Geely’s US unit Volvo Cars has opened a new university and technical centre buildings at the company’s Ridgeville, South Carolina campus, adjacent to the car assembly plant opened in 2018 to build the S60 sedan.
The university building holds nearly 89,000 square feet of training and office space and is equipped with modern technology to enable retailers and automaker employees to access training. The university has also created a training programme with the Yale School of Management.
The university will play a key role in preparing retailers for the switch to full product electrification which ramped up last year with the US launch of the fully electric XC40 Recharge SUV.
The technical centre adds new research and development capabilities for Volvo’s Americas Region workforce with a centre to educate service technicians on the latest vehicle technology, including electrified powertrains. The centre includes a 23,000 square foot facility which encompasses a training academy, methods workshop and technical material analysis.
Earlier this month the automaker said it would spend US$118m to produce the fully electric Polestar 3 at its South Carolina plant under contract to Polestar Cars.
The Polestar 3 is the third vehicle scheduled to be built at the plant, joining the S60 and the next generation of electrified Volvo models.