(Fidencio Casillias, Energy Analytics Institute, 3.Jan.2025) — The first prototype of Olinia, Mexico’s first electric vehicle (EV), that will be stamped 100% ‘Made in Mexico,’ is expected to be rolled out in time for the 2026 World Cup.
Mexican technology will be used to build Olinia, an EV that will be clean and accessible, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo said 6 Jan. 2025 during her mañanera or daily briefing with the media.
Mexico’s Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation secretary Rosaura Ruiz Gutierrez said during the briefing that owing to its proposed price, Olinia would be affordable to many Mexican families.
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The proposed design will be urban and sustainable, Sheinbaum said. Olinia is not Mexico’s first EV, according to Sheinbaum. The difference with Olinia is that it will be 100% designed and assembled in Mexico and use only parts that are from Mexico, she said.
3 target groups
Olinia in Náhuatl means “to move” or “to be in motion.”
Olinia will be a low-cost mini-vehicle that will not produce emissions. And, the Mexican government has revealed 3 potential models destined for specific target groups for: personal use, neighborhood use, and small sized deliveries usage.
Olinia could also be used as an alternative to motor-taxis and for police patrols in cities, Roberto Capuano Tripp, head of Sustainable Development in Hidalgo state, said during the daily briefing.
The price of Olinia is expected to be between MXN90,000 – MXN150,000 Mexican pesos, he said.
Olinia is envisioned to be revealed during the inaugural football game of the 2026 World Cup in the massive Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico, Capuano said.
The administration of Sheinbaum continues to ponder various locations for the assemble of Olinia in Mexico, taking into account the size of the country and the need to have plants in regions to reduce shipping costs.
Olinia will compete with other EVs already in Mexico including but not limited to Build Your Dream (BYD), Volvo, and Tesla, among others.
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By Fidencio Casillas reporting from Mexico City with assistance from Pietro D. Pitts in Houston. © 2025 Energy Analytics Institute (EAI). All Rights Reserved.
