Ebro and Chery plan to produce 150,000 vehicles a year by 2029 at the former Nissan plant in Barcelona.

The Catalan company Ebro and the Chinese group Chery officially registered this Friday in the Barcelona Free Trade Zone their alliance with the aim of reactivating the old Nissan plant, which will now be known as the Ebro Factory.

Both companies plan to produce 50,000 vehicles per year by 2027 and reach 150,000 in 2029. Ebro CEO Pedro Calef stressed his “full commitment” to the alliance between the Catalan and Chinese companies.

The project will initially employ 150 workers who are currently undergoing training, although there are plans to bring back up to 1,250 workers from the old Nissan plant in the future.

The agreement was ratified by Pedro Calef and Chery International Vice President Gibin Zhang in an official ceremony attended by Generalitat President Pere Aragones; President of Spain Pedro Sanchez and Vice-Governor of the Chinese province of Anhui Shan Xiangqian.

This act completed the reindustrialization process of the former Nissan plant, which began in 2021. Zhang assured that the agreement “represents not only a partnership between the two companies, but also a strategic cooperation between the two countries.” expressed a willingness to participate “in the well-being of local citizens and the environment.”

For his part, Kalef thanked the administration, social agents and workers for their “participation” in the negotiations on the re-industrialization of the plant.

Chery hopes Barcelona will become one of the company’s “major export bases” around the world. It is expected that assembly of the first Chery Omoda 5 model will begin at the end of the summer, and two Ebro SUVs at the end of the year.