Assar Gabrielsson

Assar Gabrielsson (1891 to 1962) was a Swedish industrialist and co-founder of Volvo. Born in Korsberga, he graduated from the Stockholm School of Economics in 1911 and became sales manager for the bearing maker SKF in Gothenburg. In 1924 he shared with his friend, the engineer Gustaf Larson, a plan to build a Swedish car, and he carried much of the financial risk himself under a contract signed in December 1925. The first prototype was ready in June 1926, and in August 1926 SKF used its dormant subsidiary AB Volvo for the project. Gabrielsson became president and managing director of Volvo on 1 January 1927, and the first series-built ÖV 4 left the new Gothenburg factory in April 1927. He led the company as managing director until 1956 and then chaired the board until his death in 1962.