Chery is a Chinese car manufacturer that has been operating in Argentina for over 10 years. Chery will start a tannery in La Rioja to produce the leather needed for his cars and a plant for the production of electric cars. But the Chery project is mainly part of the goal of industrialization of lithium: Argentina, Bolivia and Chile form the "Lithium Triangle", with 67% of the reserves and 50% of the global supply.[Chery confirmó que planea instalar una fábrica de autos eléctricos en la Argentina – TN Autos]
It would be the first time that "ecological" vehicles are manufactured in the national territory.
Chery confirmed that its plans include the installation of an electric car factory in Argentina , from which units would be distributed to the local and regional market. The Chinese brand wants to establish itself in the country with new mobility technologies.
Chery's objective is " to build Argentina as the brand's new energy vehicle base for the region , with the installation in the country of a factory that will produce these cars," the official statement indicates.
"Argentina is a key strategic point to reach the markets of South America and Central America", they explained from the Asian company. The objective is clear: for our country to be the focus of Chery's production for the entire region.
What is Chery's plan
Some time ago, the executive director of the Argentine-Chinese Chamber of Production, Industry and Commerce, Alejandra Conconi, revealed on Radio Miter that Chery plans to produce around 50,000 units per year and that, therefore, "there is a bid between municipalities and provinces” for keeping the investment, although everything seems to indicate that it will settle in Santa Fe.
Chery's plan includes two parts: the first is to invest in a tannery in La Rioja to produce the necessary leather for its cars , a proposal that has already been submitted to the Secretary of Industry, Knowledge Economy and External Commercial Management of the Ministry of Productive Development of the Nation; the second, to invest in an electric car production plant , within the framework of the Electromobility Law announced by Alberto Fernández in March of last year.
It is not the first time that Chery's landing in the "green" industry at the national level has been publicly confirmed, despite the fact that the company has not yet ruled on the matter and that the National Government did not announce it. In January, the Argentine ambassador to China, Sabino Vaca Narvaja , confirmed in dialogue with El Diario AR that "Chery is going to install an electric car factory" in Argentina.
Chery is a Chinese automaker that has been operating as an importer in Argentina for more than ten years. Last year, the president of the company, Yin Tongye, had revealed to the ambassador “the company's interest in investing in the manufacture of electric cars ”.
Consulted by the Autoweb site, representatives of Socma Argentina (it is the company that is in charge of importing, distributing and marketing Chery) confirmed that there is “a project to establish an electric vehicle plant in the country to supply the local market and export to Latin America ”.
Argentina, in the lithium triangle
The Chery project also fits into the objective of lithium industrialization set by the Executive. It is not for less: Argentina, Bolivia and Chile form the so-called "lithium triangle" , with 67 percent of the concentrated proven reserves and around 50 percent of the global supply.
According to the Ministry of Production, Argentina has a seventh of the world's lithium reserves , which places it "in the fourth global position." In addition, it contributes a sixth of world production and thus "is placed in third position in the ranking".
Argentina “is the country with the largest amount of resources with potential economic value, although not proven feasibility and profitability, with just over 20% of the world total. The lithium available there is mostly concentrated in three provinces: Catamarca, Jujuy and Salta ”, assures the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in a report carried out in 2018.
