UK electric sports car manufacturer to locate in Pittsylvania, creating 144 jobs
RBW EV Cars will build electric Roadster and GT model cars in Southside, beginning in 2025.

by Grace Mamon
August 22, 2024


RBW EV Cars debuted its first left-hand drive GT and Roadster models in the U.S. last week. Courtesy of RBW EV Cars.

The United Kingdom’s only manufacturer of hand-built electric sports cars, RBW EV Cars, is investing $8 million to establish a manufacturing facility in an industrial park that is jointly owned by Danville and Pittsylvania County.

The project will create 144 jobs, according to the governor’s office. It’s too early to say what kind of jobs these will be, said Vic Ingram, chairman of the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facilities Authority.

Buildout is set to start immediately, with operations beginning early next year, said Matt Rowe, economic development director for Pittsylvania County. ... The facility at the Cane Creek Centre industrial park off U.S. 58 will be the company’s first in the U.S. RBW also has operations in Europe, Asia and Bermuda, according to the release. RBW was established in 2017 to build an electric system that could be applied to classic cars. It currently employs about 50 people, said David Splivalo, head of global communications for the company.

The Pittsylvania facility will produce the RBW’s first left-hand drive electric classic sports cars — Roadster and GT models — for the U.S. market. The Roadster has a starting price of $139,000 and the GT starts at $151,000, according to a news release. ... These models debuted in the U.S. last week at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a car show in California.

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