The Swedish
Volvo Experience
John K. Lindgren visits the Volvo car
plant and takes the new Volvo V60 Sport
wagon for a spin in Sweden, the nordic
kingdom that gave us “Dancing Queen”
by ABBA, the flat pack IKEA furniture
concept and the coveted Nobel prize.
By John K. Lindgren
Torslanda Factory tour and road testing the New V60 Sports wagon Gothenburg – Stockholm
C
ity of Gothenburg is located on
the windy west coast of Sweden.
“Göteborg” in Swedish, the kingdoms 2nd largest city sits on the
banks near the mouth of Göta river.
Here Volvo cars and trucks are seen everywhere:
four door S60 sedans, V60 utilitarian station wagons, diesel powered Volvo taxi cabs and tall tenwheel trailer trucks.
Our Volvo experience starts on a autumn day
with clear blue skies. First stop the Volvo Museum
near the old Arendal shipyard. This museum is a
must see for any auto aficionado. On display is a
large collection of Volvo’s most important historical vehicles and the evolution of the brand including construction equipment, industrial and marine
engines. Nearby, at the original brick built factory
the first Volvo named ÖV4 was rolled out the
14th of April in 1927.
Next Volvo Cars Torslanda visitor center and
10 ScandAsia.China • February 2014
the factory tour, the so called Blue Train. This
dinky train is also popular among overseas customers arriving at Gothenburg for the Overseas
Delivery Service (ODS), where they pick up their
their brand new Volvos at the Torslanda factory.
On the tour we follow the birth of a Volvo car,
from a roll of gleaming sheet metal to the finished
product. A first-hand impression of how a Volvo
passenger car is built
“Please keep your hands inside at all times.
And no cameras, please”, says our guide as the
tour starts. Outside the factory we see massive
rolls of sheet metal that have just arrived. Inside
the factory hall the heavy duty press shop. Here
doors, hoods, floors and panels are pressed with
precision and speed. At the next corner sparks fly
all over as hundreds of bright yellow robot work
the line sans fatigue. This is called the “robodance”,
performed by the robots. Further down the assembly line male and female teams of specialized
workers fit the electronics and wires into doors
and dashboards. Next area, the marriage point!
This is where the power pack (the engine) joins
with the body. As we approach the next of corner
of the aircraft hangar size factory there’s a bright
canteen with a sign: HIGHWAY CAFE, “that’s the
factory workers cafeteria”, says tour guide.
Moments later the wheels are attached, followed by battery of sophisticated diagnostics and
tests. The assembly line ends here and the new
Volvos are rolled out. First off the line a bright
shining, white V60 followed by a black XC 90 and
a metallic silver S60. All brand new Volvo cars
ready for delivery to customers round the globe.
Torslanda factory manufactures 165,000 passenger cars per year. Or 800 units per day.
Apart of the Blue Train tour of the plant, Volvo Cars Visitor Center offers a visit to the Volvo
Cars Brand Experience Center. Here a permanent core value exhibition focuses on safety & en-