Volvo Car Ghent has released its 2025 production figures, with a total of 212,177 vehicles produced in the Belgian factory. That’s 14% more than the year before, but not quite at the same level as in 2023 or in previous record years. The EX30 is part of the positive picture, but the XC40 remains by far the most popular model produced in Ghent.
However, the EX30 has seen some negative press recently. A batch of vehicles produced in China for global markets is being recalled over a risk of battery cell electrical shorts, with a potential thermal runaway and thus fire hazard.
In total, around 33,777 vehicles are affected, and customers are urged to limit the battery state-of-charge to 70% to avoid danger. But Belgian vehicles should not be affected.
The problem stems from battery supplier Sunwoda Electronic, which was recently sued by Viridi E-Mobility Technology, another subsidiary of Geely, Volvo’s parent company. The Zeekr 001 also faced battery issues back in 2024 using Sunwoda cells.
The recall information so far does not explicitly list vehicles built at the Volvo Cars Ghent (Gent) factory as part of the impacted group.
2024 was a poor year for Volvo Car Ghent, producing only 186,313 vehicles, no more than during lockdown and semiconductor shortage times a few years before. The production lines had to be stopped for a while in preparation for the EX30, the small electric SUV which started production in China, but made its way to Belgium to avoid import fees.
Positive, but not a record year
In other words: a positive result for 2025 was expected. And with 212,177 vehicles produced, 2025 was the second-best year since 2018, with only 2023 showing a better performance with 230,527 cars produced. But at the same time, the period between 2011 and 2017 regularly saw figures of over 250,000 cars per year. So the glory years seem to be in the past.
XC40 with combustion engine remains king
Currently, Volvo Car Ghent produces the XC40 and its electric sibling, the EX40, the SUV-coupé EC40, the V60 plug-in hybrid and, since April 2025, the EX30. But it’s the XC40 and EX40 that continue to take the lion’s share of the production lines: almost 157,000 of those models were produced in 2025, mostly with combustion engines. In total, 40% of Volvo Car Ghent’s production is currently EV or PHEV.
The EX30, which had high hopes resting on its shoulders before the EV market started to level off, was only produced 21,000 times last year. Volvo does say that the production is still ramping up, including new versions like the EX30 Cross Country.
