Chery will begin vehicle production in Spain this year, moving the Chinese automaker's long-flagged European manufacturing plan from announcement to execution after repeated delays.

The schedule was confirmed in an update reported by Investing.com, which carried Chery's statement that assembly will start in Spain during 2025. The OEM has sold cars in Europe through imports but has not previously built them on the continent.

What is actually confirmed?

Public statements so far establish only three facts: Chery will assemble vehicles in Spain, the start will occur within the current calendar year, and the timeline has slipped from an earlier plan. The plant site, partner or ownership structure, model mix, and annual capacity have not been disclosed in the latest communication.

Chery executives have previously framed Spain as a gateway for European volume, citing the country's existing supplier base, port infrastructure, and EV-linked incentives. None of those details appear in the current announcement.

Why the delays matter

Chery first signalled Spanish production in 2023 as part of a broader European expansion that included the Omoda and Jaecoo sub-brands. The original target called for first vehicles off the line in 2024, a date that passed without confirmed output.

Slipped timelines in greenfield European assembly are common, driven by tooling lead times, homologation cycles, and permitting at the chosen site. The pattern matters less for any single delay than for what it signals about supplier readiness and final investment commitments.

How much capacity is at stake?

Chery has not published a figure for Spanish output. For context, other Chinese OEMs operating in Europe have signalled initial lines in the tens of thousands of units per year, scaling from there. That is a comparison, not a Chery number.

Tier-1 suppliers with European footprints will be watching the award list once a site is named. Spanish stamping, battery pack assembly, and seat suppliers typically anchor any new OEM line on the Iberian peninsula.

What changes for the European market?

Local assembly sidesteps the EU's countervailing duties imposed on Chinese-built EVs from October 2024. Vehicles produced inside the European Union, even by a Chinese-owned manufacturer, fall outside those tariffs. That arithmetic is the core economic case for the Spanish plant.

It also changes the competitive picture for Stellantis, Renault, and the Korean and Japanese brands that currently build in Spain. Chery's wage and supplier-base costs will not match China's, but they will undercut Western European assembly.

What to watch next

• The plant location and partner announcement. Spain, Portugal, and previously Hungary have all appeared in Chery planning.
• The model that opens the line. Whether it is an Omoda, Jaecoo, or a Chery-badged vehicle will indicate how the brand portfolio is being sequenced for Europe.
• The homologation filing. EU type approval typically precedes volume production by 60-90 days.
• The first-quarter capacity figure. Spanish plants routinely disclose early volumes through ANFAC, the local industry association.

Until those four data points land, the Spain program remains a confirmed intent rather than a confirmed line.