Ceará wants return to the map of the Brazilian automobile industry and consolidate itself as one of the main hubs of the sector in the Northeast. To this end, the state is betting on the production of electric vehicles, tax incentives and logistics infrastructure to attract car manufacturers.
Today, the main industrial hubs linked to the automotive sector in the country are concentrated in São Paulo, in ABC Paulista and in the interior of the state; in Bahia, in Camaçari; in Minas Gerais, in Betim; and in Rio de Janeiro, in Resende.
Ceará already had an automotive hub in the past. The activity was concentrated in the former Troller factory, in Horizonte, in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza, which produced jeeps until 2021, when Ford closed operations in Brazil.
Now, the state is trying to resume this industrial vocation. According to the president of the Ceará Development Agency (Adece), Danilo Serpa, the state government managed to attract a partner to reactivate the complex.
The company Comexport opened the Ceará Automotive Hub (Pace) in December 2025, installed in the former Troller plant. The factory operates in a multi-brand model, allowing different automakers to use the structure.
“We started producing, in partnership with GM, the Spark, a 100% electric vehicle. And a second GM model starts in June, the Captiva, also electric. We are negotiating other models, but also with other automakers to set up shop in our automotive hub,” Serpa told CNN.
The first partnership with General Motors involved an investment of R$400 million. According to Serpa, this semester a second automaker will be announced to operate at the hub. “The deal is closed and is now in the contract phase,” he said.
The expectation is to quickly increase the number of companies located there. According to the director, two other brands could be installed at the hub by the end of the year. To facilitate the expansion of the complex, the state government expropriated 2.2 million square meters aimed at creating a new industrial area focused on the automotive chain.
Ceará is also betting on tax incentives and federal programs to attract investments. The state is part of the Regional Automotive Regime and Mover (Green Mobility and Innovation Program), a federal government policy aimed at stimulating the automotive industry and the production of less polluting vehicles.
Another factor considered strategic is logistics. The automotive hub is close to Porto do Pecém, one of the main port terminals in the Northeast. Furthermore, the state has a strong presence in the generation of renewable energy, which can favor projects linked to the production of electric vehicles and the low-carbon industry.
