Volvo was founded on 14 April 1927 in Gothenburg, Sweden by Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson. The name is Latin for 'I roll', originally used by a subsidiary of ball-bearing manufacturer SKF. From its earliest days Volvo prioritised safety above all else — the three-point seatbelt, invented by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin in 1959, was given freely to all manufacturers because it was too important to patent. Chinese group Geely acquired Volvo from Ford in 2010, catalysing a remarkable renaissance.
Sweden