When the Volvo 343 was presented in the winter of 1976, it was the first totally new car from the Dutch company Volvo Car BV. The Volvo 343 entered a very important segment for the European markets - the compact segment.
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.