Volvo restarts European production

Volvo has restarted production on a limited basis at its body components plant in Olofstrom-Sweden, which currently supplies the VM’s assembly factories in China, Automotive News reported today (16 April 2020).

Operations in Olofstrom will ramp up even more on Monday to support the scheduled restart of production at Volvo’s main European vehicle production plant in Torslanda, near Gothenburg, a Volvo spokeswoman said. Volvo makes the XC90 and XC60 crossovers and the V90 station wagon at the Swedish factory.

Also on Monday, Volvo will resume output at its powertrain plant in Skovde, Sweden, where it builds its four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines.

All three of the automaker’s plants in Sweden closed on 26 March to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The restart of Volvo’s plant in Ghent-Belgium is also expected on Monday, but a final decision has not been made, the spokeswoman said. The VM stopped output of the XC40 crossover and V60 station wagon in Ghent on 17 March.

Volvo reopened its four manufacturing plants in China last month after an extended closure period caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Volvo makes vehicles in Chengdu, Luqiao and Daqing, and builds engines in Zhangjiako.