Another Southeast auto plant: Volvo comes to South Carolina

South Carolina Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt, at podium, talks about Volvo Car Corp.'s announcement it will build its first plant in North America in Berkeley County as Gov. Nikki Haley, second right, listens on Monday, May 11 2015, in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina beat out four other states for the $500 million plant that will employ 4,500 workers. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins) South Carolina Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt, at podium, talks about Volvo Car Corp.'s announcement it will build its first plant in North America in Berkeley County as Gov. Nikki Haley, second right, listens on Monday, May 11 2015, in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina beat out four other states for the $500 million plant that will employ 4,500 workers. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

By Associated Press May 11, 2015 4 min read

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Another automotive manufacturer is coming to the Southeast, and this time South Carolina won the prize.

Volvo Cars announced Monday that it will build a $500 million plant – its first in the U.S. – and eventually employ up to 4,000 people at the Berkley County site, about 30 miles northwest of Charleston.

Volvo is the third foreign automaker to put a U.S. plant in South Carolina. BMW led the way for manufacturing on American soil when it built a plant in Greer more than 20 years ago. Daimler AG is building its Sprinter vans at a plant about 15 miles down Interstate 26 in Ladson.

In the past two decades, Nissan has built plants in Tennessee and Mississippi; Kia in Georgia; Volkswagen in Tennessee; and Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai in Alabama.

Volvo Cars liked that South Carolina already had auto suppliers to the BMW and Sprinter van plants in place, South Carolina Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt said.