Selected innovations by Swedish automotive companies

Selected innovations by Swedish automotive companies, including some world firsts in series-produced vehicles:

Volvo Cars

1944: Safety cage and laminated windshield
1959: Three-point slip joint front seatbelts
1966: Front and rear crumple zones
1972: Rearward-facing child safety seat
1976: Lambda sond and catalytic converters
1980: Wide-angle rear view mirror
1984: Antilock brake system (ABS)
1991: Side Impact Protection System (SIPS)
1998: Whiplash Protection Seating System (WHIPS).
1998: Infl atable Curtain (IC) for head protection
1998: Multiplex Electrical System with 18 computers
1998: PremAir coating to break down ground-level ozone
1998: PremAir, catalyst on the radiator converting ground level ozone to oxygen on contact.

Volvo trucks and buses

1953: Turbo charging for trucks
1965: Safety brake if pneumatic pressure fails
1965: Turbo charging for buses
1985: Range gearbox with axially shiftable ring gear
1990: S-shaped leaf spring
1991: Valve arrangement for taking up valve clearance
1991: Volvo engine brake (VEB); further refined in 1994
1992: Adjustable steering wheel
1994: Shock absorber and suspension system
1995: Frame members for load-bearing vehicles
2000: Ventilated brake discSaab Cars

Saab cars

1947: Low air resistant body, front-wheel drive, two-stroke engine
1970: Headlight wipers/washers
1977: First Turbo engine in series production cars
1978: Compartment air fi lter, further refined in 1990
1982: Asbestos-free brake linings on all models
1985: Saab Direct Ignition (DI) with ignition coil for each cylinder
1992: Trionic engine control system with 32-bit microprocessor
1996: Saab Active Head Restraint (SAHR) to prevent whiplash
1997: Ventilated front seats
2000: Saab Variable Compression (SVC) to cut fuel consumption
2005: Saab BioPower turbocharged engine running on ethanol (E85)

Scania trucks and buses

1939: Modular diesel engines
1958: Cyclone/centrifugal oil cleaner on diesel engines
1969: Turbocharged 14-liter V8 (16-liter model in 2000)
1980: First fully modular heavy truck range, with many fewer parts
1984: Computer-aided gearchanging (CAG)
1988: Electronic diesel control (EDC)
1993: Scania Retarder, gearboxintegrated, does most brake work
1995: Scania Opticruise gearchanging
1995: Front underrun protection on all European long-haul trucks
1996: Electronically controlled braking system (EBS)
2001: High-pressure fuel injection and 2nd generation turbocompounding