Volvo restarts European production

Volvo has restarted production on a limited basis in Olofstrom, Sweden, at its body components plant, which is currently supplying the automaker's vehicle assembly factories in China.

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 spokeswoman told Automotive News Europe. 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 March 26 to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Volvo's U.S. plant in Ridgeville, near Charleston, S.C., was also closed on March 26. It is scheduled to reopen on May 4, the spokeswoman said.

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 automaker stopped output of the XC40 crossover and V60 station wagon in Ghent on March 17.

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 Zhangjiakou.