Ebro begins production of its S700 in Barcelona

After nearly three years of inactivity, the assembly lines of the former Nissan factory in Barcelona have resumed car production. The S700 models from Ebro, a key player in the reindustrialisation of the facility alongside the Chinese group Chery, parent company of the Omoda and Jaecoo brands, are now rolling out.

Since yesterday, the brand aims to achieve a daily production of 43 cars with two active work shifts. By 2025, depending on demand and with the arrival of Chinese brands at the factory, the pace is expected to increase, potentially doubling to reach 86 cars per day.

According to a statement from the company, "the start of manufacturing signifies the reindustrialisation of the plant and the recovery of the jobs committed to in the reindustrialisation table in 2023."

The specialised newspaper 'La Tribuna de Automoción' reports that of the 730 people working at the Catalan factory, around 200 are involved in vehicle production and 100 are adapting the old Nissan lines for Ebro, in preparation for welding and painting the vehicles.

The assembly system will follow what is known in the industry as Direct Knock-Down (DKD), meaning parts are manufactured in China—the S700 is based on Chery's Tiggo platform—and assembled in Barcelona. By 2025, the CKD system is expected to arrive, where components will be welded and painted upon arrival at the factory.

At the current production rate, it is unlikely that the brand will reach the 1,400 units it had set as a target for this year. Chery announced it would postpone its production of the Omoda 5 on the Barcelona lines until the end of 2025, due to the European Commission's imposition of tariffs on electric cars from China.

Looking ahead to next year, Ebro announced during its stock market debut last month that it aims to "reach cruising speed" with around 30,000 registrations per year. By 2029, when the factory is at full capacity, they see it feasible to exceed 130,000 units sold.