When it comes to luxury brands, Volvo stands out for its distinctive vehicle design. Though the automaker’s cars aren’t the fastest on the planet, they’re well-known for their safety and luxuriousness. But did you know “Volvo” is actually a Latin word with an adorably accurate meaning?

Where Volvo got its name and what it means

Volvo’s name comes from an interesting place. The brand, founded in Sweden, had a parent company with a very Swedish name. Svenska Kullagerfabriken, or SKF, made ball bearings for cars, and it wanted a new brand name that could easily roll off tongues around the world, Rewind & Capture reports. 

Because SKF was making ball bearings at the time, someone came up with the idea of calling that new company “Volvo,” Latin for “I roll.” It didn’t take long for this fitting moniker to become the official name. In 1927, the first Volvo car rolled off the production line, and Volvo the automaker was born. 

A brief history

Not long after, Volvo outgrew SKF and became its own car company. Over the next few decades, it made various vehicles with varying degrees of success. However, for one reason or another, the company decided to sell itself to Ford in 1999. Only 11 years later, Ford sold it to the Chinese company Geely in 2010.

It was a great deal for Geely. Ford had purchased Volvo for over $6 billion and sold it to Geely for just under $2 billion. Regardless, since the acquisition, Volvo has been thriving, and many customers are proud to roll in the brand’s latest models. 

Nowadays, Volvo routinely wins awards, and customers seem willing to pay a premium for the brand’s vehicles. Two of the more popular modern Volvo models are the XC40 and S90. The XC40 is a compact crossover SUV, while the S90 is a sedan. 

Rolling in a modern Volvo

At a starting price tag of about $34,000, the XC40 is fairly affordable for a luxury SUV. But because it’s a compact crossover, it’s not the biggest SUV on the market. Regardless, it offers many features that’ll impress any customer. For instance, the XC40 is one of the most comfortable vehicles to drive. 

To be clear, it’s not the sportiest SUV because its engine leaves a lot to be desired. However, because it’s such a safe vehicle loaded with tons of smart safety features, the XC40 is an affordable, practical luxury SUV for families. 

For customers looking for something more, the Volvo S90 is a worthy competitor to luxury sedans like the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series. Like the XC40, the S90 has a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine. But unlike the XC40, the S90’s engine is beefy. Though it offers more than enough power for most drivers, it’s not as powerful or as sporty as its competitors.

But, once again, Volvo invested heavily into the luxury and safety aspects of this sedan. The S90 is very comfortable, and Volvo outfitted it with plenty of advanced safety features as well. That being said, with a starting price tag of over $50,000, it isn’t an affordable car. But it’s definitely a worthwhile luxury option.