Volvo Cars will add its best-selling XC60 mid-size SUV to the production line of its US car plant in Ridgeville outside Charleston, South Carolina. The state-of-the-art facility, which also assembles the fully electric flagship EX90, is scheduled to start XC60 production in late 2026.
The XC60 has been the company’s best-selling model globally for years and is also the most popular Volvo model among US customers. In the first six months of 2025, XC60 sales in the US rose by almost 23 per cent.
“Adding the XC60 to our Charleston production line will further strengthen its position and attractiveness in the competitive US market, while supporting and creating American manufacturing jobs,” said Håkan Samuelsson, CEO of Volvo Cars. “It is also in line with our ambition to build where we sell and reinforces our long-term commitment to the US market, where we are celebrating our 70th anniversary and have sold over 5 million cars.”
In addition to its popularity in the US, the XC60 is a car of global importance to Volvo Cars as well. It recently surpassed the 240 wagon as its all-time best-selling model, with more than 2.7 million XC60s now on global roads – and counting.
The XC60 is currently the best-selling Volvo model in the US. American customers love the XC60 for its combination of safety, luxury, and Scandinavian design. Already this year, over 33 per cent of Volvo Cars’ sales in the US are the XC60, and 25 per cent of those are plug-in hybrids.
As the fourth best-selling luxury plug-in hybrid in the US, it’s also an important bridge toward electrification for customers. Once they experience electrification in plug-in hybrids, they are more likely to want another plug-in hybrid or fully electric powertrain in their next car.
“The XC60 is already beloved around the world and in the US and we’re proud we’ll soon be able to offer American families the XC60 they love, assembled here by American autoworkers,” said Luis Rezende, President, Volvo Cars Americas. “The XC60 is the right car for this market. It offers the best of Volvo in a versatile size with the powertrain options to suit our US customers. We continue to be impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit in South Carolina and are grateful to the state of South Carolina and Governor McMaster for their leadership.”
Located just outside Charleston, Volvo Cars broke ground on its first US manufacturing plant in 2015, nearly a decade ago. Today, the state-of-the-art facility assembles the Volvo EX90 and the Polestar 3 SUV models. It is a high-capacity plant with capabilities in terms of multiple platforms, technologies and models.
Volvo Cars has invested USD 1.3 billion in the plant in the last decade, with extensive investments to make it ready for the future. The body shop and paint shop have been renewed and expanded significantly, while the plant also has a state-of-the-art battery pack production line. Adding the XC60 also helps to secure future local jobs at the plant.
With the addition of XC60 production, in both mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid form, Volvo Cars will soon now produce something for everyone in its US plant. It will continue to produce its fully electric, 7-seater flagship EX90 SUV there for customers who want more space or are looking to go fully electric.
