Swedish car brands are renowned for their impressive safety ratings. The country is known for developing some of the most advanced, innovative, and sustainable vehicles, and has ventured into several partnerships with automotive giants from China.
The Top Swedish Car Brands in History
Volvo and Saab are two of the most popular Swedish car brands, but there are also a couple of notable automakers that you should know about.
Volvo
Founded in 1927, Volvo Cars is known to produce some of the most iconic luxury vehicles out there. Since its inception, the Swedish automaker has been handled by other companies, including Ford in 1999 and Geely in 2010.
Like many automakers all over the world, Volvo shifted its focus to developing sustainable vehicles. In March 2021, the company announced its plans to go all-electric by 2030, with vehicle purchasing done exclusively online.
As of writing, Volvo also has an 18% ownership stake in fellow Swedish automobile brand Polestar.
Volvo has led the industry in safety technology for decades. In fact, it pioneered several features that revolutionized safety standards in vehicles.
The three-point seatbelt, rear-facing child seat, side impact protection system, whiplash protection system, inflatable curtain, pedestrian detection, and run-off road protection are some of the safety innovations Volvo has done throughout the years.
Volvo also shines when it comes to accident prevention. Some features that Volvo models have include the following:
- Blind spot information system (since 2003)
- City safety system (since 2008)
- Lane keeping aid (since 2013)
- Pilot assist (since 2015)
Most Popular Volvo Models
- Volvo PV-444/PV-544
- Volvo Amazon
- Volvo S60
- Volvo 240
- Volvo XC60
Polestar
Polestar is one of the newest automakers on this list, as it was only founded in 2017. While this might be the case, the company did have some exposure to the industry decades before that.
Polestar was closely associated with Flash Engineering, a Swedish racing team that was founded in 1996. The team was eventually sold sometime in the 2000s and continued operations under Polestar Racing.
In 2009, Volvo partnered with Polestar to modify its existing models. By 2015, Volvo had purchased the company and continued to sell Polestar-engineered vehicles.
Today, Polestar is recognized as a subsidiary of Volvo and Geely. The brand has a strong commitment to sustainability by producing all-electric performance cars.
By 2030, the automaker aims to produce the first climate-neutral car, which has no trace of emissions even in its production process.
Most Popular Polestar Models
- Polestar 2
- Polestar 3
- Polestar 4
Koenigsegg
Koenigsegg was founded in 1994 by then-22-year-old Christian Von Koenigsegg. The Swedish automaker is known for producing record-breaking supercars, with the first street-legal model making the headlines in 2002. This was known as the Koenigsegg CC8S.
The CC8S’ debut was met with so much success and recognition that it set the pace for the entire company’s performance in the years to come.
Guinness recognized the model as the most powerful production car ever. In 2005, the Koenigsegg CCR was awarded with the fastest production car ever. It’s a record that the McLaren F1 held for nine years.
Performance has always been at the forefront of Koenigsegg’s lineup of world-class sports cars, and that philosophy stays true to this day.
With the industry shifting to green solutions, Koenigsegg made it a point to follow through without compromising what the company stands for.
In 2007, the company introduced the Koenigsegg CCXR, which was recognized as the first green hypercar in the world. The model was designed to run on E85 and E100 biofuel, as well as normal gasoline.
Most Popular Koenigsegg Models
- Koenigsegg CC8S
- Koenigsegg CCR
- Koenigsegg CCXR
- Koenigsegg Agera
- Koenigsegg CCX
Lynk & Co
Lynk & Co was founded in 2016 as a three-way joint venture among Volvo, Geely Auto Group, and Geely Holding. Company ownership shifted a few years after, with Zeekr holding a 51% stake, while Geely Auto held the remaining 49%.
Although Volvo is out of ownership stakes, Lynk & Co vehicles continue to use Volvo’s platform in terms of developing tech.
Vehicles under this automaker were marketed as “near-premium” models. Lynk & Co specializes in developing plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles.
Most Popular Lynk & Co Models
- Lynk & Co 01
- Lynk & Co 02
- Lynk & Co 03
- Lynk & Co 05
Saab
Unlike most automakers that began their journey on the ground, the story of Saab began in the skies. Founded in 1937, Saab started off as a Swedish manufacturer of combat aircraft.
The aerospace and defense company produced some of the most iconic fighter jets and aircraft during the Cold War. Today, the company still manufactures aircraft all over the world, including the Gripen E System in Brazil and the T-7A jet trainer in the US.
Saab began producing automobiles a decade after the company was founded. Back then, the manufacturer saw the need to produce affordable modes of transportation for the people of Sweden after the war.
In 1949, Saab unveiled the Saab 92, a two-cylinder and two-stroke car that closely resembled an airplane.
Like most Swedish automakers, safety and practicality were at the forefront of Saab’s vehicles. Some of the innovative features the automaker introduced were wrap-around windshields, heated seats, and turbocharged engines.
Most Popular Saab Models
- Saab Sonett I
- Saab Sonett III
- Saab 9-3 Viggen
- Saab 99 Turbo S
- Saab 900 Aero
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