On December 16, 2021, Nissan manufactured its latest vehicle at the historic factory in the Barcelona Free Zone. Nearly three years after that moment, EV Motors today began production of its S700 at the same factory, symbolizing the resumption of industrial activity. At the time, some 2,500 jobs had been lost between the Barcelona plant and the Montcada plant, with at least half expected to be recovered.
The first vehicle produced at the plant will be the s700 SUV, which will be followed by the s800 SUV in the coming weeks. The production of these models coincides with the 70th anniversary of the historic Spanish brand, which is reborn today.
The start of production implies the resumption of employment as activity increases, thus reintegrating the employees who are part of the commitments acquired at the table of reindustrialization.
Production will take place in two phases, as the company explains. In the first case, the vehicles will be assembled in the factory and from 2025 the welding, painting and complete assembly processes will be integrated into production. This progress will make it possible to integrate the fleet of local suppliers, thus strengthening the value chain and the positive impact on the nearest industrial fabric.
EV Motors, parent company of EBRO, signed a strategic industrial and commercial alliance with Chery in April that made the reindustrialization of the Zona Franca plant a reality through public-private investment. The agreement provides for the creation of two “joint ventures”: the one called EBRO SUV, majority owned by EV Motors, intended for the marketing and after-sales service of SUV vehicles of the EBRO brand on the Spanish and Andorran market (and later also in other countries); and on the other hand, Chery’s investment in the Zona Franca factory, majority owned by EV Motors, and which will aim to produce models from both car manufacturers.
On the other hand, the creation of a joint R&D center in Barcelona, similar to the one that CHERY has in Frankfurt (Germany), among four others around the world, is under study. “If confirmed, it would mean that the agreement would cover all the elements that make up the value chain of the automotive industry, with a company based in Spain.”
The institutional event took place today at the factory, in the presence of the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa; the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu; Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress Zhao Leji; the Chinese ambassador to Spain, Yao Jing. Also present were EV Motors-Ebro President Rafael Ruiz; the president of Ebre, Pedro Calef; Chery Chairman Tongyue Yin and Chery International Chairman Guibin Zhang, among others.
