Chery will install the first Chinese car factory in Europe in the Free Zone

The Chery automotive group plans to sign the agreement to manufacture electric vehicles in the Zona Franca of Barcelona next Friday, April 19. Pending the final details to formalize the pact, the logistics of the signing are already being prepared and a "historic event" is expected with the presence of the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and high-ranking officials from the Generalitat and the City Council. Sources familiar with the negotiation emphasize that the agreement is imminent, but that some loose ends remain to be tied up. Precisely this Wednesday afternoon, the conseller of Business and Labor, Roger Torrent, traveled to China, to the Wuhu region, to meet with executives of the automotive group.

The brand Omoda, which is part of the Chery group, has announced that at next week's event it will specify the amount of the investment. During the negotiations, it has emerged that the Asian firm is considering manufacturing up to 50,000 cars in the former Nissan grounds in Zona Franca and hiring up to 300 people ---about 150 in the first half of 2024 and the same number in the second half---. If confirmed, it will be the first Chinese car factory in Europe.

Despite Omoda's expected announcement, sources familiar with the negotiation emphasize that the agreement is yet to be finalized. Along these lines, this Wednesday, conseller Torrent assured that he wants to be "cautious" and "very prudent with all steps" related to the investment. "We will continue to be so until the involved parties can explain the results," he said. "We are confident, the reindustrialization of Nissan will end well," he added hours before leaving for the Asian country, reports ACN.

Conversations between the parties have intensified in recent weeks. These days, the leadership of the B-Tech company, which currently solely controls the electromobility hub in Zona Franca, has also traveled to China.

Pact pending loose ends

For its part, the Ministry of Industry has confirmed that the agreement "is about to be closed," pending some loose ends that need to be "polished." They hope that the pact will be closed "satisfactorily" in the coming days to "contribute to the reindustrialization of Barcelona." Regarding the numbers managed by the Ministry, it foresees that the installation of the Chinese multinational in Zona Franca will allow the creation of "more than a thousand direct jobs."