During the early stages of World War Two, Volvo decided that a new smaller car delivering good fuel economy would assure the future of the company. A shortage of raw materials during the war drove home the point that an automobile should be smaller, and also complicated Volvo's ability to mass produce the product. When the car was finally introduced to a car hungry public in 1944, response was very positive and orders poured in from the Swedish population. It was another three years though, in 1947, before the production was made available. Noteworthy in Volvo history is that the PV was the first unitary body design from this company. It was also the first four cylinder engined auto from Volvo in almost 20 years. The first PV444s were endowed with a three main bearing, overhead valve 1.4 litre engine of a stout design. Induction was courtesy of a single down-draught carburettor. This powerplant known as the B4B, was the mainstay of the model until late in 1955 when a slightly updated version appeared with twin side-draft carbs. The displacement remained the same but now was fed by a pair of British SU sourced carbs, each with 1.5 inch bores. This brief run of engines were designated B14A. By the 1957 model year, the displacement of the engine was increased to 1.6 liters and was made available in both single down draft (B16A) and twin side draft carb (B16B) versions. Even ten years on, these engines owed much to their B4B origins and while not identical had much in common with their forebearers. Fuel economy was quite above average (30 to 35 mpg) and performance particularly in the twin carb engined cars was brisk. The combination of performance and durability won over many drivers of two seat sports cars, allowing them the pleasure of the drive in the company of the entire family if desired.
In 1958 the PV444 was winding down it's produciton run and the PV544 was just beginning. Looking very much like what it replaced, the subtle differences between the two consisted primarily of the introduction of a curved one-piece windshield to replace the two panes of flat glass. The rear glass was slightly enlarged and the dashboard was endowed with a "modern" ribbon type speedometer. The 3-speed manual transmission used from the beginning was also supplanted by a 4-speed.
The next important change occurred in 1962. The proven B16 family of engines were retired and a new engine initially developed for the P1800 sports car introduced the year before was now fitted. This 1.8 litre engine sported a five main-bearing crankshaft which further perpetuated the now firmly established reputation for durability enjoyed by Volvo. Again single and twin carb versions (B18A and B18D respectively) were offered. The USA market saw very few B18A cars since the public in the States demanded performance and compared to V8 engines common there, these "performance" versions still delivered excellent economy. Another significant change that parallels the advent of the B18 engine was the switch from 6 volt electrics to 12 volts.
It should be mentioned that there was also an estate or wagon version of this car which was known initially as a P445 and later as a P210. Regardless of designation the wagons were commonly referred to as "Duetts".
The 544 enjoyed a few more years in production, including a minor trim change for it's final year: 1965. Exactly 440,000 units had built during the 18 year run. The car which had endeared itself to a majority of it's owners prompted Volvo to run self deprecating advertisements in late 1965 and early 1966 imploring these people to not be so angry with the company which wanted to remind us that there were also other fine models with the Volvo name on them such as the Volvo 122, offered in 2, 4, and estate models as well as the Volvo P1800 (by then called Volvo 1800S) sport coupe'.
Ironically, the undeniable utility of the Duett version allowed the wagons to continue in production throught the 1969 model year. These were then replaced by a high-roofed version of the latest estate model known as a Volvo 145. The high-roofed versions referred to as an Express. They were not largely considered as an adequeate substitute for the beloved Duett.