Poland picks factory location for Izera EV brand

WARSAW -- Poland has chosen the southern industrial region of Silesia as the site of an electric-vehicle factory it hopes will boost its auto sector, but state-owned ElectroMobility Poland (EMP) said that production would start later than planned.

Poland is hoping a switch to EVs can help its auto sector catch up with regional rivals including the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

EMP plans to launch SUV and hatchback models under the brand name Izera and has already unveiled prototypes for the vehicles. The models are styled by Italy's Torino Design.

To lessen the risk, EMP said it will license the vehicle's platform from a foreign partner but has not yet named the company.

Germany's news site Deutsche Welle has said that EMP is in talks with Volkswagen to use VW's MEB platform, as well as with Toyota and Hyundai for their EV-optimized architectures. VW has said it plans to license its MEB electric platform and has already struck a deal with Ford.

The factory will be located in Jaworzno in Silesia, EMP said. It will create about 15,000 jobs, with 3,000 at the plant itself and 12,000 among suppliers and subcontractors.

Production, originally scheduled to start in 2023, will now begin in 2024, the company said.

"Izera is an opportunity for an efficiently functioning automotive industry here and for using the potential of electromobility, which fits perfectly into the economic landscape of the region," Climate Minister Michal Kurtyka said.

While Poland is counting on the Izera to boost local suppliers, the project is a risky one, with global automakers with decades of experience already producing electric models.