The new Volvo plant in the village of Valaliky, near Košice, has begun its first working shift.
The facility, which has become Slovakia’s fifth car plant, started operations on Monday, 21 September. This is not yet the start of mass vehicle production. At the initial stage, employees will test the operation of production lines, technologies and logistics. The plant is gradually expected to move to two and then three shifts. Full-scale series production is scheduled to begin in April 2027.
Volvo selected the site near Košice in 2022 from ten European locations under consideration. Site preparation began in February 2023, and construction took around three and a half years. The plant covers approximately 300,000 square metres, while Volvo’s investment amounts to €1.2 billion.
The facility will have a planned production capacity of up to 250,000 electric vehicles per year. Its operations will include battery production and assembly, aluminium component casting, stamping, painting and final vehicle assembly.
The new plant is focused exclusively on the production of electric vehicles and next-generation components. Among other technologies, Volvo plans to use large-scale aluminium casting and technology that integrates the battery into the vehicle’s structure.
Around 1,000 people currently work at the facility. Once fully operational, it is expected to create around 3,300 jobs.
Construction of the plant was accompanied by the development of infrastructure required for the industrial park to operate. This included roads and railway connections, sewerage, expansion of wastewater treatment facilities and other infrastructure. The cost of this work exceeded €700 million.
The opening of the plant has also brought changes to public transport services. From 21 September, new V1–V4 bus routes began operating from Košice to the Valaliky industrial park. In addition, railway company ZSSK resumed passenger services between Košice and the town of Čaňa after a 15-year break.
Two pairs of trains per day will operate on the route, stopping in Košice-okolie, Barca, Valaliky and Čaňa. Trains will not stop at the Geča station.
