By August, Danville, Virginia, will be the sole U.S. location manufacturing hand-built electric sports cars. RBW EV Cars, a company based in the United Kingdom, is opening its first overseas factory in the city, marking a significant step for the British automaker’s expansion into the American market.
To facilitate its entry into the U.S., RBW turned to a Danville native. The company first announced its plans to establish a U.S. presence in Danville in August 2024, promising to create 144 jobs and invest $8 million in a manufacturing facility. Peyton Sellers, a professional stock car driver and local business owner, played a key role in attracting the company. Sellers’ family has resided in Danville since 1946.
Peyton Sellers, director of U.S. operations for RBW, pictured courtesy of RBW EV Cars.
Approximately a year and a half ago, Matt Rowe, the Pittsylvania County economic development director, approached Sellers to assist in attracting a British auto manufacturer to the area. Sellers’ background in the automotive industry and his interest in the company led to his appointment as RBW’s first director of U.S. operations in November. RBW already produces new luxury electric vehicles, modeled after classic British sports cars from the 1960s and 1970s, at its facility in Lichfield, England.
“They needed to figure out how to scale from one or two cars a month to seven to 15 cars a month,” Sellers explained. “They saw an opportunity in Danville to help get to that finish line.”
The Danville facility, located in the Cane Creek Centre industrial park, is nearing completion, with operations expected to commence within six months. Construction is underway, hiring has begun, and partnerships with local entities are also being formed.
RBW’s connection to Danville came through a recommendation from Overfinch, another British automotive company with a presence in an industrial park in the city since 2016, according to RBW CEO Peter Swain.
“We were recommended to Virginia and the Danville area by Overfinch, actually,” Swain said. “We share a showroom with Overfinch in London, so that’s how that connection came across.”
Swain expressed his admiration for the area after visiting. “I just fell in love with the place,” he said, emphasizing the community’s warmth as a major draw. Beyond the community, the geographical and cultural fit between RBW and Danville was also appealing. The city’s proximity to the coast provides logistical advantages for a British company that is importing materials, though Swain stated a preference for using local suppliers whenever possible.
The history of Danville as a former mill town is also viewed as an asset, aligning with the production of luxury cars.
“The seats that we make here are leather,” Swain said. “It’s not going to be hard for Danville to make these items because they used to make beautiful garments, so it’s the same DNA. … There’s a great affiliation there with those skills, and we’re going to bring a tiny piece of that [industry] back.”
The Danville factory will produce the company’s first left-hand drive electric classic sports cars, including Roadster and GT models specifically for the U.S. market. The Roadster will have a starting price of $139,000, while the GT model starts at $151,000, according to a news release.
The Danville facility is the first U.S. location for RBW. Photo courtesy of David Splivalo with RBW.
Swain expressed his intention to hire from the Danville community stating that an American would be more familiar with U.S. labor laws,. Swain added that the company wanted to become an integral part of the community.
“If you want to be truly ensconced in the community, you’ve got to go with the community,” he said. “How many companies come in and put their own people in and they don’t adapt? We wanted to be part of the community.”
Swain was impressed by Sellers’ experience and business acumen. Sellers, a NASCAR Hall of Famer, won the national championship of NASCAR’s weekly racing series in 2005 and 2021. In September 2024, he won his seventh Late Model Stock championship at the South Boston Speedway, tying for the most title wins ever at the track. Sellers also leads Sellers Brothers in Danville, a contracting company that once built approximately 700 trucks annually for step-van manufacturer Morgan Olson.
Swain noted that Sellers’ experience in new vehicle construction was a significant advantage. The company plans to employ residents locally and work mainly with local suppliers, Sellers said. RBW is collaborating with Danville Community College to establish a program in the school’s automotive lab, training students with RBW parts and pieces.
“Our goal is about 45 to 50 employees by the end of the first year that we’re in production,” Sellers said. “And we’re not just waiting on the building to be done, we’re actually currently working on building a few cars … and we hope to have cars on the assembly line by the middle of the summer.”
This facility will also assemble electric vehicle system units for Spirit EV, an electric vehicle design and integration company under the RBW umbrella.
Sellers views RBW as “a piece in the puzzle” of Danville’s economic revitalization. He has observed the city’s transformation from a tobacco- and textile-driven economy to an EV-industry-linked manufacturing hub. Sellers said that Danville has recently focused on filling its industrial parks with smaller, niche companies.
“For so long, we were Dan River Mills and Goodyear,” Sellers said. “As we see those companies going away or doing mass layoffs, it puts us in a chaotic place. … But now, we won’t see such a big economic impact if one company does leave.”
The cars will be sold nationwide. Sellers stated that RBW hopes to use the Danville facility to launch other U.S. initiatives, such as integrating Spirit EV systems into American vehicles.
“Our next venture will either be a Ford or GM. It’ll be something more U.S.-based, like the Ford Mustang convertible or the classic Chevy Camaro,” Sellers mentioned. “There’s a lot of opportunities right now for us to take on different models and makes to put our system in.”
RBW has U.K.-based partners interested in joining them in the Danville facility, Sellers confirmed. “We hope to bring our suppliers here,” he said. “I think we’re going to see a hub around Danville and this area. An EV village, that’s what we’ve named it.”
