At 4.15am on Tuesday morning March 31, the last Volvo S60 rolled off the assembly line at Volvo Cars Ghent. The historic car - a Sapphire Black model with a five cylinder gasoline engine - is destined for a customer in Taiwan.
In total, the Ghent plant has built 578,292 S60 cars during the years 2000-2009.
S60 is one of the longest running Volvo models in the plant. The highest production volume of the model was reached in 2001 when 108,906 S60 cars were produced.
"The Volvo S60 was an important model for Volvo Cars Gent," says managing director of Volvo Cars Ghent Derek Jessiman. "Now we will focus on a flawless launch of the new S60."
And preparations for the new S60 model which will enter production in Ghent in 2010 are already underway. The new model will share technologies with other recent Volvos such as the S80, V70, XC70 and XC60.
During the coming weeks rebuild of activities in the welding plant will commence to create space and capacity for the new sedan. For example, the present capacity of the floor line will be doubled.
Production of Volvo S60 at Volvo Cars Ghent:
Year Volume
2000 26 051
2001 108 906
2002 104 484
2003 84 908
2004 67 929
2005 61 838
2006 53 188
2007 39 347
2008 25 436
2008 6 205
The Volvo S60 has received a number of awards during the years: