It all started in Skövde, Sweden, when Sköfde Gjuteri and Mekaniska Verkstad were established in 1868.
Back then, their main business focus was still on manufacturing containers, vessels, steam boilers, threshing machines, and plows of cast iron.
They received an order in 1907 on a photogenic engine called B1, designed by Edvard Hubendick.
The engine was named Penta, which means five in Greek. Penta (five) after the five people who took part in the first meeting where they presented the drawings.
The first 20 Penta engines were delivered about two years later, in 1909, and close after that; they extended their engine production range to 2, 3, and 4 cylindrical machines in 1910-1919.
All engines offered to boat owners before 1920 had a default engine speed of 800 rpm.
Later on, the company changed its name to AB Pentaverken in 1919.
There was a depression in the country after the first World War, and the company was forced to work on a small scale for some time. It wasn't until the 1920s that Penta got its breakthrough as a product name.
They received an order from a newly formed car manufacturer in Gothenburg in 1925; the firm was called AB Volvo. The first Volvo cars were delivered with engines from Penta. From 1927-1930, Volvo was supplied with a total of 2280 engines.
Volvo acquired Penta in 1935, and the company's name changed to Volvo Pentaverken. At the same time, they started a separate company that would continue to build various forms of engines that are not car engines. The company goes under the name AB Pentaverken.
A six-cylinder, with three-cylinder idle, crude oil engine is launched the same year. The Hallseman engine, which is, for its time, a very advanced engine. It is also the year that the business would be hiring the first women.
An engine is launched in 1946 that attracts attention instantly. The first straight six-cylinder diesel engine is a viral commodity thanks to its quiet and gentle pre-combustion approach.
The 1950s are a year when Penta is seriously establishing itself on the world market with a network of dealers worldwide.
The first turbo diesel, produced in series, is manufactured in 1954.
The first marine air-fueled marine diesel engine was built in 1956. The engine series is extended, and MD1 is one of the latest products. MD1 is the smallest direct-injection diesel engine in the world, with a revolutionary reverse gear.
The big breakthrough came in 1959, along with the whole leisure boat industry. New York Boat show introduces Aquamatic.
Before the AQ drives (AQ = Aquamatic), outboard or straight axles were present in smaller vessels.
In 1965 the company changed its name to AB Volvo Penta again.
Exports rose in the 1970s, and the share of exports stood at 84%.
Volvo Penta acquires Monark-Cresent, which means new products in their Outboard Section.
In 1975, Volvo Penta was established in North America.
The year 1977 introduces the 40-engine, a six-cylinder direct injection machine. "The first gasoline diesel engine."
Volvo Penta became an independent Volvo Group subsidiary in 1982.
The KAD engines were introduced with the KAD42 in 1991.
A new engine series with up to 1850 hp is launched in the early 2000s, which allowed them to enter the market for commercial shipping. The new engines are straight six-cylinder engines but also model engines for V12 & V16 engines.
In 2010, the IPS and the D3 Engines were introduced, and the story of Volvo Penta continues to this day.