An electric Citroën ë-Berlingo has made history at the Vigo factory, reaching a milestone not only for Citroën but for the automobile industry in our country. And it is that this ë-Berlingo, painted in Artense grey, has had the privilege of being the 15 millionth vehicle manufactured in the plant that Stellantis has in Vigo.
The Vigo factory began its activity in 1958, then under the supervision of Citroën. Today, 64 years later, the 15 millionth vehicle in its history has rolled off its production lines. A milestone that places this plant as the car factory that has produced the most vehicles in Spain in all history.
A nice “coincidence” has wanted the vehicle with such a marked number to be an electric Citroën ë-Berlingo, quite symbolic considering the all-electric future that awaits the brand in Europe from 2030. This electric Berlingo will be destined for the Spanish market, and more specifically a client from Valencia.
Not only that, we are also facing one of the most important vehicles for the Vigo plant. The Citroën Berlingo is a particularly emblematic model for Vigo: with 26 years in production (it began to be manufactured in Vigo in 1996), it is the longest-lived and of which the most units have been manufactured, with 3,066,122 units from three different generations. The third and current generation of this model was released in 2018, and was the first to offer a fully electric version (in 2021).
To commemorate this event, Citroën immortalized the moment with a commemorative photograph with the “millionaire” vehicle in the presence of the director of Stellantis Vigo, Ignacio Bueno; plant managers; representatives of the Company Committee; and a representation of the workers. Among the latter, there were two family sagas that have participated in different generations of the Berlingo: Manuela Iglesias, who works as in the paint shop, and her daughter Estefanía Pérez, operator in the assembly area; and José Manuel Trillo and his son Adrián Trillo, monitor and assembly area operator, respectively.
The electric version of the Citroën Berlingo is built on an adaptation of the EMP2 multi-energy platform. It is equipped with a 136 hp electric motor and a 50 kWh battery that allows it to approve 280 kilometers of autonomy (WLTP). The batteries, by the way, are also assembled in Vigo in the plant’s battery workshop. Later they are transferred to the assembly line, to the engine area, for their integration together with the rest of the mechanical elements.
The Stellantis Vigo plant has produced 37 different models throughout its long history. The Citroën Berlingo saga holds the record of permanence in the plant, 26 years, together with the Peugeot Partner, surpassing other emblematic models manufactured in Vigo such as the Citroën 2CV (which was manufactured for 25 years) and the popular Citroën C15, that remained in the Vigo production lines for 21 years.
