One month before the end of the year, the Stellantis plant in Mangualde, which assembles the Citroën Berlingo, Peugeot Partner and other derivatives of the K9 programme, is preparing to set a new production record, a sign of the continuing success of the Group's compact commercial vehicles.
In the first eleven months of this year, the Mangualde plant in Portugal assembled 78,541 units, the highest level ever reached by the factory, the latter dating back to 2019, when the plant assembled 77,607 units in twelve months! 2023 will therefore be a record year for this factory, but the record will literally explode to reach almost 85,000 cars manufactured.
The only Stellantis plant in Portugal, the Mangualde plant, like the Spanish plant in Vigo, specialises in assembling the Group's commercial vehicles, in particular the K9 range, as well as their passenger car versions. Mangualde accounts for 26.3% of the cars manufactured in Portugal, more than 95% of which are destined for export, demonstrating the importance of this plant for the Portuguese economy. For Christian Teixeira, Director of the Stellantis Mangualde Production Centre, "this result is the result of the commitment and dedication of our team of professionals, but also of the continuous process of modernising the factories and optimising the production process".
With a 10% increase in production compared to 2022, 2023 will end with a record for the Mangualde plant, which bodes well for 2024, when some changes will take place and another record may be broken. In fact, in a few days' time, the Mangualde plant will begin assembling 100% electric versions of the Citroën Berlingo, Peugeot Partner/Rifter and others for professional and private customers. Likewise, the Mangualde plant will also start producing redesigned versions of these models, again in their VP and LCV definition, which should help to increase its production volume.
For this purpose, the plant has undergone an investment of 30 million euros, which has enabled the transformation and continuous modernisation of the plant, with new structures and the optimisation of the industrial area. Christian Teixeira explains: "The Mangualde Production Centre contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions, not only in the production of electric vehicles, but also through its various production processes and throughout the value chain. For example, the use of sustainable energy and the creation of a photovoltaic park for our own use, which will allow us to avoid 2,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. We are also looking to develop new green energy projects and are increasingly studying solutions based on wind energy or hydrogen.