The new Chinese manufacturer of electric trucks Windrose, which was planning to build a factory in Antwerp, seems to have given up this plan and is now announcing itself in Onnaing in Northern France.
Yesterday the Top Choose France took place in Versailles, an event organized by the French government to attract foreign investors. In that context, Windrose has announced that it has opted for a 22-hectare site in Onnaing, near the Toyota factory, for the construction of its electric trucks for the European market. The timing is ambitious, because Windrose wants the factory to be operational in 2027. In the long term, this factory would have a production capacity of 4000 trucks per year. “We will invest 175 million euros in Hauts-de-France, which will initially yield 300 direct jobs,” confirms Eric Gauthier (responsible for the activities of Windrose in Europe).
This announcement is a damper for the Belgian hope, since Wen Han, the founder of Windrose, was planning to build his factory in the port of Antwerp and even to confirm his interest in the port city, had concluded a sponsor contract with the local basketball club. According to a well -informed source, Windrose is busy completing the European version of its electric truck and has taken the necessary steps for their homologation.
