Chevrolet launches production of Captiva EV in Brazil
General Motors has announced the start of production for the Chevrolet Captiva EV in Brazil. The battery-electric SUV is being assembled at the facility of its industrial partner, Comexport Planta Automotiva do Ceará (PACE), in the state of Ceará. GM had already announced around six months ago that it would begin local production of the model in Brazil.
However, production is not taking place as a full local manufacturing process. Instead, it is being carried out using the so-called SKD (‘Semi Knocked Down’) method. In this approach, pre-assembled kits are shipped from China and assembled at the Brazilian plant. The Chevrolet Captiva EV is based on the Chinese Wuling Starlight S and shares key technical components with it.
Wuling operates a joint venture with General Motors in China and has already been producing the model for the Chinese market. The first vehicles assembled in Brazil have now left the plant. Following the completion of internal quality controls, deliveries to the dealer network are expected to begin in the coming weeks. GM also stated that the number of employees at the site has increased by around 50 per cent with the start of Captiva EV production.
The expansion of production is intended to meet the growing demand for electrified Chevrolet models in the Brazilian market. The imported version of the Captiva EV led the sales statistics in the mid-sized battery-electric SUV segment in Brazil during the first quarter. Local production is expected to improve the model’s availability in the country.
According to General Motors, the mid-sized SUV offers seating for up to five people and achieves a range of 304km under the Metro cycle used in Brazil. The model will be offered not only in South America but also in Mexico and the Middle East. For General Motors, Brazil is a strategically important market. The company describes the country as the largest automotive market in Latin America and its second-largest market worldwide. With the local assembly of the Captiva EV, GM is advancing its electrification strategy in the region and further expanding its production capacities for electric vehicles.
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