A Volvo XC90 rolls down the assembly line at the maker's plant in Daqing, China. The maker will build vehicles in South Carolina starting in 2018.

Almost six weeks after saying it planned to establish a beachhead in the U.S., Volvo announced it’s building a $500 million plant just north of Charleston, South Carolina.

The automaker was said to be considering three locations, but the site north of Charleston won out because of its proximity to a large port and other infrastructure.

The factory, which will be located in Berkeley County and is expected to be up and running by 2018, will produce 100,000 vehicles that will be sold in the U.S. and exported, according to the automaker. Construction will begin later this year.

“This new global industrial footprint and a complete product renewal forms the foundation for our growth and profitability targets,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Car Corp.

Volvo said the plant will employ up to 2,000 people over the next decade and up to 4,000 people in the long term.

There’s a bit of irony in the move given the former Swedish, now Chinese-owned maker will begin sending stretch versions of its S60 sedans to the U.S.

Set to reach U.S. showrooms this coming summer, the long-wheelbase model has been in production for more than a year at the Volvo plant in Chengdu, not far from the headquarters of its Chinese parent, Geely. It’s the first plant Volvo has operated outside Europe.

(Volvo announces plans for new U.S. plant. For more, Click Here.)

The stretched sedan will come in two versions, a Premier model and a Platinum edition. Both will get leather seating, a sunroof and built-in navigation. The top-line Platinum model will add a Harman Kardon premium audio system, Xenon lights and other features. Both variants will be offered with Volvo’s T5 engine and all-wheel-drive.

(Click Here for details about Volvo’s new XC90 Lounge Console Concept.)

Once completed, Volvo Cars will be able to manufacture vehicles on three continents, underscoring its position as a truly global carmaker, the maker said. It already operates two plants in Europe and two in China. The new U.S. plant forms part of an ambitious medium term expansion plan to double global sales and boost marketshare.

Volvo sold about 56,000 vehicles in the U.S. last year, which is less than half the 139,000 cars sold at its height in 2004. The U.S. plant makes sales easier and also reduces currency fluctuation problems adding to the company’s bottom line.

(To see more about Volvo’s plans to put 100 autonomous vehicles on the road, Click Here.)

Volvo’s not the only maker investing in new facilities in South Carolina. BMW is investing $1 billion in its facilities in the state to increase SUV production. It’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina produces all of its SUVs world wide. Daimler AG announced it was investing $500 million at its Charleston, S.C., plant to build Sprinter commercial vans in early March.