04/14/1927 • 6 views
The first Volvo automobile rolls off the line in Gothenburg, 1927
On April 14, 1927, Volvo's first production car — the ÖV 4 — completed assembly in Gothenburg, marking the founding company's entry into automobile manufacturing and the start of a Swedish automotive brand that would become internationally known.
The ÖV 4 was a small open-top tourer powered by a four-cylinder, side-valve engine of 1,944 cc producing about 28 horsepower. Its design emphasized simplicity, durability and ease of maintenance rather than luxury or high speed. The chassis and body reflected contemporary construction techniques: a separate ladder-frame chassis, rigid axles with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and bodywork with an exposed radiator and fenders typical of late 1920s passenger cars.
Volvo’s founding was shaped by practical concerns. Gabrielsson and Larson had begun planning a Swedish car in 1924, aiming to build vehicles that could handle rough roads and cold winters. They persuaded SKF’s board to back production, arguing that a locally made automobile could be engineered for Swedish conditions and would help SKF by providing a domestic market for precision components. The initial Volvo factory in Hisingen began outfitting tooling and assembling parts in early 1927, and the completion of the ÖV 4 on April 14 served as both a technical milestone and a public demonstration that the enterprise could produce roadworthy vehicles.
Production in 1927 was limited: early Volvos were hand-assembled and built in small numbers as the factory and supplier network were established. The company’s early years involved iterative improvements to reliability and production methods rather than rapid expansion. Volvo emphasized safety and sturdiness from the start; these priorities would become central to the brand’s identity over subsequent decades.
Historical records note that the ÖV 4’s public unveiling and subsequent promotional activities helped attract attention in Sweden, though international recognition developed more slowly. The exact number of ÖV 4 units completed in the first months varies slightly among sources, reflecting the small-scale, manual nature of early production. What is clear is that the April 14 completion represents a documented milestone: the first assembled car to leave Volvo’s nascent production process.
The ÖV 4 and Volvo’s early models are preserved in museums and collections today, and they are referenced in contemporary company histories and automotive scholarship as the tangible origins of a company that would later expand into global markets and develop a reputation for safety engineering.
While some narrative details around day-to-day factory activity in April 1927 are sparsely documented, the date of April 14, 1927 is consistently cited in reliable historical accounts as the moment the company’s first automobile was completed, making it a commonly recognized founding milestone for Volvo’s manufacturing history.