Geely & BYD Are Top Bidders For Nissan/Mercedes Aguascalientes Plant, Potentially Expanding Mexican EV Production - CleanTechnica

Recent reports reveal that Nissan and Mercedes are selling their joint venture factory in Aguascalientes, Mexico, with Chinese automakers BYD and Geely emerging as the top bidders. This marks a significant shift in the Mexican automotive landscape, as Nissan’s once-thriving operations have contracted, leading to closures of key plants and discontinuation of popular models like the Infiniti QX50/QX55 and the Nissan Versa. The Aguascalientes plant, originally built to produce premium compact vehicles for Mercedes and Nissan, now faces uncertainty amid declining sales and strategic shifts by legacy automakers. BYD and Geely’s potential acquisition could fill the emerging gap in affordable subcompact electric vehicles (EVs) in the Latin American market. BYD, which exclusively manufactures plug-in vehicles, and Geely, which still produces internal combustion engines alongside EVs, may leverage the plant to produce cost-effective EVs appealing to consumers in Latin America and possibly Canada. Favorable trade relations between Mexico and Canada could facilitate