Volvo Cars has started building the fully electric EX60 at its Torslanda factory outside Gothenburg, with first customer deliveries due in early summer.
The mid-size SUV is being presented as more than a model launch. Volvo says it is the first fully electric vehicle (EV) the company has designed, developed and manufactured in Sweden, signalling a long-term commitment to keeping premium EV know-how and industrial capacity in its home market.
The move comes as early European demand has reportedly outstripped expectations. Volvo has already said it will lift planned EX60 production volumes for 2026 after retail orders across nearly all major European markets came in well above internal forecasts, with Sweden and Germany among the strongest performers. With order books for the United States and parts of Asia set to open later this spring, the company expects interest to broaden further.
To help meet demand, Volvo aims to keep the Torslanda plant operating for an extra week over the summer, which it says would be the first time in the site’s history. The company’s chief executive, Håkan Samuelsson, has described the production start as an important milestone for both Volvo and Sweden, adding that the focus is now on ramping up output steadily while maintaining quality and ensuring the EX60 becomes a profitable driver of growth.
Volvo is positioning the EX60 as a stand-out in an increasingly crowded electric SUV market. It claims a range of up to 810 km on the WLTP cycle and says the battery can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in about 16 minutes under optimal rapid-charging conditions. Pricing is expected to sit broadly in line with the firm’s best-selling XC60 plug-in hybrid, a deliberate attempt to make the step to fully electric feel familiar for existing Volvo buyers.
Torslanda’s role has been reinforced by significant investment. Volvo says it has spent around SEK 10 billion modernising the site for the EX60 and future electric models, including mega casting capability, a new battery assembly facility, plus upgraded paint and final assembly operations. For Gothenburg and the wider region, the company expects the EX60 to support jobs, attract further investment and become one of Sweden’s more valuable exports by value.
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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
Zero Carbon Charge (CHARGE) welcomes the government’s extension of short term fuel levy relief measures aimed at cushioning consumers from rising fuel prices, but cautions that these interventions do not address the underlying structural challenge facing South Africa’s transport economy.
At Auto China 2026, Nissan unveiled two new NEV SUV concept cars, in its accelerated product rollout. It also highlights China’s role as one of the company’s lead markets and a global innovation and export hub, according to Nissan.
South Africa is experiencing its fastest shift yet towards electric mobility, driven not by environmental policy but by sheer economics.
