Volvo Produces Its 15 Millionth Car

In 1927, the year that Ford's fifteen-millionth Model T was produced, the first Volvo ÖV4 was built. On February 20th, Volvo will finally produces its 15 millionth car, a C70. The Swedish company has sold only 297 cars that first year. It took the company twenty-three years to produces its first 100,000 cars, and these days it'll build that many in about three months--but the iron symbol that graced the first ÖV4's radiator grille still decorates modern Volvos and the company's reputation for safety and reliability continues to attract a cadre of loyal customers.

Volvo's contributions to the industry include the three-point seatbelt, introduced on Volvo production cars in 1959, and the three-way catalytic converter in the mid-1970s. The iconic Volvo 240 sedan is still a common sight on U.S. and European roads fifteen years after production ended.