The Stellantis Group is accelerating its energy transition with the aim of selling 100% electric cars in Europe by 2030. The group is already well advanced with its commercial vehicles, as its entire range is available with battery versions, which are also manufactured at the group's Portuguese plant in Mangualde to meet demand.
It was Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, who made the announcement during a tour of the plant, pointing out that the company is entering a new era with the production of battery electric light commercial vehicles (BEVs) in early 2025. This will make the Mangualde plant the first Portuguese car plant to produce fully-electric battery-powered vehicles on a large scale, both for the domestic market and for export.
Accompanied during the visit by the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the Prime Minister, António Costa, Carlos Tavares indicated that the plant will be part of the GreenAuto project, a consortium of 37 partner companies, and will benefit from an investment of €119 million. Stellantis CEO said: "We are proud to announce that Mangualde will enter a new era with the mass production of battery electric vans in Portugal, providing much needed solutions to our professional customers. Enhancing Mangualde's manufacturing expertise to build battery electric vehicles is key to the continued decarbonisation of our fleets and a further step as we work towards achieving a 40% zero emission mix by the end of the decade".
In 2022, Stellantis was the market leader for light electric commercial vehicles in Europe with a market share of around 43%. In 2022, the company was also the leader in BEV sales on the Portuguese market with a market share of 22%, in light commercial vehicle sales with 43% and in BEV light commercial vehicle sales with a market share of 54%.
The Stellantis plant in Mangualde, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2022 and was the first car assembly plant in Portugal, has produced more than 1.5 million vehicles to date. Currently, almost one in four vehicles produced in Portugal comes from the Mangualde production line, which produces the K9 utility programme (Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Partner, among others), the current generation of which has been in production since 2018.
This announcement secures the future of the plant and confirms the importance of this production centre for the Portuguese economy, as well as for employment and the development of the commercial and industrial fabric of the region. This new era of production will see the transformation of the Mangualde plant to make it "fit for the future", with new facilities in both the assembly and hardware areas, the optimisation of the industrial area and the creation of a new battery assembly line.
The company has gradually invested in the modernisation and upgrading of its facilities and production processes, strengthening its commitment to the environment and the reduction of emissions, as well as its strong commitment to innovation.
To support Stellantis' goal of carbon neutrality by 2038, the Mangualde plant has completed the second phase of its solar farm. When completed, it will provide up to 31% of the plant's annual electricity needs, allowing it to avoid 2,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, equivalent to the carbon sequestration of around 16,000 trees. The plant is targeting other green energy and energy storage projects, including one in collaboration with the community of Mangualde and neighbouring businesses that can benefit from the capture of this renewable energy.