Chimney Sweep Near Me Ridgeville, SC

Volvo must have a workforce of at least 3,910 by the end of 2027 to comply with its contract with the state

RIDGEVILLE — Volvo Cars announced Tuesday plans to “aggressively” add production at its manufacturing campus here, transforming an underutilized plant that’s built some of the automaker’s slowest sellers into a facility that will make vehicles that more U.S. consumers want to buy.

“Today, we are ready to take the next step to make sure the Charleston facility becomes a crucial part of our growth strategy,” Hakan Samuelsson, Volvo’s chief executive, said during an event at the plant off Interstate 26.

Volvo will continue making the all-electric EX90 SUV at the $1.3 billion factory but will shift much of its focus toward building models that more Americans want to drive.

That includes the XC60 sport utility vehicle, which Volvo previously said it will add to the production line by late next year.

More than 27,000 of those vehicles have sold in the U.S. so far this year – a 20% jump from 2024 – while just 2,500 EX90s have sold.

Volvo also said it will add a new hybrid model to the Lowcountry production line by the end of this decade. The new hybrid vehicle is reported to be the next-generation XC90 SUV, but Volvo would not confirm that Tuesday.

“We do see that the XC90, the size and type of that vehicle, is an extremely important product for this market,” said Erik Severinson, chief commercial officer. “It’s also the segment where we see the demand for plug-in hybrid or extended-range technology is the biggest. So, for us, it’s a very natural size of product to think about.”

Finding a way to juice production at the Ridgeville site is taking on greater urgency as tariffs make Volvo’s most popular cars — currently built overseas — more expensive for U.S. buyers. The plant opened in September 2018 with the S60 sedan as its only vehicle, but the model never caught on with U.S. buyers and was discontinued in 2024.

“Today, Charleston produces less than 5% of U.S. sales volumes,” said Francesca Gamboni, Volvo’s chief industrial operations officer. The remaining 95% of Volvos sold in the U.S. — including the automaker’s popular SUVs — are built overseas.

“In five years, our aim is to produce more than 50% of the U.S. volume right here in this facility,” Gamboni said.

She added that the automaker will hire more local suppliers and invest in state-of-the-art manufacturing, such as artificial intelligence, to speed up the transformation.

“We are on an aggressive timeline to bring these new cars to Charleston — as quick as possible,” she said.

Volvo’s South Carolina factory can build as many as 150,000 vehicles per year, but it has been operating at only about 20% capacity to date. The automaker said it plans to move closer to full production while also building the Polestar 3 SUV for its sister brand.

“The Charleston plant is foundational to our strategic growth plan for the U.S.,” Luis Reende, Volvo’s president of the Americas, said in a written statement. “By adding another model into production here, we’ll take a big step toward realizing the full potential of our local manufacturing investments and workforce, and accelerate progress toward our ambitious commercial targets in the coming years.”

The Lowcountry plant currently employs about 2,000 people.

Volvo must have a workforce of at least 3,910 by the end of 2027 to comply with its contract with the state, which pledged more than $200 million in tax breaks and other incentives to lure the automaker a decade ago.

Volvo officials say they’re confident the plant will hit its employment goals.

“Volvo Cars’ decision to further invest in Ridgeville reinforces South Carolina’s position as a national leader in automotive manufacturing,” Gov. Henry McMaster said.

The automotive industry, led by BMW’s massive Upstate facility, employs more than 75,000 people statewide and accounts for more than $27 billion a year in economic impact, according to the S.C. Commerce Department.

Volvo, which is based in Sweden but majority owned by China’s Geely Holding Group, sold more than 763,000 vehicles globally in 2024. The automaker reported a record $2.9 billion in core operating profit last year on revenues of nearly $43 billion.

Volvo was founded in 1927 and has been sold in the U.S. market for 70 years. The company recently sold its 5 millionth Volvo to a U.S. customer.

It’s been 10 years since Volvo announced picking South Carolina for its first American plant. In recognition, McMaster presented Samuelsson with an Honorary Sandlapper Award.

“What is a Sandlapper? Nobody knows for sure,” McMaster said about the origins of the historical nickname for native South Carolinians.

The award, created by McMaster in 2022, recognizes significant contributions to South Carolina by people who are neither from nor currently live in the state.

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - A new hybrid car is making its way to the Volvo Ridgeville production line.

The Swedish car manufacturing company celebrates 70 years of cars driving on American roads this year.

Volvo leaders, along with county and state government officials, including Gov. Henry McMaster and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, celebrated the company’s milestone as well as new investments in South Carolina.

The new XC60 mid-size SUV will be on the production line of the Ridgeville plant after a decade since its opening.

Company leaders are working to fulfill multiple goals with the new addition. Volvo Chief Industrial Officer Francesca Gamboni says the plant currently produces less than 5% of the company’s volume in the United States. Gamboni says the aim is for the plant to produce more than 50% of the national volume by 2030. The addition of the SUV puts the plant one step forward in achieving the goal.

Gamboni says adding the new model will help bring the plant’s production to the full capacity of 150,000 cars a year.

The production would double the number of jobs to 4,000 as part of the investment’s impact in the state.

“We’ll obviously be much closer to our customers, so we’ll be more reactive, more flexible,” Gamboni says. “And obviously, we can also look within localizing our supply and looking at finding partners and suppliers that can support us in the parts.”

Volvo President and CEO Håkan Samuelsson says the company is aiming for majority of global sales to be both electric and plug-in hybrid electric models by 2030.

“We will come out stronger as an electric company after this transformation that will happen,” Samuelsson says. “That’s why we need to be pragmatic and have these types of plug-in or breach solutions. Not just one generation, but we need the second generation to breach also.”

The hybrid vehicle is expected to roll out on the production line in 18 months.