Finding
Latin America is a supplier of battery minerals and a buyer of Chinese EVs: its only large EV plant outside Mexico is BYD's in Brazil, and most of its lithium is refined in China
BYD began assembling cars at Camaçari, Bahia, the former Ford plant, in 2025, ahead of Brazil's EV import tax reaching 35% in July 2026. Chile's SQM and Albemarle and Argentina's brine projects (Ganfeng, Rio Tinto, POSCO, Eramet) ship lithium carbonate and spodumene concentrate mostly to Chinese converters.
Governments are pushing for more value at home. Chile placed lithium under state partnership, with SQM and Codelco forming a joint venture for the Salar de Atacama from 2025; Argentina's RIGI regime offers tax and currency guarantees for large mining investments; Bolivia signed brine-extraction deals with the CATL-led CBC consortium and Russia's Uranium One, which still await approval. Brazil's Mover program rewards local EV production and R&D.
Electric buses are the region's largest EV fleets: Santiago and Bogotá run well over 1,000 each, mostly from BYD, Yutong and Foton, with Brazil's Eletra, Marcopolo and WEG supplying local bodies, drives and chargers.
Directory
Major Latin American manufacturers and producers (A-Z)
| Company | Country | Sector | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albemarle | Chile | Lithium | Operating | Salar de Atacama brine; La Negra carbonate plant |
| BYD Brasil | Brazil | EVs, buses | Operating | BYD Camaçari car plant since 2025; Campinas bus chassis |
| CBC consortium | Bolivia | Lithium | Pending approval | CATL-led direct lithium extraction deal with state YLB |
| CBMM | Brazil | Niobium | Operating | Niobium oxide for anodes, including with Toshiba's SCiB cells |
| Codelco | Chile | Copper, lithium | Operating | World's largest copper miner; SQM joint venture for lithium |
| Eletra | Brazil | Buses | Operating | Battery-electric and trolleybuses, São Bernardo do Campo |
| Ganfeng / Lithium Argentina | Argentina | Lithium | Operating | Cauchari-Olaroz brine |
| Marcopolo | Brazil | Buses | Operating | Attivi Integral electric bus |
| POSCO Argentina | Argentina | Lithium | Operating | Hombre Muerto lithium hydroxide |
| Rio Tinto Lithium | Argentina | Lithium | Operating, building | Fénix and Rincon, from the 2025 Arcadium acquisition |
| SQM | Chile | Lithium | Operating | Salar de Atacama; Codelco partnership from 2025 |
| Vale Base Metals | Brazil | Nickel, copper | Operating | Onça Puma nickel, Carajás copper |
| WEG | Brazil | Motors, drives, chargers, BESS | Operating | Largest Latin American electrical equipment maker |
| Yutong and Foton | Chile, Colombia, Peru | Buses | Operating | Chinese e-buses for Santiago, Bogotá and Lima |
Policy
Regional frameworks and national policies
| Program | Country | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Mover | Brazil | Tax credits for vehicle efficiency, local production and R&D |
| EV import tax schedule | Brazil | Rising in steps to 35% by July 2026 |
| National Lithium Strategy | Chile | State majority in strategic salars; SQM-Codelco joint venture |
| RIGI | Argentina | Tax, customs and currency guarantees for large investments |
| MERCOSUR and Pacific Alliance | Regional | Tariff and trade frameworks; no common EV policy |
Sources
Sources and scope
- Scope
- Latin America
- Sources
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries (2026); Brazilian Ministry of Development; company disclosures
- Updated
- October 2026