Overview
- The assembly line at the revived Santana Factory is officially running, building the 400D diesel pickup and the 400PHEV plug‑in hybrid unveiled at the launch event.
- Santana signed an agreement with China’s BAIC making it the exclusive partner to market a new SUV range in Europe, with SKD assembly in Linares planned from mid‑2026 and phased introductions through 2028.
- A first unit was handed over symbolically to the Linares Chamber of Commerce, while broader customer deliveries are projected to begin in early 2026 according to company timelines.
- The production plan targets an initial capacity of 5,000 vehicles a year, expansion by another 8,000 on a second line, and up to 40,000 with three shifts, with about 3,000 sales forecast for 2026 focused on Spain, Portugal, Italy, Gibraltar and Andorra.
- The reboot is backed by alliances with Anhui Coronet Tech and Zhengzhou/Dongfeng‑Nissan and has sparked political friction as Andalusia’s leader touts €15 million in regional support and roughly 500 current jobs while criticizing the central government’s role.