Mexico will build its electric vehicle Olinia with public and private investment

This is an automated translation of the story written in Spanish

The government of Claudia Sheinbaum aims to build Mexico's first low-cost electric mini-vehicle Olinia through public-private partnerships, with the aim of improving urban mobility in Mexican cities and in line with the European Union's sustainability goals, authorities reported on Monday.

Project coordinator Roberto Capuano offered details of the plan, whose goal is to manufacture three models in one or several assembly plants located in different cities by the end of the six-year term, in 2030, although they hope to have the first units of the first model produced in 2026, for the opening of the World Cup that year at the Azteca stadium.

"The idea is to have the design ready as soon as possible. And the manufacturer will probably have to open a competition to see which private company offers the best conditions for construction," said the president at her daily press conference.

“When building vehicles, the parts can be built in different places and assembled in different places. That is one of the objectives, because taking a car from Sonora to Yucatan... increases the cost of the vehicle. If we can have an assembly plant in Yucatan and one in Sonora, that would be great. Having regional assembly plants that allow us to provide the vehicle at a lower cost,” added Sheinbaum.

Capuano, for his part, said that Olinia will be the first manufacturer of electric mini-vehicles developed by Mexican engineering to solve the country's urban mobility problems, so the initial portfolio is considering three solutions or models: one for personal mobility, one for mobility in neighborhoods, and another for last mile deliveries.

"Our goal is to launch the three models under a company with public and private investment that is economically viable and has long-term prospects," the official reiterated.

All three models would have the same chassis, engine and battery, with different bodies adapted to different requirements.

The plan is being implemented under the umbrella of the newly created Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation - with the participation of the National Technological Institute of Mexico and the National Polytechnic Institute - and Capuano said that it aims for a price range per unit of between 90,000 and 150,000 pesos, depending on the model, coupled with "fair" financing models that will make electric mobility accessible to Mexicans.

The initial public budget for this year is 25 million pesos, which will be distributed among the participating academic institutions, in addition to the salaries of the researchers, according to Capuano, who added that the necessary changes are being made so that they can dedicate themselves full-time to the plan and there are no delays.

“We are identifying the players that are in the country and looking for the most effective way to work with them… We are actively seeking to work with what already exists in the industry in the country in this type of vehicles,” said the project coordinator.

Capuano said that they have already started talks with the different states that already have auto parts manufacturing facilities, and this month they will visit Puebla and Sonora to evaluate and learn more about the existing capacities.