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- Volvo is opening a new museum in Gothenburg, Sweden.
- World of Volvo is located near the Volvo Group headquarters and only 23 miles from Gothenburg Airport.
- Ahead of the grand opening on April 14th, we interviewed you behind the scenes.
Just around the corner from our headquarters in Munich, Germany, BMW Welt has a double cone. In front of the Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen is the 911 Kebab (also known as Porscheplatz). And now, in the heart of downtown Gothenburg, Sweden, are three giant tree trunks that will become the limbs of World of Volvo, Volvo’s new museum, exhibition, delivery program, meeting place and eatery. there is.
Volvo invited us to explore the new facility ahead of its grand opening on April 14th. This day, not coincidentally, is the exact day the Swedish automaker’s first vehicle, the four-door ÖV4, rolled off the assembly line 97 years ago. The approximately 240,000 square foot site in Gothenburg was designed by Danish architectural group Henning Larsson. We are 23 miles from Gothenburg Landvetter Airport and just 17 miles east of Torslanda, home to the Volvo Group’s headquarters and oldest factory.
It’s a beautiful Swedish space. There’s no flashy shiny metal or spaceship-like styling, so it feels down-to-earth, welcoming, and warm. We heard media guests compliment the scent of spruce and pine, which acts as a natural canopy over the building’s smooth concrete floors. The top floor houses several rental conference halls and classrooms, concealing the nearby highway thanks to the sloping roof below. It took him four years to design and build, using around 2,800 tons of wood and some lamp bulbs left over from the SAAB gearbox building that once occupied part of the space.
The World of Volvo has five floors and its entrance is located in Sweden. ”Allemansletten” or “everyone has the right to roam”, admission is free, and its spectacular event spaces, colorful and interactive exhibits, and restaurants run by Michelin-starred chef Stefan Karlsson each cost a few Swedish kronor. Is required.
Its debut exhibit balances Volvo’s history, commitment to safety and future products. There’s also a distracted driving simulation, VR goggles, and an area where you can use a small Volvo excavator to scoop rubber balls out of holes. One clever installation uses stacked wooden chairs to demonstrate the role speed plays in car accidents. This is an interesting way to compare a crash at 15 km/h (9 mph) with no seat belts to a crash at 30 km/h (19 mph). lesson? Not wearing a seatbelt is as smart as falling headfirst out of a stack of eight chairs.
Of course, there’s no shortage of Volvo cars, concepts, trucks and technology featured here. You can’t miss the Volvo Experimental Safety Car (VESC). First unveiled at the 1972 Geneva Auto Show, the concept was a testbed for all sorts of innovative safety equipment. These include front and rear airbags, hidden headrests that deploy in the event of a collision, and a steering wheel that moves away from the driver. In the event of a crash, a 6.5 mm F/1.8 rear camera sends video to his CRT screen in the dashboard.
A white bus was parked in another room. Painted white and with a red cross on the roof to avoid Allied bombing while transporting more than 15,000 prisoners of war to Sweden, these buses were used as heroic vehicles towards the end of World War II. It served its purpose. Surrounding the exhibit are literature about the nurses, drivers and soldiers who performed such dangerous work.
Volvo YCC was on display. I asked if I could take it home, but I was told no. YCC (Your Concept Car) originally debuted at his 2004 Geneva Auto Show and was built for women by an all-female staff. It featured a special compartment for storing handbags, a headrest designed to comfortably accommodate ponytails, and a washable seat. The team also provided his YCC gullwing doors, a special project that went on to win numerous awards for its design and efforts.
Other vehicles on display include tractors, boats, logging trucks, and semi-trucks. His white F88 from the 1970s has that meaning on the top of the cab. The Globetrotter was the highest trim level of Volvo trucks, and the nickname is still used today for Volvo trucks specifically designed for long-distance travel. It goes back to a time when refrigerators, kitchens, and spacious cabs were inspired by American truck manufacturing companies.
The FH, Volvo’s biggest selling truck in history, is on display behind the F88. It was first produced in 1993. This FH12 of his is just the beginning of the Volvo trucks currently on sale. A variety of electric, gasoline and diesel powertrains are currently offered. Exhibits large and small enter the space via a giant freight elevator that can carry up to 48,500 pounds of Volvo history just outside the building. There’s more ice wine than you can drink in one visit.
The World of Volvo building will be the home of international delivery services, so its location relative to the airport and assembly plant will be very important. The site is the result of a joint effort between Volvo Cars and the Volvo Group, and is intended to be the home for future product announcements, TED talks, and – we hope – future product announcements.car and driver Because, editors, we really want to play with that excavator again.
Tickets can be purchased on the World of Volvo website or at check-in. Choose an annual pass to receive a small discount on future events and unlimited admission throughout the year.
Yes, he’s still working on the 1986 Nissan 300ZX Turbo project car he started in high school. No, it’s not for sale yet. Austin Irwin was born and raised in Michigan, and despite being hit by hockey pucks during a not-so-successful high school and college goaltending career, he still has his teeth. He loves his 1980’s cars and his great Pyrenean blues, he loves his buffaloes, he loves his wild wings and he is an active member of the community. When Austin isn’t working on his own car, he’s probably on the side of the highway helping other people fix their cars.
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