Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, joined by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, visited the Volvo Car Group (Volvo Cars) facilities in Ghent, Belgium on April 1.

President and CEO of Volvo Cars Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo Cars Chairman of the Board Li Shufu and others were in company during the visit. During their visit to the plant, the President and his wife Peng Liyuan, and the King and the Queen toured around the show room and the production line. They were showed with the highlights from the Volvo products range: from the first ever Volvo car, the ÖV4 “Jakob”, to current models and technologies like the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid and Ghent-produced models like the XC60 and the V40 with pedestrian airbag.

They also talked with representatives from the executives and local unions, and met with employees. Commenting on the visit of President Xi, Mme Peng Liyuan and King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Håkan Samuelsson said: "We are naturally deeply honoured to have been able to welcome these distinguished guests to Volvo Cars’ state-of-the-art car facilities here in Ghent. The Ghent plant is an integral part of our manufacturing operations and a cornerstone of the company’s future."
 
"Steady growth in the Chinese market is a major part of Volvo Cars’ successful transformation plan and the company has made tremendous progress in China in recent years," Håkan Samuelsson added. "By investing and growing in China, Volvo Cars makes a positive contribution to the development of the Chinese economy. At the same time, growing demand in China for our cars supports Volvo jobs in Belgium and Sweden, making this a mutually beneficial relationship.”
 
Volvo Car Ghent, established in 1965, is one of the company’s two European car plants, employing 5,000 people and producing the Volvo V40, V40 Cross Country, S60 and XC60. This year, total output since Volvo Car Ghent started production will reach 5.5 million cars.