Volvo Cars (VOLCAR-B.ST) seeks U.S. partnerships to boost South Carolina plant utilization

Volvo Cars is open to partnerships with companies in the United States as it looks to increase use of existing production capacity at its South Carolina plant, CEO Hakan Samuelsson said on May 13, 2026. Samuelsson told the FT “Future of the Car” conference that Volvo is considering cooperation in assembly, construction, sourcing and supply-chain operations as the automaker expands its U.S. manufacturing footprint. The comments come as global automakers reassess production strategies in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign cars, aimed at increasing U.S. manufacturing. “We need to be much more industrially present in the U.S. and we need to fill the factory we have there,” Samuelsson said. Volvo Cars is majority-owned by China’s Geely Holding.