After a geothermal project for the Mulhouse site, the news keeps coming for Stellantis, which announces an investment of €160 million in its Rennes plant to prepare it for the industrialization of the future Citroën C5 Aircross, known as code name CR3, and which ensures a future for the Rennes teams.
Futur Citroën C5 Aircross in 2025
With 30% of its daily production made up of rechargeable hybrid Citroën C5 Aircross and the upcoming launch of 48-volt hybrid versions, the Rennes site is already committed to the energy transition. The SUV of the chevron brand is produced every day in 360 copies in two teams, which also assemble Peugeot 5008.
Like all the French sites of Stellantis, Rennes has an electric future in the logic of 'One Company' since among the 12 100% electric vehicles which will be produced in France, the Breton factory will welcome in 2025 an electric SUV on the future STLA Medium platform. For this, 160 million euros will be invested in the Rennes site, to continue adapting to these future productions. A battery assembly workshop will take place as close as possible to the assembly line to install the cells in their box, a box which will then integrate the vehicle.
Rennes was also chosen to host the first plastic injection workshop of the French Stellantis sites. This type of workshop is the result of synergies resulting from the merger to create Stellantis. Production has already started, allowing the teams to acquire new skills; this workshop will deliver its full potential with the next vehicle, with the in-house manufacture of the 'front faces' and 'rear faces'.
Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis visiting the Rennes site on June 1, said Today in Rennes, I met motivated, committed employees, proud of their company and the cars they 'they produce. The attribution to the site of the future STLA Medium platform in 2025 announced in 2021 is the direct consequence of their seriousness and involvement in manufacturing quality. Rennes will tomorrow be a compact and efficient site, its agility allows it to engage in bold projects as it does today with plastic injection or its actions in favor of the environment. »
In line with its product launches, the Rennes plant will continue to reduce its environmental impact with the help of the Brittany region and Rennes Métropole:
to contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by 2038, a strong commitment of the Dare Forward 2030 plan, the Brittany site will replace one of its gas boilers next year with a Biomass installation, making it possible to cover 45% of the site's heating needs via local renewable energy; the biomass installation, operated by Engie, will use non-noble wood for its combustion from a radius of 120 km around the plant.
By 2025, the site will be equipped with a 90,000 m² photovoltaic park in the shade, which will cover 30% of the plant's electricity needs.
With this announcement, the Rennes site has a secure future for 8 years and can look at it with confidence. The allocation of the new platform on which the future C5 Aircross will be built is excellent news and announces a new turn towards electric for Citroën with this next generation which will offer a 100% electric version, a first on the large SUV of the brand.