Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, unveiled Olinia, the nation’s first homegrown electric vehicle. The new EV is set to go on sale in 2027, starting at under $9,000.
Mexico is launching its first domestically made EV: Olinia
“We were told that innovation was reserved for other places, that Mexico was only made for assembly plants, that our role was to receive technology, not develop it; to receive ideas, not create them. But that is false,” Sheinbaum said after presenting the new vehicle on Sunday.
Olinia is the first electric vehicle developed in Mexico, but Sheinbaum promises it’s much more than that.
It was designed and built by the National Technological Institute of Mexico (TecNM), the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), and research centers of the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (Secihti), with a little help from the Chinese embassy.
The new EV is designed as an affordable option for younger buyers that’s easy to charge and drive. According to the project manager, Roberto Capuano Tripp, it’s built for city and rural driving.
While the exact dimensions were not revealed, Olinia is a six-seat compact city car, or mini-EV, that can fit a wheelchair.
It will use a 14.7 kWh LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery, capable of providing up to 100 km (62 miles) of range on a single charge.
While that may not seem like much compared to most EVs nowadays with a range of over 300 miles, it’s plenty for an average daily, or more likely, weekly commute.
The new EV will be equipped with a single 13.5 kW electric motor with a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31 mph). It will also have a traditional three-phase plug to fit standard household outlets for charging.
At 220V, the vehicle will take about four hours to charge. At 110V, or on a standard household plug, it takes around 8 hours, making it perfect for charging overnight.
Inside, the cabin is pretty simple, featuring a 7″ central infotainment screen, a two-speaker stereo system, and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
Olinia is set to go on sale in June 2027, starting at just 150,000 pesos, or about $8,600, with deliveries to follow shortly thereafter.
Olinia pic.twitter.com/hIpbShN9eW
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) June 8, 2026
Top comment by James
When your country’s GDP per capita ($14,000) is a 6th of USA’s, Olinia hits the mark perfectly. It seats 6, even wheelchair accessible, and is half as cheap to run than even a motorbike. I would choose this over a motorbike any day. Mexicans will buy it in droves, then sell it in India and many countries.
Sheinbaum said the new EV will save buyers up to 50,000 pesos, or around $2,900, compared to a combustion engine vehicle.
While a regular gas car costs about 2.40 pesos per kilometer and a motorcycle costs 1.00 peso per kilometer, the Olinia EV costs only 49 centavos per kilometer.
Olinia will compete with low-cost Chinese EVs, like the BYD Dolphin Mini (Dolphin Surf and Seagull overseas), that are quickly taking over Mexico’s car market.
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