GWM celebrated on Friday, 15, the inauguration of the factory in Iracemápolis, in the interior of São Paulo, at a ceremony with the presence of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who was expected since August 2021, when the plant was acquired from Mercedes-Benz.
The unit starts with the production capacity of 50,000 cars a year, but the Chinese automaker announced plans to reach a volume of 250,000 to 300,000 vehicles in Brazil, which puts on the horizon the possibility of new stages of expansion or even, although without official confirmation, of a second factory in the country.
GWM invests R $ 4 billion in the first phase of its landing in Brazil, which runs until next year and includes the purchase of facilities in Iracemápolis, a city 170 kilometers from São Paulo. After that, between 2027 and 2032, another R $ 6 billion are foreseen, raising to R $ 10 billion the total invested.
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On site, the Poer pickup is produced and two SUVs, Haval H9 and Haval H6, the latter a plug-in hybrid, a technology whose battery feeds the electric motor is charged in the outlet.
The pieces are imported from China. However, during the ceremony and, before, in the visit of journalists on the lines, the automaker’s concern was clear about emphasizing the difference in BYD’s strategy, which will bring from China Automobiles partially assembled and that has entered controversy with traditional automakers in Brazil by unsuccessfully trying to import these vehicles.
In addition to the bodies frame, GWM car painting is made in Iracemápolis, and components are imported “piece the piece” -not in pre -assembled CKD system kits -, which supports brand directors, allows rapid replacement of Chinese components as the company advances in local content. The automaker said she already has 18 suppliers participating in the production and development of the first vehicles, including multinationals such as BASF, Bosch, Continental, Dupont and Goodyear.
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The Iracemápolis unit has 600 workers and foresees to reach by the end of the year about one thousand direct jobs. When you start vehicle exports to Latin America markets, the number of vacancies should reach 2,000.
In an interview with a group of journalists who visited the factory before Lula’s arrival, GWM International President Parker Shi said he could not comment on speculation about a new factory. However, it revealed that the goal is to produce between 250 thousand and 300 thousand cars in Brazil. “We are not afraid of competition. If we do not invest here, we will not have a future,” said the executive.
At a time when the rates raised by President Donald Trump in the United States lead Chinese companies to seek new markets, Parker Shi highlighted stability in China’s economic and political and diplomatic relations with Latin America partners. The automaker, he said, wants to invest in reliable markets.
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Regarding the possibility of increasing the scale in the Brazilian market, the president of GWM International replied that, at the moment, the group studies the viability of investments in higher volume segments, of prices below R $ 150 thousand.
