Local leather for Great Wall cars in Ecuador
21/02/2013
Set up by a local entrepreneur, Hernán Vásconez, the Ciauto (for Car City) initiative is already producing one finished vehicle per hour. It has 60 workers. He has said Ciauto is merely the first phase in what he says will be Ecuador’s first integrated automotive industrial park, hosting local supply companies on the site.
Mr Vásconez has secured contracts to produce vehicles under licence from Chinese firm Great Wall Motors. His plant is currently assembling the Haval H5 compact sports utility vehicle and the Wingle compact pickup truck.
It could take another five years for the automotive industrial park to be complete, but in advance of that, some suppliers are making the most of their proximity to Ciauto. One example is Esprom, which is supplying seats to Ciauto, upholstered, the company says, in high-quality leather made from raw material that is 100% Ecuadorean.
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