The Stellantis production center in Mangualda, formerly known as PSA, will begin production of Fiat vehicles in October this year.
The announcement was made this Thursday by Carlos Tavares, CEO of the automotive group, at the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the plant and in the presence of the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Souza. The company already produces cars for Citroën, Peugeot and Opel.
“Proof of the success of cars made in Portugal will be reinforced by the fourth Fiat brand. From October, these production lines will receive the new Fiat Doblò,” said the administrator.
According to Carlos Tavares, the Mangualde machine was chosen for this new project because of the quality of the products. “He could go to other factories, because there are other factories in Europe that produce this type of product, but he came here because the quality is the best in the world,” he stressed.
Investment in Mangualda will not stop there. The plant is already preparing to enter the electric vehicle market, which should happen by 2030. “The date when this plan will be implemented is not yet known, because there is still a lot of unknown about the demand for cars.” , he explained, adding that more “clean energy and battery-charging infrastructure” is still needed.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has already tested the new Fiat Doblò, which will be produced at the factory, and even praised the new car. He considered the production of this fourth vehicle to be “good news” and highlighted the fact that investments are being made “in times of crisis, war and pandemic”.
Bureaucracy
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares complains about “excessive bureaucracy” in Portugal and classifies it as a “disease”. “There are many projects that could be promoted much faster, there are projects that were abandoned due to bureaucratic difficulties,” he defended.
Speaking to reporters, the administrator also said he expects the semiconductor crisis, which has already brought several shutdowns in the auto industry, to last until 2023.
