Chinese electric car maker to open plant in Indiana this year

CHICAGO, June 1 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-owned electric vehicle manufacturer plans to open a plant in northern Indiana which will employ 467 local workers by the end of 2020, according to local reports.

SF Motors Inc., which is a Silicon Valley-based electric vehicle developer and manufacturer, acquired the former AM General commercial assembly plant in Mishawaka last November and plans to renovate the 675,500-square-foot facility.

The company said it wanted to build at least two manufacturing lines at the plant, with trial production as early as the end of 2018. As many as 200 employees could be hired in Mishawaka by that time.

SF Motors is a Silicon Valley-based subsidiary of Chongqing Sokon Industry Group which was founded in 2016. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, it has 300 employees at the manufacturing sites in Indiana and China, and in research and development facilities in the United States, Germany and China.

SF Motors said it has innovation capability and intellectual proprietary involving the key components of an electric vehicle, giving the company design and production capabilities. The company said it expects to begin taking pre-orders this year with delivery beginning next year. Enditem