Production of Ebro cars begins at the former Nissan plant in Barcelona

The revival of the legendary Spanish brand Ebro is now a reality, with the first models about to roll off the assembly line at the old Nissan plant in the Barcelona Free Trade Zone. The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, together with the directors of the brand and the Chinese multinational company Chery, attended the launch of the production of the first SUV model called S700, which will be followed in a few weeks by the s800.

The project, which is now becoming a reality, restores the jobs allocated to the reindustrialization table in March 2023. the presidents of three companies involved in this industry: Rafael Ruiz of EV Motors, Pedro Calef of Ebro, Tongyu Yin of Chery Automobile; and Guibin Zhang from Chery International.

The first vehicle to be produced at the plant will be the s700 SUV, followed by the s800 SUV in the coming weeks. The production of these models is timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the historical Spanish brand, which is now being revived. Production will take place in two stages. In the first case, cars will be assembled at the plant, and from 2025, welding, painting and complete assembly processes will be included in production. This progress will enable the integration of the local supplier fleet, thereby strengthening the value chain and having a positive impact on the nearby industrial plant. On the other hand, the possibility of creating a joint research and development center in Barcelona, ​​similar to the one Chery has in Frankfurt (Germany), among four others scattered around the world, is being explored.

The first Ebro vehicles to hit the market will be the s700 and s800, two mid-size SUVs with PHEV (Plug in Hybrid) and internal combustion engines, technologically very advanced, with top-level safety standards and driving aids. The goal is to make the models one of the bestsellers in their segment by 2025. They will be equipped with a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine combined with an electric motor, providing a total output of 350 horsepower. These models have a range of more than 90 kilometers in electric mode. There will also be internal combustion versions with a 1.6 turbocharged petrol engine producing 150 hp. and automatic transmission. Both versions have front-wheel drive. The s700 is 4.51 meters long, 1.86 meters wide and 1.69 meters high, while the s800 is longer at 4.72 meters, maintaining the same width at 1.86 meters and a slightly taller height at 1.70 meters . The vehicles will be sold throughout Spain through a distribution network that already has more than 45 confirmed sales points, 30 of which will be operational by the end of the year.