2023-12-13 12:09:58
Stellar will be manufactured in the Zaragoza plant Figueruelas simultaneously up to five car models from four different brands, something unprecedented in the more than 40 years of history of the manufacturing facility. This will happen at least for several months of next year once it is launched in spring –predictably in April– serial production (for sale) of the Lancia Ypsilon, the third electric vehicle that the factory will take over. This variety of products will occur because The launch of the urban SUVs Opel Aircross and the Citroën C3 Crossland is definitely delayed, whose next generations will be made at the Trnava plant (Slovakia) starting in the summer of 2024, according to sources familiar with the automobile giant’s plans.
From this very center-European project comes precisely the last four wheels that the Zaragoza factory has incorporated into the payroll, the Peugeot e-208, which has been going on here for just over two months. The launch curve for the electric and light hybrid versions of the best-selling model began on October 2 and is being a complete success. Expectations for the coming months are high due to the great demand in the market.
The quintet will be completed with the Opel Corsa, the star car of Figueruelas, which began manufacturing it in 1982 when the factory was launched. For three years, the plug-in version of this iconic passenger car has also been assembled, with which the Aragonese factory set its first foot in electric mobility.
Although it is temporary, the manufacture of five vehicles at the same time will be something unprecedented for the plant and will accentuate the multi-brand profile of the installation, whose future lies in having that quality and completing the electrification of its assembly lines.
Production maintenance
The total production of Stellar Figueruelas in the year that is about to end will be very similar to that of 2022. The Zaragoza factory It will be around 360,000 vehicles, with hardly any variations compared to the 365,263 units that were made in the previous year, according to estimates provided to this newspaper. The final figure will be known in the coming days.
The company’s forecasts for 2023 have always been prudent and conservative in the face of the uncertain scenario that continues to weigh on the automobile sector. The initial objective was to reach 379,000 cars this year, a level that will not be reached because parts supply problems have persisted and not only microchips, although to a lesser extent than previous years. The factory hit rock bottom in 2021, when it made just 324,000 vehicles, the second lowest figure in the last three decades.
The logistical and supply problems have not completely dissipated. This same week They have canceled several shifts on line one due to a shortage of material and there is a significant stock of unfinished vehicles in the facilities due to the lack of some component, according to staff sources.
The Italian challenge
Meanwhile, Figueruelas is taking steps to the next launch, the Lancia Ypsilon, which will champion the rebirth of the Italian brand. It is one of the oldest brands in Europe, with 116 years of history, but it has had a bad season in recent years, with a drought in launches and sales. The first non-saleable units of the car have already seen the light of day at the Zaragoza factory.
Specific, Just over 20 vehicles have been made within the testing phase and under strict measures to protect the image of the model, whose design will be presented by the company next February. Before that date, the pre-production stage should have begun, which will be followed by mass production, something that is expected to happen in about four months.
#Stellantis #Figueruelas #produce #models #year