Same car, place... 85 years later!
2012-04-16 14:13
SAME CAR, SAME PLACE...DECADES APART: Above shows the orginal ÖV4 model driving out of the Lundby factory in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1927 while the bottom section shows the current Volvo CEO posing next to the same model in 2012.
On April 14 1927, Volvo’s first mass-produced car rolled off the production line at the Lundby factory in Gothenburg, Sweden. Now, 85 years later, the same model rolled out of factory gates in 2012.
In 1927, sales manager Hilmer Johansson drove the automaker's ÖV4 model through the Lundby factory gates. The name is derived from ÖV - Öppen Vagn or Open Vehicle with the figure four denoting the number of cylinders.
In celebration of the vehicle's history the same model was driven out of the factory 85 years later with Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO of Volvo, and Olof Persson, president and CEO of the Volvo Group, behind the wheel.
STICKING TO ITS ROOTS
Jacoby said: "It's a fantastic car, but it's easy to see how much has changed over the last 85 years."
During its first year of production, Volvo sold a very modest 300 models.
Persson said: "Our roots are still very important to us. Around 30 000 of the Volvo Group's 12 0000 employees work in Sweden, but 95% of our products are sold outside the country."
In celebration of Volvo’s birthday, the automaker's museum in Gothenburg will hold an open exhibition and a parade to the city centre with both new and vintage vehicles.
