Volvo Cars’ CEO said he views boosting production in the U.S. as positive growth potential for the company while it moves forward with its turnaround plan.
Delivering the automaker’s Q3 financials, Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo’s chief executive, pointed to the expansion plans for its plant in Ridgeville, South Carolina.
The facility currently builds the flagship all-electric EX90 together with Volvo’s Geely-owned sibling marque’s Polestar 3.
Samuelsson said during its earnings call that Volvo will add production of its global best-seller, the XC60 midsize SUV, to the assembly line in a move to exploit vehicle sales growth in the region.
The model saw global sales of 20,496 cars in September 2025, that’s up from 18,096 for the same month last year according to data provided by the company.
“In America we have also strengthened our presence industrially and we have a new team leading the Americas with a new approach to marketing which I think looks very promising for growth in that region,” said Samuelsson.
The company had previously announced that the Ridgeville plant near Charleston would get a next-generation plug-in hybrid model before 2030 to bolster its position in the U.S. market.
“This market is also interested in PHEVs, where we are a market leader, and why the XC60 is to be built in the Charlston factory together with an all-new product by the end of the decade,” Samuelsson said.
He also pushed back on other automakers retreating from EVs, explaining: “As some automakers are backing away from EVs we see this as an opportunity.”
Leading the charge will be an all-electric EX60 to launch early next year and another model to reaffirm the company’s drive for the luxury EV market.
“For people buying into the SUV segment will be asking: ‘Can they make an electric car to suit me?’ We will have a very good answer for that segment so I’m very confident that the performance of the EX60 will be a new beginning in the EV business – it will not be the new classic, it will be the new S-Class,” said Samuelsson.
