CHARLESTON, SC—Volvo Cars today inaugurated its first U.S. assembly plant here. 

The factory will start production of the new Volvo S60 midsize sports saloon in the autumn of 2018. From 2021, the factory will also build the next generation of the Volvo XC90 SUV. Cars built at the plant are destined both for the U.S. market and international export.

Volvo Cars is investing around $1.1 billion in its U.S. manufacturing operations and will create around 4,000 new jobs at the Charleston site over the coming years. Approximately 1,500 staff will be employed by the end of this year.

The new Charleston facility includes an office building for up to 300 staff from R&D, purchasing, quality and sales. 

The plant can produce 150,000 cars per year at full capacity. The site occupies 1,600 acres and the building space covers 2.3 million square feet. Construction on the facility began in 2015.