Mr NordicIf you are in the vicinity of Gothenburg during your vacation in Sweden and you like cars, it is definitely worth a visit to the Volvo factory and the Volvo Visitor Center. You can even consider it if you are not necessarily a fan of Volvo, but of Sweden. After all, Volvo and Sweden are closely linked: going out in nature and ‘clean’, functional design comes first. That is why Volvo also has a slogan: Made by Sweden.
Some Volvo’s are indestructible. This is witnessed by the Guinness world record for the highest number of kilometers ever traveled by a car. This is in the name of a Volvo P1800 from 1966, with more than four million kilometers on the clock.
In 1927 the first Volvo car rolled off the factory line. Since then, Volvo has grown from a small, local industry to one of the world’s largest producers of cars, heavy trucks, buses, earthmoving machines, ship and industry engines and parts for aircraft engines. Volvo has more than 100,000 employees around the world, production in 19 countries and sales in more than 180 countries.
Visit the Volvo Visitor Center
The Volvo Car Visitor Center is located in the heart of Volvo Cars in Torslanda in Gothenburg. The visitor center offer a unique insight into one of Sweden’s most important industries. Here you can book a variety of activities – including a tour of the factory, a test drive of the latest Volvo cars and a guided tour of the Brand Experience Center. You can learn all about about Volvo’s values for connectivity, safety, design and the environment.
Dive into the world of Volvo in the Volvo Museum
For those who want to delve deeper into the history of the car brand and view a number of classic and unique models, the Volvo Museum is the place to be. It provides an atmospheric overview of the history of the various products with this brand name, with an emphasis on passenger cars.
The name has always remained the same, but the Volvo logo has changed over the years. The current logo is an arrow pointing up: the symbol for iron.
The entire history of the brand has been brought together in a recognizable Scandinavian environment. From the Volvo battery back, the Amazon, the famous P1800 to the 240, 480 and 850; they can all be seen. And, last but not least: various study models and prototypes. Naturally, attention is also paid to trucks, lorries and specially executed passenger cars for special purposes. Buses are also available and there is space set up for Volvo “racing and rally”. Over the course of its existence, the brand has become active in various fields; everything is covered. Volvo Ocean Race and Volvo Golf Experience are examples of this.
When you walk through the museum, you can clearly see the evolution that Volvo has made over the years. Many good ideas came about during a chat at the bar with a fresh beer. It’s no different with Volvo. In 1924, 2 smart guys – Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson – had the idea to start producing Swedish cars. They had both worked for SKF – a manufacturer of, among other things, ball bearings. SKF still exists and is still a supplier to Volvo to this day. The name Volvo comes from Latin and means “I roll.”
One of the eye-catchers in the Volvo Museum is a car made entirely of Lego bricks.
Book a unique Volvo Factory Tour
For the really big Volvo fans, a visit to the Volvo factory when visiting Gothenburg. The Volvo plant is located in the village of Torslanda, half an hour’s drive from the center of Gothenburg. The Volvo factory is one of the most modern in Europe and is the beating heart of the company. Here all Volvo innovations are built into the latest models of the car brand.
In the large factory halls are more than 1400 robots that make and assemble the necessary parts for a car. The parts are transported by self-driving carts.
A tour of the Volvo factory is not always possible. If you have acquired one of the coveted places you will have to sign a confidentiality agreement and hand in your phone. The tour of the factory shows the entire process from a roll of aluminum and a loose frame to a complete car. The focus during the entire construction process is on sustainability and safety.
Last Updated on July 31, 2019
