Late last month, Volvo Cars broke ground on their first ever American factory. Located in Berkeley County, South Carolina, the site is projected to be capable of producing over 100,000 Volvo vehicles each year. Construction is underway, and your team here at your local Chicagoland Volvo dealers, Fields Volvo Northfield, is so excited to learn that new Volvo models will be manufactured on American soil. Keep reading to find out more!
Upon its completion and opening, the Berkeley County, South Carolina facility will be the global production center of the all-new Volvo S60 sedan, which is currently under development at Volvo Car Group headquarters in Sweden. The American-built S60s will be exported worldwide through the Port of Charleston. The plan is to also produce and ship another to-be-determined model through the facility. The goal is to have the first South Carolina-build Volvo to roll off the assembly line in late 2018. Lex Kerssemakers, Volvo Cars of North America, President and CEO, had this to say:
[Today’s] groundbreaking proves that Volvo Cars follows promises with action. Volvo is moving quickly to expand its presence in the United States with new cars, new engines and now, a new factory.
For the Volvo Car brand, this new factory is groundbreaking as Volvo is in the midst of a global transformation and comeback in the United States. Additionally, Volvo Cars estimates that the factory will employ up to 2,000 people over the next decade and more than 4,000 in the future. Over the last two months, Volvo saw U.S. sales increase by double-digit percentages with global sales also rebounding across the lineup. Global demand for the all-new 2016 Volvo XC90 has been overwhelming with pre-orders selling out. To check out all the new Volvo models available, head on down to Fields Volvo Northfield to speak to a member of our team today!