Volvo Cars is tripling electric car manufacturing capacity at its plant in Ghent, Belgium as it prepares to meet fast growing demand for its Recharge line-up of electric cars. The capacity increase comes as Volvo Cars also reports total sales of electric cars more than doubled in 2020, compared to 2019. By 2022, electric car capacity at the Ghent plant will have more than tripled from the current levels and amount to around 60 per cent of the plant's total production capacity.
Ghent is currently preparing to take a second fully electric Volvo model, based on the CMA modular vehicle architecture, into production later this year. The plant already builds the XC40 Recharge, the company's first fully electric car, as well as a plug-in hybrid version of the XC40.
By 2022, electric car capacity at the Ghent plant will have more than tripled from the current levels
Volvo Cars is committed to becoming a premium electric car company and in coming years, the company will launch several fully electric cars. By 2025, it aims for its global sales to consist of 50 per cent fully electric cars, with the rest hybrids. While Ghent is the first of its global manufacturing network to start building fully electric cars, the company also has plans to increase electric car manufacturing capacity at its other facilities around the globe.
By 2025, it aims for its global sales to consist of 50 per cent fully electric cars, with the rest hybrids.
Last month, Volvo Cars also announced it will assemble electric motors at its powertrain plant in Skovde, Sweden, and plans to establish complete in-house e-motor production by mid-decade. It will invest 700 million SEK to this end in coming years. The company is also investing significantly in the in-house design and development of e-motors for the next generation of Volvo cars.
