It is about the moment when the first Volvo vehicle leaves the gate of the Lundby factory in Gothenburg to the street. It was exactly 10 am on April 14, 1927, when Hilmer Johansson, the company's sales manager, drove the Volvo ÖV4 that would be known as “Jakob”, a dark blue convertible with a 4-cylinder engine. The bodywork was built on a beech and ash wood frame, covered with metal foil, and black fenders. Assar Gabrielsson & Gustav Larson, Volvo's founders, set the tone for creating a unique concept in the industry: “Cars are driven by people. That is why everything we do at Volvo must first of all contribute to your safety. ”
The brand's values have never changed and Volvo innovation is a world leader in safety, from the discovery of the three-point belt, to the third stop lamp, airbags, pedestrian detection, cars, cyclists or animals with automatic braking, and dozens of other safety equipment. Following the concept of quality and safety, the Volvo XC40 was recently voted the most reliable car in the United Kingdom by the British magazine Auto Express, following a survey of thousands of current car owners on the market. The XC40 was considered the “Most Reliable Car 2020” earning a score of 98% for reliability, and 95.7% for build quality.
In Volvo's history is also the fact that it was one of the first worldwide manufacturers to make a commitment to electrification, intending to sell 1 million of these vehicles by 2025. In 2020, 14.7% of the Volvo sold worldwide are Plug-Hybrids in. In the first quarter of this year, affected by the worldwide pandemic that slowed Volvo's sales by 18%, the Recharge range, which now refers to the Volvo rechargeable model range, reached almost 20,000 units, corresponding to 14.7% of the total units. In the same period of 2019, this weight had been 7.4%, which proves the importance that these cars have for Volvo.
Portugal was one of the countries with a major contribution in the sale of Plug-in hybrids, with 297 units, that is, 33% of the total sales of Volvo Car Portugal, with emphasis on the XC60 Plug-In, the V60 Plug-In and the XC90 Plug-In. Meanwhile, Volvo Cars resumes activity at its European factories and at the brand's headquarters in Gothenburg after a short period of inactivity related to the coronavirus pandemic. All facilities underwent a cleaning and disinfection process before the employees returned. Voluntary temperature and pulse oximeter checks are carried out at the main entrances and in the offices, the layout has been adjusted to allow social distance.
At least one month after suspending production due to the epidemic crisis of COVID-19, and in a period when it used its 3D printers to produce material for hospitals in the region, the Renault Cacia factory gradually resumed production activity. About a quarter of the factory's workforce is already in operation. The Renault Group has defined mandatory rules and conditions for the resumption of its factories. At Renault Cacia, necessary protective measures were put in place to ensure the health and safety of its workers.
Among them, a previous audit of the factory was carried out, carried out by the health and safety services, to ensure that all conditions were met for resuming the activity. Welcoming sessions and mandatory information for all staff, adaptation of transport and places (including work areas) to the rules of distance between people, mandatory use of masks for all workers and permanent cleaning and disinfection of all places were held. . The activity is carried out in accordance with the health directives defined by the Portuguese authorities.
During the month of May, the expectation of Renault Cacia is to gradually increase the activity, in order to meet the resumption of activities of the Group's factories that Renault Cacia is a key plant for the Renault Group and, starting in the summer of 2020, will exclusively produce the JT 4 gearbox, which will equip the main models and the most widely used engines of the Renault Group. Implementation of the DB 35 project is also underway, which concerns the innovative and revolutionary smart multimode gearbox, which will equip Renault's new range of hybrids and plug-in hybrids: Clio E-TECH, Captur E-TECH Plug-In and Mégane Sport Tourer E-TECH Plug In, models for which Renault Cacia will produce components. Renault Cacia is the second largest in the automotive sector, in Portugal, in number of employees, in a total of 1,165.
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