Last month, Americans took to the grill to cook up burgers and hot dogs,
looked to the sky to watch and enjoy fireworks and participated in other
activities on July 4 to celebrate the country's Independence Day. Yes, the
Fourth of July is a day marked with celebration in the United States. This
particular Fourth of July was also a milestone day in the automotive industry,
specifically for Swedish automaker Volvo. Why? Because July 4, 2013 marked the
60th anniversary of the Volvo Wagon, a vehicle that put Volvo on the map as an
international player and immediately became a hit among customers. That wagon
also became somewhat of a symbol for what most drivers associate the automaker
with today. Here's a brief history of Volvo's wagon:
- The wagon's roots actually began years prior to 1953 in 1944 when Volvo released the compact P444. In 1949, this was followed with the release of the P445, which used a separate chassis frame.
- The P445 became a hit - it was reliable and durable and customers weren't replacing their old 445s for new ones, as was originally expected by the automaker.
- With 1,500 unsold 445 units in 1952, Volvo decided to green light production of these units into its very own Volvo van. Engineer Erik Skoog was tasked with designing and developing this van, or wagon.
- About 15 months after Skoog was given his assignment to develop a Volvo wagon, the very first Volvo wagon - known as the Duett because it was said to be "two cars in one" - was released. The day was July 4, 1953. It was personally delivered to then-Volvo president Assar Gabrielsson, as it was his wish to see the old 445s developed accordingly.
The Duett was truly two cars in one. It was a commercial van and family station wagon. It became a staple in the automotive world and maintained its iconic design all the way up until 1969, when safety regulations forced engineers to change their wagon. The total production run of the vehicle was about 100,000, but more importantly, the Duett helped establish Volvo as a top automaker and people began associating the company with its station wagon model.
While the Duett has been out of production now for over 40 years, hints of its wagon design still live on in Volvo models today. For instance, there's the Volvo V60 model, which will make its U.S. debut in 2014. It's a sports wagon that Volvo is calling an "evolution" in its 60-plus years of wagons. Already available in the U.S. market are the XC60 and XC70. Although technically part of the crossover vehicle segment, it's impossible not to notice their station wagon type design roots. There's even the hint of station wagon in the Volvo XC90.
So as you look back at this summer and remember the warm weather, trips to the beach, backyard parties and fireworks, don't forget about a milestone in the automotive world that's also worth celebrating. Don't forget about that day that's now over 60 years ago when a small Swedish automaker made an international statement with the release of its Duett wagon. That wagon established Volvo as an automotive power and also gave people all over the world a model to associate its brand with. The design from that Duett wagon model can still be seen in many of Volvo's offerings today, especially in the soon to be released V60 sports wagon.
Yes, 60 years of Volvo wagons is a milestone worth celebrating. Here's to the next 60.
For more information about Volvo station wagons, as well as the company's other vehicle models, and to reserve your V60 sports wagon when it makes its American debut in January of 2014, contact your local Volvo dealer today.