The automobile company Ebro, owned by EV Motors, presented this morning at the Madrid motor show the two vehicles that it will manufacture in the former Nissan facilities in the Barcelona Free Trade Zone. These are the Ebro S700 and Ebro S800 models, two SUVs that will have hybrid or combustion engine versions.
Both vehicles will be manufactured in the so-called Ebro Factory, in the Free Trade Zone, starting at the end of the year and will initially be marketed through 30 points of sale of an exclusive dealer network for the Ebro brand. This distribution network will also offer services repair, and will cover the brand’s extensive warranty programs.
The presentation that has been carried out, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the historic Spanish brand that is now reborn. “Today we present the first cars from Ebro, the first automotive manufacturer based in our country. With Chery, we will work together to promote a project that will return the motor industry to the Barcelona Free Trade Zone, and for which our objective is to cover the entire value chain, generating employment, and also opportunities for the auxiliary industry,” said the CEO of Ebro, Pedro Calef.
The cars will be produced under a platform and technology shared with Chery, Ebro’s partner for vehicle production in Spain. In an initial phase and to accelerate the start of industrial operations, the vehicles will only be assembled in the factory, although the objective is that in the near future the welding, painting and assembly facilities will be used. In this second phase, the progressive incorporation of local suppliers is contemplated.
The presentation of the vehicles occurs a few weeks after the signing of the agreement that guarantees an investment of 400 million by Chery in the reindustrialization project. This contract contemplates the creation of two joint ventures: the so-called Ebro SUV, majority owned by EV Motors, aimed at the marketing and after-sales of vehicles with the Ebro brand in the Spanish and Andorran markets (and later also in other countries); and on the other hand, Chery’s investment in the Zona Franca plant, also majority owned by EV Motors.
On the other hand, the establishment of a joint I center is being studied