Stellantis, a global mobility player with 14 brands including Vauxhall, Peugeot, Fiat, Citroën and Jeep, have announced that the Mangualde Production Center in Portugal will enter a new era with the production of battery electric light commercial vehicles (LCV).
This will start in early 2025 and the facility will produce the Citroën ë-Berlingo, Peugeot e-Partner (see above), Opel Combo-e and Fiat e-Doblò models, both in light commercial and passenger versions. Mangualde will become the first Portuguese plant to produce large series fully battery electric cars for the domestic and export markets at launch.
Stellantis Mangualde leads one of the mobilising agendas for business innovation with the “GreenAuto” project which brings together a consortium of 37 partner entities, who attended the event and represents a joint investment of €119 million.
Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO, said: “We are proud to announce that Mangualde will enter a new era with the production of large series of battery electric vans in Portugal to provide indispensable solutions for our business customers.
“Leveraging Mangualde’s manufacturing expertise to build battery electric vehicles is critical to the continued decarbonisation of our fleets and a further step as we work to achieve a 40% zero emissions mix by the end of the decade.”
In 2022, Stellantis was the light commercial battery electric vehicle (BEV) market leader in Europe with nearly 43% market share. In Portugal, the company was the leader in 2022 in BEV sales, with a 22% share, and in the sale of electric commercial vehicles with a 54% market share.
Evolution of Mangualde Production Center
The Stellantis plant in Mangualde, which last year celebrated its 60th anniversary and was the first auto assembly plant in Portugal, has produced more than 1.5 million vehicles to date. Nearly one in every four vehicles produced in Portugal comes from the Mangualde production line. It launched production of the current generation of vehicles in 2018.
This announcement ensures the future of the plant and confirms the importance of this manufacturing site for the Portuguese economy, gross domestic product and exports, as well as for employment and the development of the business and industrial fabric of this region.
This new era of production will see a transformation of the Mangualde plant “fit for the future” with new facilities, both in general assembly as well as in the body shop, the optimisation of the industrial area, and the creation of a new battery assembly line. The company has invested in modernising and updating its facilities and production processes, while also increasingly stressing its commitment to the environment and to reducing emissions, in addition to a strong commitment to innovation.
In support of the Stellantis goal of being carbon net zero by 2038, the Mangualde plant completed the second phase of its solar energy park. When concluded, the solar park will provide up to 31% of the plant’s annual electricity needs, displacing 2,500 tons of CO2 emissions a year. This is equivalent to the CO2-capturing performance of about 16,000 trees.
The facility is aiming for more projects in green energy and energy storage, including one in collaboration with the Municipality of Mangualde and nearby companies that can also benefit from capturing this renewable energy.
The plant currently produces light commercial vehicles and passenger versions of the Citroën Berlingo/Berlingo Van, Fiat Doblò, Opel Combo/Combo Cargo, and Peugeot Partner/Rifter.
Stellantis is investing more than €30 billion through 2025 in electrification and software to deliver BEVs that meet customer demands. The decision is a key component of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, which is led by deep emission cuts to slash CO2 in half by 2030, benchmarking 2021 metrics and achieving carbon net zero by 2038 with single-digit percentage compensation of the remaining emissions.
Core targets for Dare Forward 2030 also include 100% of passenger car sales in Europe and 50% of passenger car and light-duty truck sales in the United States to be BEVs by the end of the decade; the ambition of doubling Net Revenues by 2030 (versus 2021) and sustaining double-digit Adjusted Operating Income margins throughout the decade; and the aim to become number one in customer satisfaction for products and services in every market by 2030.
