Model manufactured in Pernambuco inaugurates a new phase of the automaker's Bio-Hybrid program and promises greater energy efficiency and savings
Stellantis has confirmed the start of a new phase of its electrification strategy in Brazil with the production of its first 48-volt flex mild hybrid vehicle. The model chosen to inaugurate the technology is the Jeep Renegade, which will be manufactured at the Automotive Pole of Goiana (PE), according to the Autos Segredos website. With an official launch scheduled for the first half of this year, the utility marks the evolution of the Bio-Hybrid program in the country.
Until now, the automaker had been concentrating its efforts in South America on 12V mild hybrid systems, present in models such as Fiat Pulse, Fiat Fastback, Peugeot 208 and Peugeot 2008. The transition to the 48V MHEV, developed by the company’s technology center in the region, represents a breakthrough that expands the electric assistance and energy efficiency potential of the brand’s vehicles.
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In practice, the new 48V system adopts a simpler electric motor that replaces the conventional alternator and starter. This component provides additional torque to the combustion engine at times of greater demand and recovers energy when decelerating. The electricity generated is stored in a lithium-ion battery, operating in parallel to the standard electrical system. Advanced management coordinates operation to reduce consumption and emissions, while ensuring smoother starts in the start-stop system, without changing the flex base of the mechanical assembly.
To make the national assembly viable, the Goiana plant underwent structural adaptations in the areas of bodywork, presses and assembly. The objective was to allow the manufacture of electrified models in the same line as exclusively combustion vehicles. In addition, the Jaboatão dos Guararapes (PE) unit has started to produce the specific wiring harnesses required by the technology.
The launch is part of the cycle of R$ 32 billion in investments announced by Stellantis. The company projects that four models equipped with Bio-Hybrid technology will leave Goiana by 2026. This advance in the electrified portfolio occurs in parallel with the future production of vehicles of the Chinese brand Leapmotor at the Pernambuco unit, reinforcing the automaker’s nationalization strategy.
