Volvo

Assar Gabrielsson, a sales executive, and Gustaf Larson, an engineer, founded AB Volvo (Latin: "I roll") in Gothenburg in 1927 as a subsidiary of the SKF ball-bearing company. The OV4 "Jakob" was its first production car. Through the 1950s and 1960s the PV444 and Amazon (122 Series) brought Volvo global recognition for toughness in Scandinavian conditions. In 1959 engineer Nils Bohlin, recruited from Saab, invented the three-point seatbelt at Volvo; the company published the patent without restriction, calling it a gift to humanity. The P1800 sports coupe (1961–1973), famously driven by Roger Moore as The Saint in the British television series, became a design icon. The 240 and 740 estates dominated the family car market through the 1970s and 1980s. Ford acquired Volvo Cars in 1999 in a bid to build a Premier Automotive Group alongside Jaguar and Aston Martin, then sold it to Geely Automobile of China in 2010. Under Geely, Volvo has pursued aggressive electrification, launching the EX90 and EX30 electric vehicles and targeting a fully electric lineup by 2030.