The French and German brands of the Stellantis Group: Peugeot, Citroën, Opel and DS, will have mild hybrid models (Mild Hybrid or MHEV) in 2023. The Group’s mild hybridization system, different from the one already used by Fiat in models such as the Panda Hybrid or the 500 Hybrid, will be with 48-volt electrification in the gearbox and will be combined with a profound evolution of the current 1.2-liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine used by all models in the B and C segments of the mentioned brands.
Thanks to this new electrified engine and transmission assembly, numerous models of the group such as the Peugeot 208, 2008, 308, 3008 or 5008, the Citroën C3, C3 Aircross, C4, C5 Aircross or C5 X, the Opel Corsa, Mokka, Crossland , Astra and Grandland and the DS3 Crossback and DS4, among others, will have MHEV versions that will allow them to display the DGT Eco label. Stellantis has not yet announced the launch schedule for these versions, nor will it start with the smaller B-segment vehicles or the C-segment intermediates.
According to Stellantis, this light hybridization system will allow the electric motor, integrated in the gearbox, to propel the car by itself in certain circumstances, even with the heat engine off, and thus achieve savings in fuel consumption. and CO2 emissions of almost 20% in relation to the same non-hybridized engine that currently equips a long dozen models of these brands.
This new light hybridization system will be manufactured at the gearbox plant that Stellantis has in the French town of Metz, where 57 million euros have been invested to create a joint venture with Puch Powertrain to manufacture a new generation of double-clutch electrified gearboxes that will not only serve these mild hybrid models, but will also be used for the Group’s plug-in hybrids (PHEV).
Stellantis will manufacture its own electric motors
This investment will be complemented by another of 93 million euros for the creation of a second joint venture, in this case with Nidec Leroy-Somer Holding for the production at the Trémery plant in France of electric motors for PHEV and BEV vehicles. (100 electric) of the Group. This plant should reach a production of more than one million motors per year in 2024 and is one of the symbols of the conversion of Stellantis into an electrical manufacturer since the Trémery factory was, at the time, the production plant of largest diesel engine in Europe.
The M3 engine to be manufactured at this plant will be the first developed internally by the group, it is planned to operate at 400 volts and will offer a power of 115 kW (156 hp). The manufacturer’s forecast is that this new engine will debut before the end of 2022 in new electric models of the group, possibly the already announced electric versions of the Peugeot 308 and the Opel Astra.
Stellantis has included among the objectives of its Dare Forward 2030 plan to reach sales of 100% of electric passenger vehicles in the year 2030 in Europe and 50% of electric passenger and pick-up vehicles in the United States on that same date.