Chery, SAIC's MG and other Chinese carmakers are restarting and building plants in Spain. With the European Union charging up to 35.3% in countervailing duties on Chinese-made electric cars, local production is seen as one way around the tariffs.
Chinese carmakers' push into Spain, which Chinese financial coverage has framed as ‘breaking out in Europe’, has become more concrete this year. According to Reuters, Chery is working with Spain's Ebro to revive a former Nissan plant in Barcelona; production slipped from 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2025 and then to this year. Chery cited commercial reasons for the delay, including EU tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles.
광고 문의 · 300×250Figures on scale differ by source. Reuters reported a target of up to 150,000 vehicles a year by 2029, while another outlet said plans reach 200,000 a year. The Omoda 5 SUV in electric and combustion versions was announced as the first model, with the Jaecoo 7 to follow. Some reports say more than 150 million euros has been invested in the Barcelona plant so far.
SAIC, Geely and battery investment
According to Caixin Global, the Galician regional government announced on June 2 that SAIC plans a plant for its MG brand in Galicia, in northwestern Spain. Investment is about 200 million euros with a target capacity of 120,000 vehicles a year. Electrive said construction is slated for 2027 and production for 2028, with about 2,000 jobs expected. Steps such as port-use rights and foreign-investment approval remain.
Russpain reported that Ford and Geely will restart the Almussafes plant in Valencia as a joint venture, with Ford holding 66% and Geely 34%; Geely's investment was given as 221 million euros. In Zaragoza, Stellantis and CATL are pursuing a 4.1 billion euro battery plant, and Leapmotor, partly owned by Stellantis, is preparing electric-car production nearby. BYD is reviewing idle plants in Spain, France and Italy, with a site expected by the end of this year.
The EU tariff environment is the backdrop. Electrive explained that SAIC's electric cars face an extra duty of up to 35.3% on top of the 10% base tariff, or 45.3% in all. Hybrids and combustion cars face only the 10% base rate, and individual firms can avoid the duty through minimum-price undertakings. Vehicles built inside the EU are not subject to the duty.
Spain's position is clearest at the regional level. The Galician government announced the MG project first and welcomed it. A formal position from Spain's central government did not appear in the reports we checked; only the pending foreign-investment approval is confirmed. Market data showed battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars made up 27.7% of new registrations in Spain in August.