Volvo 440/460 are First Produced

The Volvo 440 and 460 are versions of a family car produced by the Swedish automaker Volvo Cars. They were built at the DAF factory in The Netherlands, and released in Europe in 1987 and 1989 respectively.
The 440 was a 5-door front wheel drive hatchback and the 460 a sedan. They shared many components with the already-successful Volvo 480, including floorpan, front and rear suspension, engines, transmission and braking systems.

Safety has always been an issue of primary importance to Volvo, who have developed many features since adopted widely throughout the car industry. Crumple zones were incorporated into the design of 400 series cars, aided by a 'collapsible' steering column to help prevent driver injury in the event of an accident. Other nods to Volvo's safety-obsessed heritage included a high-level brake-light; a 'bulb blown' warning system; 'door open' warning light; adjustable seatbelts with pretensioners and a seatbelt reminder/warning light: all of which all came as standard on all models throughout the range.
Safety was further improved on models from 1993 onward with the introduction of side-impact protection. This was virtually unheard of at the time, and was provided (again as standard) by the forerunner of the SIPS system used on all modern Volvo cars. The SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) system, which includes airbag, further uprated side impact protection and various hooks, straps and pulleys to secure items in the boot, also became available for the first time from 1994.
'Always-on' head- and tail-lights, which automatically switch themselves onto 'daylight running lamp' mode when the ignition is engaged, make it impossible to drive the car without at least the side-lights being lit. This idea, once considered quirky, has been looked upon more favourably of late. Laws requiring every car sold in the UK from 2010 to have 'always-on' lights were recently passed by the British parliament.
The original advertising campaign for the 400 ran...

A year after the launch of the Volvo 440, the 400 Series was expanded with an additional variant, a 4-door sedan known as the 460.

The Volvo 460 had the same basic technical structure and layout as the 480 sports coupe, which meant that it shared the sports model's transverse engine and front wheel drive, as well as the excellent handling and roadholding for which the 480 was so renowned.

The 460 was available with a number of different 4-cylinder engines ranging from 1.6 to 2.0 litres. All featured a single overhead camshaft and were developed from the same engine series.

For the 1994 model year, the 460 underwent a major cosmetic redesign to bring it more into line with its larger and more powerful sibling the Volvo 850. In fact, the Volvo 460 was often regarded as something of a smaller version of the 850.

The Volvo 440 was launched in 1988 and was manufactured side by side with the Volvo 340 for a couple of years, after which the 440 and its later sibling the 460 took over the compact car role in the Volvo range.

The Volvo 440 had the same basic technical structure and layout as the 480 sports coupe. This means it shared the sports model's transverse engine and front wheel drive, and of course it reaped the benefits of the 480's excellent handling and roadholding.

During its model life, the 440 was available with a number of different engines ranging from 1.6 to 2.0 litres. All were 4-cylinder units with a single overhead camshaft, and all were developed from the same engine family.

The 440 was a 5-door hatchback with a characteristic spoiler lip on the tailgate - a design element made famous in the 300 Series.

For the 1994 model year, the 440 underwent a major cosmetic redesign to bring it more into line with its larger 850 stablemate.