Volvo Car Gent celebrates 60 years: from iconic models to pioneering innovation

Volvo Car Gent celebrates its 60th anniversary. Since the first car rolled off the production line in 1965, the Ghent factory has grown to become an indispensable link in Volvo Cars' global production network. 
 

A history full of innovation

In 1972, Volvo Car Gent introduced the first robots in its painting and welding plant, a move that gave productivity and quality a significant boost. Since then, the factory has built around 7.8 million vehicles, including numerous public favorites and technological milestones: from the Volvo Amazon and Volvo 850 to the S40/V50 series, the XC60, and the XC40.

Ghent is playing a pioneering role in Volvo Cars' electrification strategy. The factory was the first to produce a fully electric Volvo: the EX40. This was followed by the EC40, and in 2025, production of the EX30 also began. The site is thus continuing to build the mobility of the future, with a focus on quality, safety, and a lower environmental impact.

Anchor point in the region and the cross-border industrial cluster

Thanks to its strategic location in North Sea Port, Smart Delta Resources partner Volvo Car Gent is a driving force for employment and prosperity in and around Ghent, as well as a key player in the industrial landscape of the Scheldt Delta region. With over 6,500 employees, Volvo Car Gent is the largest industrial employer in East Flanders.

Within Smart Delta Resources, this milestone underscores the importance of a strong Flemish-Dutch cross-border ecosystem in which production, logistics, energy infrastructure, and knowledge institutions reinforce each other. The electrification and battery activities in Ghent are closely aligned with the regional transition to cleaner mobility, CO₂ reduction, and future-proof value chains, with significant spin-offs for suppliers and logistics partners on both sides of the border.