Ebro presents a new production line and expects to boost its turnover

BarcelonaEbro presented this Monday morning its new production line at the Zona Franca plant. With the so-called M1, which has been operational since the beginning of the year, the company can triple its previous production: while the M0 – shorter and with fewer processes – allows manufacturing 6 cars per hour, the new line will be able to manufacture up to 20 vehicles in the same time. However, for now, its productivity will not be exploited at 100% and, as explained by the president of Ebro EV Motors, Rafael Ruiz, it will be expanded as demand increases. Specifically, currently, on the M1 – where models s400 and s700 are produced – only one shift is working, while on the M0 – where s800 and s900 are made – two shifts are working. If the new line were open 24 hours – which would be equivalent to three shifts – it would be capable of producing up to 130,000 vehicles per year.

The M1 line is one of the main results of the 150 million euro investment that Ebro has made at the former Nissan plant in Barcelona. With a total length of 696 meters and 97 workstations, the facility is designed to manufacture up to five different vehicle models. Furthermore, it is also equipped for the production of electric vehicles, which are expected to start being made at the plant by the end of this year. The investment has also been allocated to the modernization and robotization of the factory. Currently, the plant already has more than 200 robots involved in various industrial processes. The brand's next major investment is expected to be the incorporation of a new paint line, the P2.

This increase in production, according to the company's forecasts, will also translate into a significant increase in sales. Ebro has detailed that it expects to boost its turnover to at least 600 million euros in 2026, whereas last year the Catalan brand achieved revenues of 357 million euros. Regarding car sales, similar growth is expected: if last year Ebro sold 14,148 vehicles, this year they expect to increase the figure to between 25,000 and 30,000 cars. During the first months of 2026, the company has increased its presence in the Spanish market to achieve a share of 2.2%, double that recorded in 2025.

The electric car

So far, at the Barcelona plant, the Catalan car brand has been producing electrified cars, but none of them were electric. This, however, was about to change: a few weeks ago, Ebro announced the launch of a 100% electric model that will hit the market at the end of this year or early 2027. However, this might not be the first electric car to be made at the plant. Chery, a Chinese automotive company owning 40% of the company, also plans to start assembling cars at the Catalan plant, and it might be that these land in the Zona Franca before what is expected to be the smallest vehicle in the Ebro line. The cars that Chery will bring to Catalonia will be the Omoda 5 EV and the Jaecoo 5 electric.

The arrival of 100% electric cars at the plant, however, does not represent a shift in Ebro's strategy. As Rafael Ruiz explained in a meeting with journalists, the company believes that the way forward is to bet on plug-in hybrids for larger models, while electric technology would work better in smaller, urban vehicles. "For Ebro, the plug-in hybrid is the key technology for the future," said the brand's president.

Given the possibility that a European proposal will come into effect requiring automotive companies to manufacture at least 70% of their vehicle components in Europe, Ruiz explained that they are working to meet this requirement, although he did not detail what their current percentages are. Nevertheless, the company's president wanted to emphasize that "100% of the car is already manufactured in Barcelona" and that they buy from many European manufacturers. Furthermore, after various administrations have called on the automotive industry to start contributing to defense and security, Ruiz has closed the door to entering this sector. "We are focused on our product and plant; we are not exploring other avenues," he assured.