3 days ago
Mexico unveils Olinia, its first EV which will debut at opening game of the 2026 World Cup at the Azteca Stadium
Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum
, unveiled the
Olinia
project, the first
Mexican manufacturer
of
electric microvehicles
that by the end of the administration in
2030
, aims to produce
three models
priced between
$4,500
and
$7,500
.
The assembly plant, which will combine
public and private capital
, will develop a
personal mobility microvehicle
, another for
'neighborhood mobility'
designed for
short distances
, and one more for
last-mile delivery
, explained
Roberto Capuano
, project leader.
In statements reported by the
EFE news agency
, he stated, 'Our goal is to launch the three models with a company that has
public and private investment
, that is economically viable, and has long-term prospects. For our first model, (the goal) is to arrive at the
opening game of the 2026 World Cup at the Azteca Stadium
in an
Olinia
.'
Last January , the
government
formed a team of
researchers from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN)
and the
National Technological Institute of Mexico
, which this year will have a budget of
25 million pesos ($1.25 million)
to develop the model.
The idea of manufacturing
electric microvehicles
, explained
Capuano
, comes from the fact that
70% of the Mexican population lives in urban areas
, and
80% of them have daily mobility needs under 30 kilometers
.
With this project, the
government
seeks to boost the
automotive industry
, which accounts for nearly
4% of the national GDP
and
20.5% of manufacturing GDP
, more than any other sector.
'We see how in countries similar to Mexico, these vehicles are on the rise. In
China and India alone
, sales of
microvehicles
in
2023
exceeded
1.3 million units
. For us in Mexico,
microvehicles
are the category with the greatest potential in
electric mobility
,' argued
Capuano
.
Rosaura Ruiz Gutiérrez
, Secretary of
Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation
, stated that
Olinia
, which in
Nahuatl
means
movement
, 'marks a historic milestone because it goes beyond manufacturing
Mexican electric microvehicles
. It has the potential to become a turning point for the
Mexican industry
.'
