This somewhat tired question is occasionally worth a re-think. If the German car is authoritative about its own excellence and the Japanese car unbeatably marketable, what is a Swedish car? A hard question. The Saab and the Volvo may have evolved from the same requirements for sturdiness, but they are as different from each other as seems possible. The Saab is nonconformist but generally European in nature, while the Volvo is probably the most American car ever to come over by boat. A truly assimilated product, the Volvo is your car next door, often taken for granted, perhaps by some people even taken to be domestic. Apple pie.
(more…)