select export markets and was added to the 340 models in 1984. This diesel was a Renault F-series (like the petrol 1.7), and was available with a 1.6 L naturally aspirated engine only - called the "D16" in Volvo's internal parlance. While these diesel models were never offered in the UK, they were offered in right-hand drive form in Ireland. In 1985 a 360 diesel was made available with the same exact mechanics. The diesel was discontinued in 1989, which is when a 1.3 L "tax special" was introduced for Finland, Italy, and Belgium. Volvo also experimented with LPG tanks, a feature available in 1979 with the Volvo 343 and 345, but they were limited in LPG availability. Sales The 300-series was a strong seller for Volvo. Sales began at a low level, not helped by the absence of a manual transmission option and an early reputation for poor build quality, but sales gradually increased as the lineup expanded with manual transmission and a 5-door body style, and the initial quality issues were solved - by redesigning the interior and dashboard. 300-series cumulative production broke the 100,000 barrier on 12 December 1983, with the total reaching 102,000 before the end of the year. The 100,000th car, finished in white, was donated to the Dutch Red Cross. In 1988, 12 years after its introduction, the one-millionth 300 was built. Finished inside and out in red, it ended up in the DAF museum in Eindhoven. Eventually, the production of the 300 series ended in 1991 after 1.14 million units, averaging 76,000 vehicles per year throughout its life. While the car was fundamentally robust, the car was rushed to production too early. In particular the first (1976) model year 343 suffered from teething problems, with unsubstantiated claims that Volvo ordered its dealer network to scrap early model year cars that were traded in, in order to remove them from circulation. As a result very few of the earliest 1976-77 cars have survived. The build quality gradually improved but was never up to the same standard as Volvo's larger models. Due to this bad reputation, the car was not popular in Sweden. Sales of the 340 with Variomatic in Sweden were down to 200 per year in the late 1980s. The 300's sales were also limited because the price of a two-litre 360 was more than a base 240 in the home market. Markets