Chevrolet just made a move the Chinese rivals won't like
Forget Chinese imports. From June 17, 2026, GM assembles the Captiva EV right inside Brazil. And it's not just a label change — it's a counterattack on BYD and the rest.
Chevrolet has stopped waiting. As of June 17, 2026, the Captiva EV is no longer a Chinese import in Brazil — the electric crossover is now being assembled right there, at the Comexport Planta Automotiva do Ceará (PACE) facility in the state of Ceará. For GM, this is already the second fully electric Chevrolet built locally after the Spark EUV. And it’s a clear signal: the Americans are tired of giving up ground without a fight.
The point here isn’t just swapping factories for show. Until now, the Captiva EV arrived in Brazil from China by sea, with all the delays that come with it. The imported version launched in November 2025 and led the midsize electric SUV segment through the first quarter of 2026 — whenever there were enough cars to sell. Now supply should hold steady. The first units have already rolled off the line and will reach the dealer network after internal quality checks.
PACE operates as an external production site under GM’s supervision, and the plant only opened in December 2025 — less than six months before its second model. The Captiva EV expansion grew the workforce by roughly 50%, and a third shift is now running. Brazil has become the first country outside China to build two electric Chevrolet models at once. The logic is simple and bold: take ready-made Chinese Chevrolet EVs, ship them in kits, and assemble them closer to the buyer.
The Captiva EV in Brazil costs around 199,990 reais — roughly $38,800 at current exchange rates. For that money the buyer gets a midsize electric SUV with front-wheel drive, 201 hp, 310 Nm of torque and a 60 kWh LFP battery. Range is 304 km on the Brazilian Inmetro cycle, or above 400 km in international cycles. This isn’t a premium EV — it’s an attempt to make an electric crossover a normal family choice.
GM South America president Thomas Owsianski explained the strategy: the company brings production closer to demand as new technologies gain commercial weight. In numbers, that translates like this — in the first half of 2026 Chevrolet topped Brazil’s electric SUV segment, and in May the Spark EUV became the best-selling zero-emission crossover in the country. Handing that position to the Chinese now would be a waste.
Chevrolet has no intention of surrendering the EV segment to Chinese brands without a fight. BYD, GWM and others have already taught Brazilian buyers to expect affordable EVs and hybrids, and imports alone won’t pull GM through this round. Local assembly delivers flexibility on logistics, volume and marketing — everything you need to keep pace with the market.
And this is only the beginning. By the end of 2026 GM plans to launch production of a third model at the same site — one carrying a technology the brand has never offered in Brazil before. Comexport is already talking about possibly doubling the plant’s capacity to 50,000 vehicles a year. The Captiva EV proves that GM has finally learned to move fast: take a ready product where it already exists and build it closer to the market where people are ready to buy it.