The story of

Nilsson Special Vehicles

A history almost as old as the car itself, beginning in the early 1920s, only a few years after
the people of Laholm saw a real car for the first time

Read on

NILSSON

Nilsson Special Vehicles is a leading special vehicle manufacturer with Europe as its home market. The company was founded in 1945 as Yngve Nilssons Karosserifabrik and has built special vehicles on Volvo cars ever since. Today we produce and sell ambulances and hearses.

OUR BUSINESS CONCEPT

Nilsson Special Vehicles manufactures custom-built vehicles to each customer’s specific requirements within its main sectors, pre-hospital care and funeral services. In addition, the company offers financing solutions through external partners, facilitates service agreements with OEM workshops, supports workshops with technical service and spare parts, and also trades in vehicles. The company also aims to meet customers’ needs for alternative means of transport within each segment.

The 1920s

Ten years earlier, a car visits Laholm for the first time. It is a French Panhard and causes a great stir. Estate owners and wealthy merchants acquire cars.

From Laholm’s flourishing bicycle industry, technical pioneers emerge as the car makes its triumphant advance across Sweden. Companies connected to the car industry are founded, among them Laholms Karosseri.

The Model T Ford became very popular in Sweden.

The 1930s

In 1934, Yngve Nilsson is employed by Laholms Karosseri after several years as a journeyman carriage builder in various parts of Skåne. High demands are placed on craftsmanship here, and Yngve learns the trade.

The 1940s

The war brings car building to a standstill.

In 1945, Yngve and his wife Linnea found Yngve Nilssons Karosseri. Taxis, fire engines and delivery vehicles are among the conversion projects that roll out of the workshop. The company has two employees.

The 1950s

The workforce gradually grows to 10, and alongside activities such as building fire engines, production of hearses begins

The 1960s

Yngve Nilsson Karosseri takes on its first assignment from Volvo – converting Amazons into service vehicles. This work leads to substantial production of ambulances built on Volvo cars. Hearses are exported to the British market.

The 1970s

Yngve Nilsson’s twin sons, Karl-Erik and Nils-Åke, take over the company and the cooperation with Volvo deepens. Yngve Nilsson Karosseri becomes a supplier to Volvo. Ambulances, hearses and limousines dominate production. A completely new factory is built.

The 1980s

The GDR became a major buyer of limousines: 123 Volvo limousines and Volvo landaulets. Citroën limousines were built for the East German state. Hearses were assembled in Indonesia and limousines in Thailand and Malaysia.

Hearses and limousines were exported to the British market.

Yngve Nilsson Karosseri is named Entrepreneur of the Year in Laholm.

The 1990s

In addition to Volvo conversions, Ford hearses, Opel limousines and Mercedes hearses were built.

A number of spectacular cars were also built, including a prototype Volvo 850 Cabriolet, a stretched Mercedes A-Class and a Ferrari Dino 206 S. In 1995, Yngve Nilsson Karosseri celebrated its 50th anniversary.

2000

The cooperation with Volvo changes, and Yngve Nilsson Karosseri no longer acts as a supplier to Volvo. The company has to stand on its own two feet and buys out the development project for limousines and hearses built on the new S80 chassis

2001

By now, 3,000 limousines had been built in Laholm.

Yngve Nilsson’s limousine building became known around the world through a well-known slogan: “Making Cars Longer”.

2004

Yngve Nilsson Karosseri is restructured and becomes Nilsson Special Vehicles. The idea behind the new Nilsson was to continue building on Volvo cars, and around 20 jobs were created.

Although the start-up of Nilsson Special Vehicles ran into some difficulties, Ulf Corné, the owners and the employees were ready to commit wholeheartedly.

Car building picked up again at the premises in Laholm, and one of the biggest projects was a limousine for the Dutch Royal Court. By the end of the year, the company had managed to deliver 31 cars.

The struggle to regain trust and once again be part of the automotive industry had paid off.

2005

Production rose sharply, and markets around the world once again began to show interest in the small company in Laholm.

2006

The cooperation with Volvo had developed well, and major subcontractors have joined the company. Our own production rate has been increased, and the number of jobs has grown accordingly.

Pent-up demand in the ambulance market, in both Norway and Sweden, provided further momentum. Nilsson Special Vehicles has established itself in the market and fully intends to stay and be part of its development.

2007

In autumn 2007, Sheikh Mohammed Al-Amoudi becomes the company’s new principal owner.

2008

In 2008, several major deals went Nilsson’s way. Among other things, we received orders for just over 50 hearses and limousines from our dealer in England, Wilcox & Co.

These cars will be delivered during 2008 and into 2009.

Work has also begun on establishing dealers in more European countries.

The economic crisis has also hit the special vehicle segment, and as a result Nilsson too has seen a decline in incoming orders.

2009

Nilsson wins a prestigious tender for ambulances for Northern Europe’s largest hospital, Ullevål University Hospital in Oslo.

To date, we have delivered 8 vehicles, and we have a confirmed order for a further 6 vehicles for delivery before the summer.

Nilsson now has new dealers in Italy, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain and France.

2010

A milestone in Nilsson’s history came in April with the introduction of the new ambulance. Even before the launch there were a number of confirmed orders, and since its introduction the order book has kept growing.

Our ambition to grow in Europe with our product range has thus taken a big step forward.

2015

Nilsson celebrates its 70th anniversary. Order intake has increased by 75 percent compared with the previous year. Development of a new ambulance model based on the XC90 has begun.

Sales of hearses in England have been better than ever, and the order book is full well into 2016.

This is also the year Nilsson is listed on the stock exchange. A big step in Nilsson’s history – the first day of trading in Nilsson shares on Nasdaq First North was 11 December.

TEAM

Nilsson brings together leading expertise in everything from vehicle engineering and production to sales and quality – a tight-knit team that together builds Europe’s most specialised vehicles.