The demolition of Volvo's former car factory in Born, the Netherlands, had actually begun. But it has now stopped because the factory can still be used again.
The demolition of the Volvo factory in Born, Netherlands, had actually begun. But now it is being interrupted.
This means that the Volvo factory, once a center for car production, will be given new life. Instead of being demolished, it will now house the production of military drones and military vehicles.
Historically, the factory in Born was very important for Volvo. The site was established in the 1970s when Volvo took over DAF's car production.
Among the models manufactured at the Volvo factory were the Volvo 66, Volvo 343, Volvo 480, Volvo 440 and Volvo V40.
This is what the media NU writes.
Volkswagen factory could also become a weapons center
Volvo later sold the factory and moved production to Ghent in Belgium, where the brand's current Chinese owner, Geely Holding, is expanding production.
However, Volvo will not be able to reunite with the factory in Born.
When Volvo sold the Born factory, the remaining people produced cars under contract with Smart, BMW and the BMW-owned Mini for a time.
However, that way of building cars stopped in 2023. And 2,500 factory employees became unemployed when the factory began to be demolished.
The fact that this will not happen is due to an agreement between the industrial group VDL and the Dutch government.
The agreement involves defense companies moving into the factory to produce military equipment. This comes at a time when there is increased focus on armaments and military capacity in Europe.
This development coincides with the European Commission's plans to invest significant sums in the defense industry, especially in the event that the United States withdraws its support for NATO.
The former Volvo factory will thus become part of a larger European armaments industry. And this may be just the beginning.
In Germany, a Volkswagen factory could be sold for the same purpose. Read more about it here .
