Which Swedish automaker was founded in 1927?

The Swedish automaker founded in 1927 was Volvo.

Volvo was established in Gothenburg, Sweden, as a subsidiary of the Swedish bearing manufacturer SKF. Assar Gabrielsson became managing director, while engineer Gustaf Larson served as technical manager. Their first production car, the Volvo ÖV 4, left the assembly line on April 14, 1927.

The name Volvo means “I roll” in Latin. SKF had registered the trademark in 1915, originally for a proposed series of ball bearings, but the brand was later revived for automobiles. Volvo became especially associated with automotive safety, including innovations such as the three-point seat belt, introduced in its cars in 1959.

A common mix-up is Saab, another famous Swedish marque. Saab began making automobiles in the late 1940s, decades after Volvo’s founding. Scania is also Swedish, but it is primarily known for trucks, buses and heavy commercial vehicles rather than founding Volvo’s passenger-car business.