Stellantis Hosts President Rebelo de Sousa at Mangualde Plant to Celebrate 60th Anniversary and Present Sustainable Future Projects
Stellantis Hosts President Rebelo de Sousa at Mangualde Plant to Celebrate 60th Anniversary and Present Sustainable Future Projects
- His Excellency, the President of the Portuguese Republic, Mr. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, attended Mangualde Production Center’s 60th anniversary celebration
- New Fiat Doblò will join Peugeot Partner, Citroën Berlingo and Opel Combo production and drive Stellantis’ Dare Forward 2030 light commercial vehicle leadership ambition
- Investment in a photovoltaic energy park will cover 31% of the plant’s annual energy needs, supporting its decarbonization efforts
- Mangualde home to collaborative innovation ecosystem designed to advance manufacturing processes
AMSTERDAM – Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares and His Excellency, the President of the Portuguese Republic, Mr. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, today celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Mangualde Production Center in Portugal. Stellantis announced that the Fiat Doblò will become the fourth model built on the production line at Mangualde, joining the light commercial vehicle (LCV) line-up of Peugeot Partner, Citroën Berlingo and Opel Combo.
“We intend to lead the commercial vehicle market and now with the addition of the Fiat Doblò to Mangualde’s portfolio, we will achieve greater efficiency, improve our competitiveness and offer the very best to our professional customers,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. “Today we also celebrate our many team members for their commitment to sustainable production with the installation of the solar energy park that will power one-third of the plant’s energy needs once complete. I also want to warmly thank the President for joining me as we honor the automotive industry here in Portugal.”
“It was important to me to be here today, together with all of you, to celebrate the 60 years of this plant in Mangualde. This factory has had a unique history, overcoming all kinds of crises and managed to resist, and now reaching the present day with an unparalleled reputation, which places it at the top in terms of quality and efficiency overall. As part of Stellantis, Mangualde represents one of the leaders in the transport and mobility sector, one of the most global in the world,” said His Excellency, the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. “Today, I came here to hear good news, as Stellantis is adding another brand and another model to this factory’s portfolio. And, additionally, the launch of a project that will help Portugal continue leading the climate and energy transition. Congratulations to all!”
In a symbolic gesture, the President of the Republic took advantage of his presence in Mangualde to award the official acronym of the Order of Merit to António Loureiro Marques, the factory’s oldest employee. In this gesture, the President of the Republic extended the distinction to all those who over the last 60 years have contributed to the success of the Mangualde factory.
Opened in 1962, the Stellantis Production Center in Mangualde has produced 1.5 million vehicles to date. It is a pillar of Portuguese industrial activity and now almost one in every four vehicles produced in Portugal comes from the Mangualde production line.
The plant currently builds the Citroën Berlingo Van/Berlingo, Peugeot Partner/Rifter and Opel Combo Cargo/Combo Life models – co-elected ‘International Van of the Year 2019’. The Berlingo, Partner and Combo models with the Mangualde ‘label’ are the most sought after by professional customers and companies, and form the top three LCV sales in Portugal, with a total share of 32%. In 2021, a total of 67,841 vehicles left the Stellantis plant, equivalent to almost a quarter (23.5%) of the total volume of vehicles produced in Portugal.
Mangualde Adds Fourth Model: New Fiat Doblò joins Partner-Berlingo-Combo trio
Planned for October, the Fiat Doblò will become the fourth model built at Mangualde joining the list of 22 models produced at the plant over its 60 years of operation, including the three models that are currently manufactured there.
The introduction of the Doblò reinforces Stellantis’ commitment to the Portuguese industry, while also creating even greater efficiency and competitiveness. The move is designed to support the needs of an increasingly diversified and demanding automotive market constantly impacted by external factors.
Photovoltaic Solar Energy Park to Power 31% of Energy Need
Stellantis also announced the implementation of a solar photovoltaic energy capture project for self-consumption. Once fully implemented, it will cover 31% of the Mangualde plant’s annual electricity needs, allowing the annual avoidance of 2,500 tons of CO2 emissions, corresponding to the capturing of this same volume of CO2 from approximately 16,000 trees. This effort supports Stellantis’ Dare Forward 2030 commitment to becoming carbon net zero by 2038, with a 50% reduction by 2030, and contributing to a sustainable future.
As a result of more than €3.2 million in investments in partnership with Prosolia Energy, the project will integrate 6,363 photovoltaic panels occupying an area equivalent to six football fields. It will have an installed capacity of 3,436 MWp, equivalent to the annual consumption of 320 households, allowing, in a clean and sustainable way, to increase the competitiveness of the complex in a context that has been increasingly marked by consistent peaks in energy costs. The completion of the project’s phase 1 is scheduled for the third quarter of 2022, and phase 2 is planned to start in early 2023.
As part of this investment, a sustainable energy consumption zone is also being established in collaboration with the Municipality of Mangualde and with neighboring companies, who will also benefit from the solar power.
Growing, Transforming and Modernizing the Mangualde Production Center
The Mangualde Production Center is home to four laboratories focused on studying and adopting new technologies or processes that enable more sustainable, more digital, and more connected production. Founded by Stellantis in 2022, the collaborative ecosystem of partners spanning startups, universities, suppliers, tech centers and the Portuguese government is dedicated to R&D activity related to the IoT (Internet of Things), 5G (and soon after 6G), process engineering and additive production. It also prioritizes training of future professionals.
The partners include the Instituto Politécnico de Viseu (Polytechnic Institute of Viseu), the University of Porto, the University of Coimbra, as well as suppliers Simoldes and HFA and the Centro Tecnológíco de Automoción de Galicia (CTAG; Galicia Automotive Technology Center).
