After increasing production in recent months to meet demand and welcome the C4X, the Stellantis factory in Madrid has announced that it will be reducing production for a few weeks due to a drop in demand.
Life at the Stellantis factory in Villaverde has been challenging. Following the Covid crisis and disruptions in component supply, production has been severely impacted. However, the factory has shown signs of improvement with the addition of a third production team working at night to meet demand, in addition to the two shifts in the morning and afternoon.
The creation of a third team was necessary to meet the demand for the C4X, which has been selling very well in Turkey. In fact, it became the best-selling imported car in Turkey last February. However, this additional team has not been sufficient, as production on the third night shift at the Villaverde factory was stopped on January 26.
Furthermore, the factory has announced that the afternoon shift will be suspended for several weeks between March 25th and May 5th due to decreased demand for the Citroën C4 and C4X. Additionally, production will be halted for a few days over Easter.
The closure of these shifts, temporary for the afternoon and permanent for the night, will inevitably affect the total annual production of the Stellantis factory in Villaverde. The factory is expected to produce around 90,000 to 95,000 cars in 2024, which is a 10 to 15% decrease compared to the 105,830 units produced in 2023, the year the C4X arrived on the production lines. However, the decrease in demand may only be temporary as the C4 and C4X will be restyled this year with a completely new front end and some minor changes to the taillights. This could revive their careers and increase production in the Spanish factory.