Volvo is in a celebratory mood as its factory outside Charleston, South Carolina, has now started building the new electric flagship SUV with the first customer deliveries scheduled for the second half of this year.

The EX90 not only expands Volvo’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 – a technology that enables a new era of safety for its cars.

The first customer-bound EX90 that rolled off the production line was a striking model painted in Denim Blue, destined for a customer in the US later this year.

Jim Rowan, Volvo Chief Executive, 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.

Volvo Cars’ first manufacturing plant in the United States opened in the summer of 2018 just outside Charleston, one of the oldest and most storied cities in the country. Today, the Charleston plant produces the EX90 and the S60 saloon, and it has the capacity to build up to 150,000 cars per year.

In recent years, the company has made extensive investments in the facility. The body and paint shop have been renewed and expanded significantly, while the plant now also has a state-of-the-art battery pack production line.

The EX90 is based on the company’s next-generation, born-electric EV technology base, with a fully electric range of up to 372 miles. It is designed to be the safest Volvo car to date, powered by next-generation passive and active safety technology and software informed by a broad suite of sensors.

Thanks to its true seven-seater configuration, it is being billed as a perfect companion for the entire family, full of space, versatility and comfort.

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