Volvo Cars‘ factory outside Charleston, South Carolina started building its new electric flagship SUV – and the first customer deliveries are scheduled for the second half of this year. The EX90 not only expands the company’s portfolio of fully electric cars but also represents a paradigm shift for the company as it is the first Volvo car powered by core computing technology, Volvo Cars said.

“The fully electric Volvo EX90 is the start of a new era for Volvo Cars – a new era for safety, sustainability and human-centric technology,” Jim Rowan, chief executive at Volvo Cars said. “The EX90 is proudly manufactured in the USA and reflects our long-term commitment to our people in South Carolina and the broader US market.”

Volvo Cars’ first manufacturing plant in the United States opened in the summer of 2018 just outside Charleston. Today, the Charleston plant produces the EX90 and the S60 sedan, and it has the capacity to build up to 150,000 cars per year, the company said.

In recent years, Volvo Cars said it has made extensive investments in the facility. According to Volvo Cars, the body shop and paint shop have been renewed and expanded significantly, while the plant now also has a battery pack production line.

The EX90 is based on its next-generation, born-electric EV technology base, with a fully electric range of up to 600 km (approx. 372 miles), Volvo Cars said. The company adds the EX90 is also powered by next-generation passive and active safety technology and software informed by a broad suite of sensors.

The EX90 comes with a powerful core system, is always connected and can be improved over time through software updates, according to Volvo Cars. These updates are delivered by Volvo’s software engineers, enabled by AI and informed by real-time data collection.