Photo: Cenntro Electric Group

PULSE NEWS MEXICO

The Chinese Cenntro Electric Group, which produces small-scale electric vehicles, has announced that its Mexican subsidiary affiliate will invest $200 million in a lithium-ion battery plant in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo León, with an eye to producing its own energy cells and distributing cars nationwide.

The Cenntro Group, which is currently headquartered in New Jersey but is still owned and operated by the Chinese conglomerate Cennatic Power Inc., said in a written statement Friday, Jan. 20, that the new state-of-the-art plant, with an area of 10,436 square meters, will be located inside the Aero Industrial park in Monterrey, where construction already began in late 2022.

Andrés Lankenau, president and partner of Cenntro Automotive México, said that the company’s $200-million investment will be spread out over a three-year period and will encompass manufacturing facilities, promotional efforts and the development of a world-class vehicle network.

According to the company statement, the Monterrey plant will begin operations in the second quarter of 2023 and will produce lithium-ion batteries with advanced features, including higher temperature tolerance, faster charging times, safer operating parameters and longer life cycles.

Lankenau said that, with this new plant, the Cenntro Group hopes to become the largest provider of zero-emission electric commercial vehicles in Mexico.

To date, it has produced and delivered more than 5,000 zero-emission electric vehicles in 26 countries.