Photo: Volvo
Following the introduction of the entire 90 Series lineup and the debut of the second-generation XC60, Volvo is now tasked with rejuvenating the 60 Series and 40 Series. A very important model for one of those families is the next-generation S60, which is going to start production at Volvo’s first-ever U.S. factory in 2018.
Workers broke ground in Ridgeville, South Carolina in fall 2015, four months after Volvo made the announcement that it’s expanding global production capacity to meet future demand. Located about 30 miles from Charleston, progress on the new factory is going as planned, with the Swedish automaker reiterating that vehicle production is on track to begin by 2018’s end. As of April 2017, the construction company finished building the complex’s shell.
The 2.3-million square-foot plant will build something like 60,000 vehicles per year for both domestic and export markets. Capacity can go up to 100,000 vehicles per year if demand calls for it, and money-wise, Volvo estimates that the new factory will cost $500 million. The Berkeley County-based facility is Volvo’s fifth, joining two European and two Chinese locations. Roughly 2,000 workers are expected to staff the U.S. plant, with thousands more jobs to be created throughout connecting industries such as parts suppliers.
“This investment shows Volvo’s commitment to build cars where we sell them and source where we build. The new factory is our first in the US, which is our second largest market globally,” said Lex Kerssemakers, head honcho of Volvo USA. “South Carolina has been an excellent partner and we look forward to becoming an integral part of the low-country community,” he concluded.
Just like the 2018 XC60, the 2019 Volvo S60 will use SPA underpinnings introduced by the second-gen XC90. What that means in terms of engines is four-cylinder turbocharged (and supercharged) mills, as well as a plug-in hybrid with an estimated 407 PS and 640 Nm of torque at its disposal. Based on the timing for the plant’s completion, it’s possible for the all-new S60 to debut next spring, most likely at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.
The 2.3-million square-foot plant will build something like 60,000 vehicles per year for both domestic and export markets. Capacity can go up to 100,000 vehicles per year if demand calls for it, and money-wise, Volvo estimates that the new factory will cost $500 million. The Berkeley County-based facility is Volvo’s fifth, joining two European and two Chinese locations. Roughly 2,000 workers are expected to staff the U.S. plant, with thousands more jobs to be created throughout connecting industries such as parts suppliers.
“This investment shows Volvo’s commitment to build cars where we sell them and source where we build. The new factory is our first in the US, which is our second largest market globally,” said Lex Kerssemakers, head honcho of Volvo USA. “South Carolina has been an excellent partner and we look forward to becoming an integral part of the low-country community,” he concluded.
Just like the 2018 XC60, the 2019 Volvo S60 will use SPA underpinnings introduced by the second-gen XC90. What that means in terms of engines is four-cylinder turbocharged (and supercharged) mills, as well as a plug-in hybrid with an estimated 407 PS and 640 Nm of torque at its disposal. Based on the timing for the plant’s completion, it’s possible for the all-new S60 to debut next spring, most likely at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.
Google News