It was on this day in 1999 that Ford beat off stiff competition to buy the car division of Swedish giant Volvo.

Volkswagen and Fiat both made determined efforts to acquire Volvo cars but it was Ford who ultimately won the bidding war by paying $6.45 billion.

The deal enabled Ford to place the brand within its Premier Automotive Group alongside Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin, whilst allowing Volvo to refocus on heavy vehicles.

In 2010, Ford accepted a substantial loss on its investment when agreeing to sell its Volvo subsidiary to the Chinese group Geely Holdings in a deal worth $1.6 billion – a deal which first heralded China’s global ambitions within the auto industry.

CarSupermarket.com currently stocks a wide range of Ford and Volvo models, all of which can be purchased online from the comfort of your living room and delivered direct to your door anywhere in mainland Britain.

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