how he or she should be secured in the child seat and whether a safety belt can harm the mother-to-be. These are answered in our new child safety manual.”

Rear-facing safest
Lotta Jakobsson explains that a child’s head is big and heavy relative to its body. The head of a nine-month-old baby accounts for no less than 25 percent of the child’s body weight, compared with 6 percent in an adult. A child’s neck and neck vertebraes are not fully developed and are very different from those of an adult. In a frontal collision, the head of a forward-facing occupant is thrown forward with violent force. However, while the neck of an adult can withstand this stress relatively well, that of a small child cannot. And since frontal collisions are the most common and usually the most violent type, it is particularly important that small children are seated facing the rear.

“Facing the rear is absolutely the safest way of travelling in a car and Volvo Cars recommends this as far as practically possible,” comments Lotta.

Research based on real-life accidents
Among other sources, child safety research carried out by Volvo Cars, as well as the recommendations contained in the new manual, are based on the company’s own studies of real-life road accidents. The Volvo Cars Accident Research Team database contains details of over 36,000 accidents, involving more than 60,000 people.

“These accident statistics are unique of their kind,” comments Lotta Jakobsson. “The team’s studies show clearly that rear-facing child seats offer a very high degree of protection.”

Protection for older children
The Volvo Cars child safety manual also deals with questions such as the age at which the child may be seated facing forward and, in that case, what type of protection is suitable.

“At the earliest, we advise parents not to face a child forward until it has outgrown its rear-facing seat and has reached an age of at least 3 years,” adds Lotta. “By then, the body proportions have evened out and the neck has developed. However, the child is still too small to use a safety belt alone and a child booster cushion should be used. This ensures that the lap belt is in secure contact with the thighs, not against the child’s stomach, thus protecting the delicate internal organs in a crash situation. To encourage this practice, Volvo Cars recently introduced an integrated two-stage child booster cushion in its new V70 and XC70. The lower level is suitable for children between 115 and 140 cm in height, while the upper level is designed for smaller children between 95 and 120 cm.”

Child safety is not just a matter of technical solutions. Unfortunately, knowledge of how children should travel safely in cars is lacking in many parts of the world. In many cases, children travel completely unrestrained or secured incorrectly in protective equipment not designed for them. In addition, attitudes and legislation vary from country to country.

“We hope and believe that our safety manual will be very useful to everybody who carries their children in the car,” concludes Lotta Jakobsson.

Among other outlets, the manual will be available from Volvo dealers and as part of various market activities.

Volvo Cars has a long tradition of child safety development and the company currently offers four different child seats, two of which have been developed in collaboration with Britax, one of the world’s leaders in child restraints.

A number of distinctive design cues take the new Volvo S40 a visual step closer to the new S-range look as first shown on the all-new Volvo S80. At the same time, the V50 approaches the new V-range and the all-new V70 without compromising on its original compact and sporty attributes.

“When it comes to the exterior, we’re aiming for increased differentiation between the two models. The interior refinements have focused on liberating smart storage space,” says Volvo Cars Design Director Steve Mattin.

Starting with the new S40, the source of the inspiration can be seen clearly when the compact sedan is viewed from the front.

The new colour-coordinated soft nose creates a broader, lower stance thanks to a new grille with a larger Volvo iron mark, new headlamps and a lower air intake that sweeps across the entire front unlike the current model’s three-part design.

“The new, lower and more horizontal appearance radiates smooth power. This impression is reinforced when the car is seen from the side. At the rear, it is the shape of the new tail lamps and the new bumper that further boost the dynamic appearance,” says Steve Harper, who has been responsible for the design of the new Volvo S40 and V50.

Sportier V50 grille
The new black egg-crate grille with its larger Volvo iron mark emphasises a sporty language. The new headlamps and the three sculpted lower air intakes are other details that give the new colour-coordinated soft-nose V50 front an increased impression of solidity.

“Here, we’ve created visual vertical elements in order to further emphasise the new grille,” says Steve Harper.

Slimmer tail lamps
The lower part of the tail lamp panel on both the S40 and V50 is 30 millimetres higher than before and the lamps themselves have an entirely new graphic layout. The brake lights are now of LED type and the position marker lamps emphasise the car’s shoulders.

The new bumper features integrated reflectors in the lower corners and the lower, broader design language is supplemented with the more horizontal lines of the exhaust tailpipe.

“The improved shape and position of the exhaust tailpipes is a good example of how a little extra visual touch can create a highly potent impression,” says Steve Harper.

Freeing up storage space
When refining the interior, the design team transformed itself into something of a liberation movement for storage space.

“The criticism of the current models’ limited storage space served as high-octane fuel when the time came to sketch the new interior of the S40 and V50. We weren’t entirely satisfied until we felt we had exploited every single available cubic centimetre in an efficient way,” relates Steve Harper.

The team concentrated its efforts on two areas: the door sides and the centre stack.

The entire lower part of the front door inside panels was redesigned. The audio system loudspeakers were reshaped to free up space for a new, larger storage compartment with space for an A4 format book, an upright soft drinks can or a water bottle lying down.

As an added bonus, space was also freed up for an extra Dynaudio loudspeaker (only for Premium Sound), which adds even more spice to the audio experience.

Larger and more intelligent centre console
The already iconic super-slim centre console is available in additional decor versions such as the Nordic Light Oak real wood inlay, and the theme now flows smoothly with similar elegant soft curvature surfaces all the way to the rear seat.

The storage space between the seats has also been refined with the help of Scandinavian design tradition’s most renowned hallmark - smart functionality.

The handbrake has a more compact design, which in turn has freed space for more generous storage capacity.

Sliding cover and flexible armrest
The sliding cover over the larger storage compartments, in which there are also two holders that provide secure support for large and small cups, is complemented by an improved flexible armrest for the driver. This also has a built-in feature that the design team playfully call the “hamburger table”.

“We’ve even utilised the small spaces that are usually simply covered over when they’re not housing controls for options or accessories. Now instead, the space has been converted into a handy compartment, for instance for a mobile phone. After all, the phone is not something we should be using while driving, anyway,” explains Steve Harper, and adds:

“And on the back of the console there is another little jewel: a flip-up holder for a 1.5-litre bottle within easy reach of passengers in the rear-seat.”

New upholstery and green highlight colour
New design details in the instrument panel and air vents also contribute to the interior refinement in the new S40 and V50.

The upholstery range has been expanded both at base level and for the more exclusive options, for instance with a new, finer grained leather. At base level there is a green ‘accent’ colour fabric with the poetic name of Spring Green.

“The green upholstery is entirely in line with the increasing demand for personalised choices by our customers. We started with blue and red upholstery in the new Volvo C30, and now we are introducing green in the new S40 and V50. I’m sure it’s going to be very popular,” says Steve Harper.