The first Chinese car manufacturers to produce in Europe

Electromobility

19. April 2024

Von Peter Kellerhoff

Reading time: about 2 minutes

Chinese car manufacturer Chery wants to produce cars at the former Nissan factory in Barcelona this year.

The fact that German and European car manufacturers and suppliers have plants in China is nothing new. But now the Chinese state-owned company that manufactures Chery cars is preparing to become the first car manufacturer from China to produce in Europe this year. Together with EV Motors of Spain, Chery wants to use the Nissan factory in Barcelona that will be closed in 2021 for a joint venture. Chery was founded in 1997 and was China’s largest car seller in 2011 with 170,000 vehicles.

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Although the Chinese car manufacturer BYD announced at the end of last year that it wants to build a production facility in Szeged, Hungary, experts say that the first cars are unlikely to be available before the beginning of 2027. This would mean that Chery – the company wants to start production in this and also enable former Nissan employees – will be more likely to build cars in Europe than BYD.

According to Automobilwoche, Chery initially wants to manufacture Omoda brand cars in Barcelona, ​​​​​​​​and from the fourth quarter of 2024, Ebro brand cars will also be manufactured by EV Motors, the majority shareholder in the joint venture.

Chinese car manufacturers want to establish themselves in Europe

“The group is here to stay,” said Chery Europe managing director Jochen Tueting confidently. The production facility in Spain is proof of Chery’s commitment to Europe. Tueting explained in a conversation with Car-Editors.Net at the beginning of the year that they were in good discussions with business groups in Germany to include enough regions and partners. In his opinion, 80 to 120 traders would be needed to provide basic service for the local market.