Spanish carmaker EBRO aims to manufacture between 25,000 and 30,000 cars in Barcelona this year, which could double the number of vehicles sold, and it also expects to swing to a net profit, its chairman said on Wednesday.
EBRO had ceased sales in 1987 until its relaunch in 2024. It is currently manufacturing four models and sold around 14,000 vehicles last year.
The company also has a 60 per cent stake in a joint venture with Chinese carmaker Chery to manufacture vehicles at a former Nissan plant in Barcelona.
Chery would start production there at the end of this year or the first quarter of 2027, EBRO’s chairman Rafael Ruiz told reporters on the sidelines of an event in the Catalan city. The targeted production level of up to 30,000 cars this year could include Chery models, he added. Ruiz said that a Chery electric car would definitely be manufactured in Barcelona and played down the fact that the start of production has suffered a series of delays with commercial reasons cited, including European Union tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs).
“We have given priority to the EBRO vehicles to launch them as soon as possible industrially and we have been sequencing the capacity that we have had,” Ruiz said, describing the alliance with Chery as “magnificent” and noting that the plant, which directly employs 1,600 people, could produce up to 200,000 cars annually.
After posting a net loss of 16.3 million euros ($19.2 million) last year, EBRO will swing to profitability this year due to stronger sales among other factors, Ruiz said. Chinese carmakers have gained market share in Europe amid an aggressive price war by EV makers worldwide. Producing in Spain would allow Chery to avoid being subjected to EU tariffs of up to 35.3 per cent on Chinese-made EVs. Local authorities have hailed the Chery investment as a positive example of closer commercial ties between Spain and China and a reflection of Spain’s potential as Europe’s second-biggest carmaker.
