Volvo AWD

The Swedish manufacturer Volvo is best known for its rather conservative 4x2 cars although the Volvo 850 AWD (1996) and its 1997 successor the V70 AWD station wagon and the later V70 XC (cross country) shake off the staid image and offer four wheel drive or, as various "car" makers prefer to call it, all wheel drive.

In the late 1960's and the 1970's Volvo made a series of very capable forward-control four wheel drives, C202 & C303, (and 6x6) in the one to two ton payload range, initially for the Swedish Army and later the general public:

L2104
C202
C303
BV202 (tracked)

- 4wd.sofcom.com/Volvo/Volvo.html

2001 March: It seems that Volvo is to give up joint venture plans with Mitsubishi trucks, effectively being blocked by the latter's new boss, Daimler Chrysler.

2001 Jan': Volvo (trucks) and Mitsubishi are still in discussions about how much the former will pay for 19.9% of the latter's commercial vehicle operations; a deal first raised in late 1999. DaimlerChrysler got control of Mitsubishi Motors in 2000, and has its own very large commercial vehicle business, so this has become a very tough game.

2000: Volvo (cars) is said to be working on a larger passenger 4WD code-named the P28, for release ~2003, to compete with the BMW X5 and the M.B. M-class. See the [ACC][1/'01]

2000 April 25: AB Volvo is to exchange 15% of its shares for 100% of Renault's truck business `Renault V.I. / Mack', forming the largest truck builder in Europe.

1999 January 29: Volvo agreed to sell its car-making division to Ford for us6.45 billion, if share-holders agree.

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Volvo