“Obama for President” bumper stickers are plastered all over this 245 in a Denver parade before Obama’s acceptance speech.
For the record, the stereotype is about liberals driving Volvos and sipping lattes. This video sums it up: “Howard Dean should take his tax-hiking, government-expanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading, body-piercing, Hollywood-loving left-wing freak show back to Vermont, where it belongs.”
Urban Dictionary entry for “Volvo Driver”:
Someone who is so bad at driving that they want a car that is perceived overly safe. They drive slowly in the fast lane, they cut into traffic causing other drivers to swerve and brake violently to avoid a collision.
A particularly vile incarnation are those young urban failures that cruise along reading the paper, playing with the radio or yakking incessantly on their cell phones.
Oblivious Volvo drivers often wave cheerily at the frustrated honks of others as they park, change lanes or slam on brakes for no apparent reason.
The connotation that if it’s a Volvo, it’s gonna get in your way and negatively impact your safety is so strong that the company is actively working to dispel the stigma associated with their cars.