Flanders grants 3m euros to help Volvo produce EX30 model in Ghent
The Volvo plant in Ghent will receive 3 million euros in strategic transformation aid to start production of the EX30 model, Flemish minister president Matthias Diependaele confirmed on Friday.
The electric EX30 was launched in 2023 and is currently being built in China. Next year, the plant in Ghent will also start assembling the car. The financial aid from Flanders will be used to help train its staff.
"A smart, balanced and highly coordinated training plan strategically anchors the important employment of the more than 6,000 employees at Volvo Car Gent," Diependaele said.
"It is thanks to our knowledge and flexible workforce that Flanders has already built a strong reputation in the automotive industry. The construction of the new platform also opens up the prospect of new models being produced at Volvo Car Gent in the future."
Exceptional plant
The Belgian and European car industry is going through a difficult period, but the Volvo plant in Ghent is an exception. The site, which employs around 6,500 people, is one of the most important industrial employers in Flanders and will be the last car plant in Belgium after the closure of Audi in Brussels next year.
The plant currently produces the XC40 and its electric version, the EX40, of which it has made more than 1 million in total. As the XC40 is one of Volvo's best-selling models, they will continue to be produced in 2025, along with the EX30.
At the moment, the EX30 have to be imported from China, which involves high tariffs. That is why Volvo is deciding to build them in Europe. They will also be sold to the US and Canada, which have even higher tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles than the EU.
The first EX30 is scheduled to roll off the line in April 2025.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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