Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
- 🚗 Government presents Olinia Carga, its second EV prototype: The light-cargo vehicle, unveiled 11 weeks after the Olinia 1 prototype, can carry up to 650 kg and has a range of over 120 km. Olinia will launch a public tender for private-sector partners, with Olinia Carga set to go on sale in late 2027 for around 150,000 pesos.
- 🚔 New arrest in “El Mayo” Zambada kidnapping case: Fausto Corrales Rodríguez, who allegedly accompanied former Culiacán mayor Héctor Cuén to the meeting where Zambada was kidnapped in July 2024, was arrested in Mexico City. Sheinbaum said the arrest was “important” and could help clarify what happened that day.
- 🇦🇷 ✈️ Navy officer’s extradition delayed by legal issue: Sheinbaum said Rear Admiral Fernando Farías Laguna, accused of leading a huachicol fiscal network and arrested in Argentina in April, raised a legal matter there that delayed his transfer to Mexico. She added that officials told her his extradition “is not in doubt.”
Why today’s mañanera matters
A prototype of a new Olinia electric vehicle was unveiled at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Thursday morning press conference. The presentation of Olinia Carga — a light-cargo vehicle — came around 11 weeks after the government debuted a prototype of Olinia 1, a small car.
The Olinia project is an initiative of the Sheinbaum administration. The aim is to produce, in conjunction with private sector partners, electric vehicles that are more affordable than EVs that are currently available in the Mexican market.
Also of note at today’s mañanera were Sheinbaum’s remarks about a new arrest linked to the 2024 kidnapping of Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. The president also commented on the expected extradition to Mexico of a Mexican Navy officer who was arrested in Argentina earlier this year in connection with a fuel smuggling/tax evasion (huachicol fiscal) scheme.
Government presents prototype of second Olinia vehicle
At the start of the press conference, Sheinbaum noted that officials and reporters were gathered in the courtyard of the National Palace “because today we’re presenting Olinia Carga — the second Olinia model.”
“… Olinia, as you’ll remember, is a project that began when we came to government and the objective is to promote mini-electromobility in our country,” she said.
An Olinia Carga prototype — loaded with wooden crates filled with flowers — was unveiled a short time later.
#Mañanera | 🚗Roberto Capuano, quien encabeza el proyecto Olinia, detalla que el nuevo vehículo, llamado “Olinia Carga”, está diseñado como transporte de mercancías, con una capacidad de carga de más de 600 kilos y espacio para transportar “muchísimas cosas”, entre ellas, hasta… pic.twitter.com/DohfUQtXEg
— El Universal (@El_Universal_Mx) August 20, 2026
Roberto Capuano, director of the Olinia project, told reporters that the Olinia Carga is “a vehicle designed for work.”
“To design it, we went to see how cargo is moved in our towns and cities,” he said.
“… Small businesses use private cars, which weren’t designed for work, or motorbikes, which limit the volume [of cargo that can be moved],” Capuano said.
He said that small businesses in Mexico need “something compact, low-cost and designed for work” to move cargo.
“In this space, our second vehicle was born,” Capuano said.
He said that Olinia Carga has the capacity to transport cargo weighing up to 650 kilograms. Its range is more than 120 kilometers, Capuano said.
“It’s designed to hold a lot of things, including one of the most common cargo units in Mexico, which is the wooden crate,” he said.
“Twelve wooden crates fit on the [vehicle’s] bed, and they can be stacked on multiple levels,” Capuano said.
He also noted that the vehicle has “what we call a low trunk.”
As the Olinia Carga is an electric vehicle, “the space below the bed is empty,” Capuano said.
That space, he said, can be used to transport additional items such as folding furniture, which can be used to set up an outdoor stall. Capuano noted that two people can travel “comfortably” in the vehicle.
He said that the Olinia project has shown that “in Mexico we can design and develop technological products for our own needs.”
“Now, the next step is to become a company capable of making, distributing and selling these vehicles across the entire country,” Capuano said.
“For that reason, … we’re going to launch a public tender to select our strategic allies,” he said, explaining that Mexican and foreign companies will be eligible to participate.
“… What we’re mainly looking for is not money, … what we’re seeking is industrial and commercial capacity,” Capuano said.
The Olinia chief said that Olinia 1 is slated to go on sale in the summer of next year, while Olinia Carga will be available starting in late 2027. He said that Olinia Carga will be sold for around 150,000 pesos (US $8,800). Olinia 1 is set to be sold for the same price.
New arrest in connection with the kidnapping of ‘El Mayo’
A reporter raised the arrest in Mexico City on Wednesday of Fausto Corrales Rodríguez, who allegedly accompanied former Culiacán mayor Héctor Cuén to a meeting at which “El Mayo” Zambada was kidnapped by Joaquín Guzmán López in July 2024.
Zambada was subsequently forced onto a private plane and flown to New Mexico, where he and Guzmán López — a son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — were arrested by U.S. authorities on July 25, 2024.
Cuén was murdered the same day and Corrales is alleged to have given false information to authorities about the homicide.
La #FGRInforma al Pueblo de México la
aprehensión de Fausto “N”, posible implicado en el caso del secuestro de Ismael “N”, llevado a cabo en julio de 2024.Más información ▶️ https://t.co/CXBxs0OTQv pic.twitter.com/rJDSkMFete
— FGR México (@FGRMexico) August 19, 2026
The reporter asked the president whether the arrest of Corrales would help uncover more information about Zambada’s “transfer” to the United States.
“This arrest is important,” Sheinbaum said.
She said she expected that Corrales’ statements to authorities would help shed light on what happened in Sinaloa on the day that Zambada was kidnapped, an event that caused a major escalation in a long-running battle between Los Chapitos and Los Mayos, rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Sheinbaum: Fernando Farías’ extradition to Mexico is delayed due to a legal issue
A reporter asked the president whether she had received any information about the transfer to Mexico of Rear Admiral Fernando Farías Laguna, who was arrested in Buenos Aires in April. Farías, a nephew of former Navy Minister José Rafael Ojeda Durán, is accused of leading a huachicol fiscal network.
Sheinbaum said she had been informed by government officials that Farías “raised a legal matter in Argentina and for that reason his arrival in Mexico was delayed.”
She said that the Federal Attorney General’s Office would provide more information about the suspect’s extradition to Mexico.
“Today in the Security Cabinet [meeting], representatives of the attorney general told us that his transfer to Mexico is not in doubt,” Sheinbaum added.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
