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Brazil

For more information, contact Achilles Arbex (aarbex@AMTonline.org).

• Brazilian manufacturer Embraer has announced a new series of aircraft orders from airlines worldwide. The E-Jet family, including both generations, has performed well at the 2023 Paris Air Show, attracting attention mostly for the recently introduced Embraer E2 series. Overall, Embraer has secured new orders from four main companies: Avolon, Azorra Aviation, Binter, and Envoy Air.

• Brazilian gunmaker Taurus strengthens its position as one of the most innovative manufacturers by introducing two all-new, first-ever, optics-ready small frame revolvers, the Taurus 856 T.O.R.O. and the Taurus 605 T.O.R.O. Both revolvers are milled at the Sao Leopoldo factory to accept the optics plate designed specifically for this application. The plate itself accepts compact red dots designed for the Holosun K footprint, allowing you to use electronic sights such as the Holosun EPS Carry on your wheelgun.

• Chinese automaker BYD will invest $620 million in a new industrial complex in Northeastern Brazil. It aims to boost local production and offer more competitive prices. The complex, made up of three plants, will be built in the Camacari industrial park in the Northeastern state of Bahia on land formerly occupied by a Ford plant that closed in 2021. One of the plants will be dedicated to chassis production for buses and electric trucks. In contrast, the second plant will focus on hybrid and electric cars, with an initial output estimated at 150,000 vehicles per year. The third plant will process lithium and iron phosphate for the foreign market. Operations at the plants are expected to start in mid-2024.

• Brazilian Electro Steel Altona will supply NASA with castings. NASA’s Artemis program aims to explore more of the lunar surface and will land the first woman and first person of color on the moon. Parts will be used in the Mobile Launcher 2, a rocket launch pad under construction in Florida. Investment figures and future projects have not been made public.

• Brazilian Piccin and Argentinean Crucianelli have formed a joint venture to produce agriculture equipment in Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo. The project will receive an initial investment of $5 million to produce seed planters. The first units are expected to be delivered in early 2024, when the company will consider new expansion and investments due to the expected incremental revenue of $100 million.

• Houston-based services provider OneSubsea has won a contract from Brazilian oil giant Petrobras to supply critical subsea equipment to assist in the development of the Buzios pre-salt field in the country’s prolific Santos basin. The contract’s scope, valued between $100 million and $200 million, also covers installation, commissioning, and associated maintenance services. OneSubsea will use its local facility in the municipality of Taubate, Sao Paulo, to build the subsea trees, with initial delivery scheduled for the second quarter of 2025.

• Nidec and Embraer announced a joint venture agreement to develop an electric propulsion system for the emerging aerospace industry, including for Embraer’s subsidiary, Eve Air Mobility. The JV aims to unlock new opportunities by providing an agnostic portfolio of products and services worldwide, driven initially by the growth of the urban air mobility (UAM) industry.

  • Eve’s electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL) will use BAE Systems’ energy storage system, allowing the aircraft to operate efficiently with low noise and zero emissions. French company DUC Helice Propellers will develop and supply the rotors for eight lift motors and the cruise propeller. The company plans to name additional component suppliers for its eVTOL aircraft, including for avionics, flight-control systems, and power-management systems in the future.

  • Currently, almost 300 engineers are working on the Eve project, with the company planning to begin the assembly of its first full-scale eVTOL prototype in the second half of 2023. This will be followed by full-scale testing of the aircraft by 2024 and certification by regulators by 2026. Eve's small but sustainable aircraft has become a popular choice with airlines looking to move toward green aircraft, including United Airlines, Global Crossing Airlines (Global X), Kenya Airways’ subsidiary Fahari Aviation, and Singaporean company Ascent. Eve has already had provisional sales and commitments for some 2,770 of its aircraft from 26 different customers. Eve's eVTOL aircraft is 100% electric, making it a cost-effective, sustainable transportation alternative.

Mexico

For more information, contact Carlos Mortera (cmortera@AMTonline.org).

• Toyota plans to invest $328 million in a new hybrid plant in Guanajuato. The plant will produce a new hybrid/electric Tacoma pickup truck. Total investment at the Apaseo el Grande Guanajuato plant since its groundbreaking amounts to $1.2 billion.

• Chinese company Xinquan Automotive, a luxury auto parts manufacturer, plans to invest $30 million to expand its Aguascalientes plant. The plant’s total capacity is 100,000 sets of door panels, 500,000 center console units, and 1 million rear panels.

• Exportation of Mexican-built cargo trucks was up 34% in May, reaching 14,845 truck units. The 10 most important truck makers established in Mexico manufactured 18,728 units, or a 38% year-over-year increase compared to 2022. Freightliner, International, and Kenworth are the key contributors to the growth.

• Queretaro exported $16.9 billion in 2022. Queretaro had the third-most exports of the states in the Bajio region and was fourth in highest growth in turnover, according to INEGI. Total year-over-year growth for 2022 was 16.6%. Main exports were in transportation equipment, electrical appliances, power generation, machinery, and computer equipment, as well as plastic, food, chemical, and paper industries.

• Forvia inaugurated a plant in the Nexxus Aeropuerto industrial park in Nuevo Leon after an investment of $147 million. The company estimates that once this new plant reaches its maximum production capacity, it may produce instrument panels for up to 720,000 vehicles and seating structures for up to 2 million vehicles per year.

• Since it arrived in Guanajuato, Honda has continuously invested in Celaya and, over time, has managed to stand out for its operations and generation of talent. The assembly company arrived in Guanajuato in 2011, announcing an investment of $800 million and a commitment to generate 3,200 jobs. In 2013, while already in operation, Honda expanded their investment, and it is estimated that the automaker will invest more than $1.5 billion dollars in the Celaya headquarters.

• After an investment of $13 million, Denso continues strengthening its presence in Guanajuato. The automotive company will expand its operations in Silao and intends to create 450 new jobs.