However, Geert Bruyneel, Volvo’s head of global manufacturing, told Automotive News Europe that the vehicle architecture used at the new plant “will be a successor to SPA2,” the automaker’s newest electric-only architecture that will underpin a forthcoming flagship SUV, as well as the Polestar 3.
Both of those battery-powered premium large SUVs will go into production this year at Volvo’s U.S. factory near Charleston, S.C.
Construction of the Kosice factory is set to start next year. Series production of Volvo’s next-generation EVs is scheduled to start in 2026, the company said, adding that about 20 percent of the investment is expected to be covered by the Slovakian government.
“Expansion in Europe, our largest sales region, is crucial to our shift to electrification and continued growth,” Volvo CEO Jim Rowan said in a news release that announced the project.
Volvo’s next flagship crossover, which will take over a role currently held by the XC90, will be full electric and could pay homage to the Swedish automaker’s lineage.
Volvo has not revealed the name of the first model that will use SPA2 but has said it will deviate from using alphanumeric names such as XC90 and XC60 on future vehicles.
Volvo filed for trademark protection last October for the name Embla, according to Australian news site Drive. In Norse mythology, Embla is the name of the first woman.
Volvo will share the further evolved version of SPA2 that is planned for Kosice with sibling brands owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding.
“This is the next generation in our technology journey,” Volvo’s head of industrial strategy, Erik Severinson, told Automotive News Europe.
