In a historic breakthrough for the Portuguese economy, Prime Minister António Costa announced today at Toyota Caetano's factory in Ovar that Portugal will become the exclusive supplier of electric vehicles for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Costa highlighted Portugal's commitment to sustainability and innovation, highlighting the successful partnership between Salvador Caetano and Toyota as an example of the country's attractiveness for foreign investment.

The star of the event was the "6e Accessible People Mover (APM) Microcar," a vehicle designed to support the transportation of people with reduced mobility during the Olympic Games. Costa emphasized that this model represents the twelfth vehicle to be produced in the Ovar workshops, marking a fruitful partnership between Salvador Caetano and Toyota, which dates back to 1968 with the opening of the first Toyota factory in Europe.

The Prime Minister stated that: "this is an example that symbolizes the trajectory that the Portuguese economy has been able to make in recent years", He also added: "the ability to attract foreign investment and produce goods with increasing added value has led Portugal to achieve a business investment record in 2022. Moreover, in the first half of 2023, we were already surpassing the numbers for the same period in 2022, paving the way for another business investment record in 2023."

Costa also highlighted another historic milestone by reporting that, for the first time in the country's history, exports account for more than 50% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), demonstrating Portugal's growing position on the global economic scene.

The Toyota Caetano factory in Ovar is preparing for the production of 250 APM 6e micro cars, intended to be used to transport people with reduced mobility during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This project will not only strengthen Portugal's position in the electric vehicle market, but will also generate qualified and better paid employment in the region.