Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has announced that the Mangualde Production Center in Portugal will begin production of battery electric light commercial vehicles (LCV) in early 2025. The models will include the Citroën ë-Berlingo, Peugeot e-Partner, Opel Combo-e and Fiat e-Doblò, in light commercial and passenger variants.
The announcement was made during a visit by the Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister António Costa, and Minister for the Economy and Maritime Affairs António Costa Silva, as part of the government’s PRR (Plan for Recovery and Resilience) on the Move initiative.
“We are proud to announce that Mangualde will enter a new era with the production of large series of battery electric vans in Portugal to provide indispensable solutions for our business customers,” said Tavares. “Leveraging Mangualde’s manufacturing expertise to build battery electric vehicles is critical to the continued decarbonization of our fleets and a further step as we work to achieve a 40% zero emissions mix by the end of the decade.”
Stellantis’s plant in Mangualde was the first automotive assembly plant in Portugal and has manufactured more than 1.5 million vehicles to date. The announcement secures the plant’s future and confirms the importance of the facility for the Portuguese economy.
The switch to producing these vehicles will see the Mangualde plant fitted with new facilities, including of a new body shop, optimization of the industrial area and the development of a new battery assembly line. To date, the company has made investments to modernize and update its facilities and production processes, while also reducing emissions.
To support a company goal of becoming carbon net zero by 2038, Stellantis completed the second phase of its solar energy park at the Mangualde plant. When complete, the park will deliver up to 31% of the site’s yearly electricity needs, saving 2,500 tons of CO2 emissions a year.
The plant currently produces light commercial vehicles and passenger versions of the Citroën Berlingo/Berlingo Van, Fiat Doblò, Opel Combo/Combo Cargo and Peugeot Partner/Rifter. The site will become the first in the country to produce large series fully battery electric cars for the domestic and export markets at launch.
Stellantis is investing more than €30bn (US$32.8bn) through 2025 in electrification and software to deliver BEVs that meet customer demands. The decision forms a key component of the company’s Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, which aims to cut CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030.
