Volvo Considering Three Southern States For New Plant
Volvo could soon join BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Kia in the Southeastern United States, as the Sino-Swedish automaker is seeking a home for a new factory.
WDRB-TV reports Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina are in the crosshairs for the factory, with incentives from the respective governments the deciding factor in where Volvo goes.
Potential locations cited by the station, as well as publications News & Observer and The Times & Democrat, include Hardin and Christian counties in Kentucky, Siler City and two other locations in North Carolina, and the Charleston area in South Carolina.
Volvo has a presence in North Carolina, where its North American truck division is headquartered. The automaker also once considered South Carolina for a factory back in 1996. No comment about the current search was given by Volvo, however, nor by those who would know of such information, including Kentucky governor Steve Beshear and South Carolina Department of Commerce representative Allison Skipper.
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Gee, I wonder if they'd ever consider putting a plant in a place like, I dunno, Halifax?
I think this is a good move if they actually do it. If Volvo isn't giving up on the U.S. market, they should focus on setting up a plant in the U.S. instead of bringing the S60L from China. They can't afford the negative PR that some people will heap onto the S60L. They should let someone else be the first major company to import from China. America doesn't do nuance. Geely at least is not a state-owned company -- it's a private company started by a guy who built the business from scratch: http://forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2014/10/27/geely-in-swedish/ Compare that with VW/Audi's decades-long investment (since 1984) in Chinese STATE-owned car companies SAIC and FAW. Bash Volvo for being owned by Geely, but just remember that other companies are super-invested in China and are transferring technology rapidly to China's state-owned companies: http://forbes.com/sites/christinentierney/2014/03/29/chinas-president-xi-vw-ceo-winterkorn-relax-at-a-ball-game-after-a-long-week/ http://autonews.com/article/20140707/COPY01/307079922/vw-to-invest-$2.7-billion-for-2-more-china-assembly-plants http://www.ibtimes.com/why-chinas-privately-held-car-companies-geely-byd-great-wall-cant-seem-compete-state-owned-1668802 "One of the more outspoken critics of China’s policy is Li Shufu, the founder of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd., whose company bought Volvo Car Corp. from Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) in 2010. Li says allowing the competition would be good for local innovation as more Chinese car companies would be forced to invest in research and development (R&D) instead of relying on technology transfers from companies like Volkswagen AG (FRA:VOW) and GM."
A U.S factory, combined with the related potential price drop, could save Volvo in the states. If they keep trying to sell at BMW and Mercedes prices, they are probably doomed. The XC90 initial sales surge is nice to see, but I suspect it will be short lived, perhaps two years at most.
Hey guys, looks like an American factory is a definite. Volvo just made the announcement. And pre-orders for the the new XC90 are at 24,000, as of Apr 02. About half of what Volvo expected for the full year. Incredible. They haven't even appeared in dealerships yet. The XC90 is Volvo's American car--40% of the old XC90 were sold in the US. Yes, Volvo is here to stay in the US.