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Next-Gen Volvo XC90 to Be Built in South Carolina from 2021

Build them where you sell them - Volvo seems to be yet another example of an automaker that lives by that motto, as it too is moving its SUV production to the United States. The next-generation XC90 model will be made in Berkeley County, South Carolina starting in 2021, following a $1.1 billion investment.
Next-Gen Volvo XC90 to Be Built in South Carolina from 2021 5 photos
Photo: Volvo
Next-Gen Volvo XC90 to Be Built in South Carolina from 2021Next-Gen Volvo XC90 to Be Built in South Carolina from 2021Next-Gen Volvo XC90 to Be Built in South Carolina from 2021Next-Gen Volvo XC90 to Be Built in South Carolina from 2021
Volvo used to make its cars almost exclusively in Sweden. But now the S90 sedan is imported from China while the small XC40 crossover will come from Belgium.

Of course, everybody already knew about the Berkeley County, South Carolina factory already, since it's under construction. The facility will be ready by next year, when the all-new S60 sedan will be launched. The XC90 will add another 1,900 jobs on top of the 2,000 employees currently being hired.

South Carolina was chosen due to its access to international ports. It's the first Volvo factory in the United States, though not in North America. Honda has a plant in Timmonsville, just 92 miles away. Spartanburg is also there, and we all know it's the biggest BMW factory, making everything from the X3 to the X6.

“The continued expansion of our plant in South Carolina is another significant commitment to the US market,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive. “The plant in Charleston will serve both the US and international markets and forms a strong foundation for our future growth in the U.S. and globally.”

The U.S. is Volvo's biggest market for the new XC90 SUV, though many more units will be exported through the Port of Charleston. The current generation came out in 2014 and in two years helped the company increase its sales from 56,000 units to 83,000 units in 2016.

Not much is known about the next-gen XC90, though electrification will probably play an increasing role. The Swedish automaker also announced a partnership with Nvidia that will put self-driving cars on the road by the same year, 2021. Coincidence? We think it's highly unlikely. So it looks like one of the few autonomous cars in the world will be made right here.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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