Ebro is a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

automobile brand that emerged in 2024 with the help of capital from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, being a subsidiary of the Chinese industrial giant

Chery Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., Doing business as, trading as Chery (), is a Chinese automobile manufacturer owned by Chery Holding Group Co., Ltd. Founded in 1997, it is currently the fourth largest automobile manufacturer group in China, with 2,6 ...

, which resumes the commercial name of the former manufacturer

Motor Ibérica An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...

Foundation

Until the end of 2021, the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

manufacturer

Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

was building cars in a factory in Barcelona's

Zona Franca A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to ...

, which was acquired in the 1980s from

, but despite large investments, it became unprofitable in its last years of operation. Its production focused on commercial and off-road models, such as the

Nissan Navara The is a nameplate used for Nissan pickup trucks with D21, D22, D40 and D23 model codes. The nameplate has been used in Australia, New Zealand, Central America, South America, Asia, Europe, and South Africa. In North, Central and South Amer ...

and

Nissan NV200 The Nissan NV200 is a light commercial vehicle, light commercial and leisure activity vehicle, leisure activity, 4/5-door van designed and produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 2009. Overview The vehicle was previewed as the NV200 C ...

, vehicles with low sales volume, but the facilities remained in operation due to government and union pressure. The economic shutdown caused by

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

led to mass layoffs, and a subsequent strike, from which the factory never recovered; all in the context of a restructuring of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, which sought to change the spheres of influence of each of its brands, reducing Nissan's presence in Europe in favor of Renault. Following the departure of the Franco-Japanese group from Barcelona, a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

called EcoPower Automotive, formed by four Spanish companies, Jaton Racing, Api Brothers, Btech and Nexus Projectes, presented a project to resume production at the factory with an electric pick-up model heavily based on the Navara that was previously manufactured there; also resuming the commercial name of the industry's first owner. This vehicle, originally planned to be sold to company fleets rather than to individuals, has not yet gone beyond being a prototype and a statement of intent. Already in 2024, EcoPower Automotive, now renamed EV Motors, reached an agreement with

whereby both companies formed a joint venture with the aim of starting the production of their models in Europe, thus avoiding

tariff A tariff or import tax is a duty (tax), duty imposed by a national Government, government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods ...

impositions and allowing them to penetrate a market in which until then they had a testimonial presence. Assembly began in November of the same year, with a sales forecast of 150,000 units and an investment of 400 million euros until 2029. Initially, Ebro did not actually manufacture cars, but assembled them under the CKD system , receiving most of the disassembled components from Chery's facilities in

and then joining the parts together.

Products

Ebro Pickup The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a delt ...

Ebro S400 The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a delt ...

, based on the Chery Tiggo 4. *

Ebro S700 The Chery Tiggo 7 () is a compact crossover SUV produced by the Chinese automaker Chery Automobile. The fourth model of the company's Tiggo crossover product series, the first-generation Tiggo 7 debuted in April 2016. The second-generation model ...

, based on the

Chery Tiggo 7 The Chery Tiggo 7 () is a compact crossover SUV produced by the Chinese automaker Chery Automobile. The fourth model of the company's Tiggo crossover product series, the first-generation Tiggo 7 debuted in April 2016. The second-generation mod ...

. *

Ebro S800 The Chery Tiggo 8 () is a series of mid-size crossover SUVs, predominantly sold as a three-row vehicle, produced by Chery under the Tiggo product series. First introduced in 2018, it is positioned between the smaller Tiggo 7 and the larger Ti ...

, based on the

Chery Tiggo 8 The Chery Tiggo 8 () is a series of mid-size crossover SUVs, predominantly sold as a three-row vehicle, produced by Chery under the Tiggo product series. First introduced in 2018, it is positioned between the smaller Tiggo 7 and the larger ...

References

{{Reference list Car manufacturers of Spain Chery