The Chinese giant SAIC will install its first electric vehicle factory in Europe in Galicia
It is foreseen that the plant will be capable of producing 120,000 vehicles per year
BarcelonaThe Chinese group SAIC has chosen the Galician city of Ferrol to establish its first electric vehicle plant in Europe. Thus, the automotive company will land in Galicia with a factory of its MG brand for which an investment of up to 200 million euros is planned. As explained this Monday by the president of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, the factory will have facilities in the outer port of Ferrol and in the municipality of As Pontes. The plant is expected to be capable of producing 120,000 vehicles per year.
According to Rueda, the project will initially involve the creation of 2,300 jobs, of which 1,000 will be direct. And, after the Galician government declared the factory a strategic industrial project in its weekly meeting, procedures can be streamlined so that, as planned, construction can begin in 2027. In his speech, the president of the Xunta expressed his gratitude to the Spanish government for its "involvement" and collaboration.
For its part, the Galician Minister of Economy and Industry, María Jesús Lorenzana, pointed out that SAIC's intention is to turn, in the medium and long term, the Ferrol region "into an industrial and logistics hub" to materialize all processes. Lorenzana also said that the automotive group has committed that "a very significant part" of its supply will be of European origin. It is worth recalling that a community regulation is expected to be approved soon, which establishes a minimum of 70% local manufacturing.
Electric cars, on the rise
Additionally, the demand for electric vehicles continues to soar in Catalonia. Specifically, in the first five months of this year, electric vehicle sales have reached 16,383 units, a 51.23% increase compared to the same period last year, when the figure was 10,883 vehicles. Furthermore, the hybrid vehicle market has accumulated 27,874 registered vehicles this year, a 19.39% increase from last year. In 2026, electric and hybrid vehicles have thus made up 24.67% of the year's cumulative total in Catalonia.