Volvo Cars has achieved a major production milestone, celebrating the four millionth vehicle built on its first-generation Scalable Product Architecture (SPA)—a platform that has defined the company’s modern transformation and laid the foundation for its current lineup of premium electrified models.
Introduced in 2014 with the second-generation Volvo XC90, the SPA platform revolutionized Volvo’s manufacturing by enabling multiple models, powertrains, and technologies to be built on a single, flexible structure. This approach significantly improved efficiency while allowing Volvo to expand its electrified and hybrid offerings.
The milestone vehicle, a Volvo XC90, recently rolled off the assembly line at the company’s plant in Sweden, marking more than a decade of innovation built on SPA.
Foundation of Volvo’s Modern Identity
“SPA spearheaded our company’s rebirth as a modern and premium brand,” said Michael Fleiss, Chief Strategy and Product Officer at Volvo Cars. “To this day, it remains the foundation for some of the most successful Volvo models in history and continues to reach new heights as we further improve on it.”
The platform’s flexibility allowed Volvo to integrate world-first safety technologies, including run-off road protection and automatic braking at intersections—features that set benchmarks for the industry. It also gave designers creative freedom to introduce the brand’s iconic ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED lights, and the ‘Twin Engine’ plug-in hybrid powertrain, combining petrol power with electric propulsion—technology that continues to shape Volvo’s current hybrid lineup.
Driving Toward a Fully Electric Future
The SPA architecture remains central to Volvo’s electrification roadmap. Learnings from the first-generation platform will carry forward into SPA2 and SPA3, supporting next-generation electric models and enabling continuous over-the-air software updates to keep vehicles current and connected.
The platform currently underpins six global models, including the XC90, XC60, S60, V60, and S90, produced across Sweden, Belgium, China, and the United States. Production of the XC60 will also expand to Volvo’s Charleston plant in the U.S. next year.
A Record-Breaking Year for Volvo
The milestone follows a record-breaking year for Volvo Cars. In 2024, the automaker reported its highest-ever revenue of SEK 400.2 billion and core operating profit of SEK 27 billion, with global sales reaching 763,389 units.
With a goal to become a fully electric carmaker by 2030 and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, Volvo continues to build on its legacy of safety, sustainability, and Scandinavian innovation—values that were first embedded in the SPA platform and now drive its electric future.
