Which car manufacturer introduced the first three-point seatbelt in 1959? Volvo did. Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin developed the modern three-point belt while working for Volvo, and the company introduced it in production cars in 1959.
The design combined a lap belt and a shoulder belt into one Y-shaped restraint. It spreads crash forces across the pelvis, chest and shoulder, keeping occupants from being thrown forward or sliding beneath the belt. A Volvo PV 544 delivered in Kristianstad on August 13, 1959, is often identified as the first car fitted with the system; the Volvo 122 also adopted it as standard equipment that year.
A common mix-up is Saab, because Bohlin had previously worked on aircraft ejection-seat systems at Saab. Volvo’s especially important safety decision was making the patent openly available to other manufacturers rather than restricting it. That helped the three-point belt become an industry standard and one of the most influential automotive safety innovations ever introduced.