Following Nissan ‘s announcement that it is closing its manufacturing plant in the Cuernavaca Valley Industrial City (CIVAC) in Morelos, at least two automakers have shown interest in occupying the facility, according to José Víctor Sánchez Trujillo, head of the Morelos Secretariat of Economic Development and Labor (SDEyT) , who for confidentiality reasons did not reveal the names of the companies that have raised their hands.
“There are at least two automakers we’ve already interviewed who are interested. The investors are domestic, but they would evidently assemble vehicles and trucks, many of them with Chinese parts, and they’re thinking about targeting the Mexican market, but especially the Latin American market,” the state official emphasized in an interview with T21.
Although Sánchez Trujillo described Nissan’s announcement of its departure from Morelos to relocate its production to Aguascalientes as “painful,” after nearly 60 years in the state, he said that the goal is to take advantage of the state’s strategic location to position it as a logistics hub for central and southern Mexico .
In this regard, the state administration, headed by Governor Margarita González, has managed to secure nearly one billion pesos (mdp) from the federal government to improve the highway system, with the goal of facilitating the movement of goods to and from the state.
A fundamental pillar of this strategy is the reactivation of the Cuernavaca International Airport , with a cargo vocation.
“The fiscalized area is about to begin to be established. Now, since all cargo transportation has been moved to Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) , it is advisable, from half of Mexico City to here and the surrounding areas of Puebla, Guerrero, and even the State of Mexico, to distribute merchandise from Cuernavaca, Morelos, since we are two and a half hours from Puebla, four from the Gulf of Mexico, three from the Pacific, and with all the radiation towards the center-south of the country, it is a predominant location,” he explained.
The Secretary of Economic Development indicated that they will begin with shipments to Guadalajara, Jalisco, and Monterrey, Nuevo León. “We hope to announce the arrival of at least a couple of commercial lines by the end of the year, but we are looking to focus primarily on logistics.”
He specified that along the entire corridor from the airport, Xochitepec, to the Autopista del Sol, approximately 200 hectares have already been purchased , where a park will begin to be developed, primarily for logistics mobility . “Thanks to that highway and the 21st Century Highway, we have those possibilities.”
In this diversification of Morelos’ economy , e-commerce and parcel delivery giants are turning to Morelos. Amazon is not only exploring film productions but is also evaluating redistribution centers, as are UPS, FedEx, Estafeta, and Mercado Libre. This dynamic seeks to expedite deliveries to central and southern Mexico, reducing times and costs compared to routes from the AIFA (Mexico City’s main airport).
Sánchez Trujillo emphasized that these investments could mitigate the impact of Nissan’s closure, which affects 2,200 workers , 800 of whom are on temporary contracts, which expire in December, and the rest are part of collective bargaining agreements.
The official emphasized that a large part of CIVAC is being established with activity heavily geared toward the pharmaceutical industry , and noted that they also have requests from companies already established in CIVAC for potential expansion into the 40 hectares that the Japanese automotive company will be leaving behind, as well as for the arrival of other companies.
Morelos is also known for its research centers , of which there are more than 40, enabling the generation of very important patents that are now becoming technology-based companies.
Regarding the economic impact of the closure of the Nissan CIVAC plant, which will take place during fiscal year 2025, between last April and March 2026, the official explained that they are currently evaluating the impact and reiterated the boost the state will receive, especially with a logistical focus .
It’s worth remembering that the CIVAC plant was where Nissan established its first operation outside of Japan in 1966, and according to the automaker, more than 6.5 million units have been assembled there since then.
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