PSA starts production of Citroën C4 Cactus in Brazil



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  PSA starts production of Citroën C4 Cactus in Brazil

Industry
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07/31/2018
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14:30

To build the model, the Porto Real plant receives 56 million R $ investment



SUELI REIS, AB | From Porto Real (RJ)

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The group PSA began production of the new Citroën C4 Cactus at its Porto Real (RJ) plant, which received investments totaling R $ 580 million to assemble the model. The contribution, which has been made since 2016 and will end this year, includes the updating, modernization and implementation of processes some of which have never been used by the company in Brazil.

A ceremony was held Tuesday at the factory, the entry of the Cactus into the PSA's national production line. Considered by the automaker as a compact SUV, it is the fifth model currently assembled by the industrial hub of Porto Real, also responsible for the assembly of Peugeot 208, 2008 and Citroen C3 and Aircross. Working on two quarters, the unit employs 1.8 thousand people.

"The Citroën C4 Cactus is a global project led by the Latin American team and the investments made to start the production of this model are shared with all the other products made in Porto Real," said the president PSA group in Brazil and Latin America, Patrice Lucas, also a member of the executive committee of the group

With attributes that refer to one of the main market segments and to the segment of SUVs experiencing the most growth. Fast, Cactus bears the responsibility of increasing the Citroën brand in this competitive market while marking a milestone in PSA's new strategy for Brazil and also for Latin America.

"The C4 Cactus is a key product for Brazil and Argentina.Its sales volume will be important for us to win the market and it will be one of the main models of the Citroen brand on the Brazilian and Argentine markets. "

He prefers not to disclose his projections for model domestic sales and exports, to say that there are opportunities for Cactus both in Latin America and in African markets .

The C4 Cactus was developed by the PSA Group team in Brazil, responsible for the entire process which lasted about three years, from design, style, design, development and local production to 400 people from Brazil, Argentina and France throughout its creation. There have been more than 620 thousand hours of work and more than 10 thousand hours of training teams for their production. The process also involved 70 suppliers, including those serving the group in Europe. As a follow-up, the investments in the factory gave the industrial complex of Porto Real new concepts of digital manufacturing and industry 4.0

"For four years, the PSA group has made all the changes so that Porto Real is an excellent factory ". the senior vice president of monozukuri processes in Latin America, Jeam Mouro. "Monozukuri means doing things well and that's only possible when we reach people who are looking for better quality at a lower cost." Porto Real is already in the top five of PSA factories around the world today. and Cactus marks a break in the development of PSA in Latin America. "

The plant underwent several changes during the period when it was prepared to start climbing the Cactus. Among them, plating, which previously worked on two distinct lines in each, made the patterns into a divided form, now works unified: now all five models are produced, including the Cactus, and are ready to receive the [19659006Inpaintingforthefirsttimesinceitbeganoperatingin2001thePortoRealfactorynowreliesontheprocesscalledbitonwhichappliestwocolorsatatimeTheassemblyhaswontheprocessofcompletekitinwhichpre-assembledpiecesofpreparedpartsinareascalledclampingzonesfeedtheassemblycellsbymeansofacarriagethatgoestotheassembler

"With this new system, already comes cadence and right for this model being assembled, avoiding unnecessary trips and mistakes," says director of the industrial pole of Brazil, Eduardo Chaves. are two synchronous: the short and the long. In short, it picks up parts from a nearby supplier and brings long-term parts from suppliers from other states. "

In addition to these improvements, the executive remembers investment in the engine plant, of which 43 million new production line for crankshafts, as well as an additional $ 13 million R to increase the ability of the power unit.

PSA preferred to keep secrets about certain aspects of C4 Cactus.The company has not confirmed the number of versions of the model nor its price range or even of Other details such as the engine variants, although the demonstration vehicles were equipped with the 1.6 THP flexible engine and the six-speed automatic transmission, all this should be announced at the end of August, When the model should be introduced.

What we do know is that the model brings a bold and well-defined design, with a choice of two colors combined in the vehicle. SUVs however, Citroën added some of what will be seen in s Cactus from September of the brand's dealer network. In terms of technology, it brings a very comprehensive set of driving assistance items, some of which are characterized as semi-autonomous technologies, but there is no information yet. on what will be standard and what will be optional.

The safety brake, which issues emergency alerts to the driver and can also brake alone in the event of an imminent collision with another vehicle or even a pedestrian. It will also be offered wide ranging alert and driver attention among others, for a total of twelve items.

In terms of comfort, Citroën highlights the suspension, the ample internal space and the axle of 2,600 mm, ten to more than Hyundai Crete and ten less than the Honda HR-V. The Cactus platform is a modular PF1, the same as that used for the Peugeot 2008, 3008 and Citroën C3 models, including in Europe.

In addition, large benches and 100% digital models equip the press during the production start ceremony.

Tags: PSA, PSA Group, Citroën, C4, Cactus, factory, production, Porto Real, investment.

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