INTERVIEW - China's Cenntro to Produce First “Made in Bulgaria” E-Vehicle
Chinese manufacturer of electric vehicles Cenntro Automotive Corporation and its partner, Luxembourg-based SEVIC eMobility, plan to hire 250 to 300 employees at an electric utility vehicles factory they are developing in Bulgaria, a SEVIC official told SeeNews. Cenntro and SEVIC eMobility intend to invest 10 million euro ($11.6 million) in the next three years and produce in Bulgaria 60% of the parts for the small electric utility vehicle they will assemble at the factory located in the Trakia Economic Zone, near the city of Plovdiv, Emil Yankov, business development director of Sevic Bulgaria, said in an interview with SeeNews. In this way, the electric utility vehicle will have a “Made in Bulgaria” or “Made in EU” label and the manufacturer will receive the corresponding incentives, Yankov said. Peter Wang, CEO of Cenntro Automotive Corporation, said in July that the two partners plan to make the factory a regional centre not just for the assembly of electric utility vehicles, but also for production of parts for them and their maintenance.