The 340-series soon became very popular in a number of countries in Europe. To further widen its appeal to many customers and markets demanding at least four doors, a 5-door version was introduced in the autumn of 1979, as the 1980 model year.
The Volvo 262 was a rare version in the Volvo 260 family. It was based on the same 2-door body used for the 242, but it naturally had the 260-series components and frontal appearance.
In August 1974, Volvo presented a new generation of cars called the 240 and 260 Series. These new models had been developed from the 140 series and were very similar to their predecessors.
In 1972, Volvo purchased one-third of DAF Car BV in the Netherlands and thus established itself in the small-car segment where it had not previously been represented.