But during the war, the company had planted the seeds for a car design that, despite the setbacks, would become a huge international success: the Volvo PV444.
The car and its follower, the PV544, would eventually enjoy spectacular success from 1948 to 1965, solidly establishing Volvo's reputation for rugged cars that last.
The PV444 was also the vehicle that saved Volvo from abandoning its car business. Had the PV444 and 544 not succeeded, Volvo officials later admitted, the company most likely would have stuck only to the truck business.
The engine also marked a return to four cylinders.
It was designed for easy access to vital engine parts; the fuel pump, carburetor, air filter, oil filter, ignition system, fan belts, and other parts. Essentially, it was a car that could be maintained with ease by the owner.
The car came in black, with a yellow and orange interior.
While they waited for steel and parts, Volvo engineers continued to refine the desing, copying many o fthe latest American interior features.
The car finally began rolling off the line in small numbers oin 1948, and then at full speed in 1949.
Demand for new cars -- pent up during five years of war -- was so high in Scandinavia that some purchasers waited two years to take delivery. The arrival of the PV444 was so highly anticipated that, of the 12,000 projected for the first year, 10,000 were sold before production even began.
For the first time in the company's history, car production outstripped truck manufacturing.
In 1954, Volvo decided to improve its image even more by offering its Swedish buyers a unique program: a five year warranty that covered repairs to any Volvo involved in an accident.
The Swedish insurance companies cried foul. Court cases followed, and Gabrielsson was charged by the public prosecutor with running an illegal insurance business. The case was dismissed at the first hearing, but Volvo withdrew its generous warranty and went back to guaranteeing solely what it made.
Still, the PV444 was a success everywhere and finally assured Volvo of a footing in the much longed for foreign car market.
In 1955, the first Volvo cars were exported to the U.S.
By 1957, the model had been altered and improved for the American market. It was offered in different models not available in Sweden. some had fancy exhaust pipes, an exterior sun visor, and driver side spotlight, and color schemes and interiors other than black and yellow.
For instance, the color white was used only on Volvos sold in California and called, appropriately, the "PV444 California".
That same year, Volvo made 57,00 cars, half sold abroad, and 10,000 sold in the U.S. In the western states of the U.S., Volvo was soon the number two import.
the car was particularly popular with upper middle-class people who were put off by the American industry's insistence on making a car that lasted only three to five years.
The American Volvo customers were affluent, middle-class professionals: college professors, engineers, people who wanted a car that would last.
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