Stellantis Trnava Plant
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | May 2006 |
| Headquarters | Trnava , Slovakia |
Area served | Europe |
Key people | Rémi Girardon (General Director, 2015) |
| Products | Automobiles (Peugeot 207, Peugeot 208, Peugeot e-208, Citroën C3 Picasso, Citroën C3 III) |
Number of employees | ~4200 (2018 (approximate)) |
| Parent | Stellantis |
The Stellantis Trnava Plant stands as a prominent automobile manufacturing hub in Slovakia and represents the most recent addition to Stellantis' European production network. It is located to the southeast of Trnava, roughly from Bratislava and close to the Austrian frontier.
History
The site, covering 193 hectares, was chosen in January 2003, with construction commencing five months afterward. Mass production began in May 2006, and the facility was officially inaugurated in October 2006 following an investment of €700 million, which included €105 million in government subsidies.
In December 2005, a further €357 million investment was announced to expand capacity by 150,000 units for the new mini-MPV project "A58". Nonetheless, this expansion was deferred in September 2006 due to surplus production capacity across Europe. The "A58" model was manufactured within the existing capacity limits and launched in mid-2008 as the Citroën C3 Picasso, competing with the Renault Grand Modus and Opel Meriva. Until 2012, Trnava remained the exclusive European site producing this model.
Between the launch of the C3 Picasso and 2012, the plant manufactured both the C3 and Peugeot 207 models, achieving an output of 248,405 vehicles in 2013, which was below its maximum capacity of 300,000 units. PSA attributed this shortfall to weak demand for small cars in Western Europe; production briefly halted in mid-2009 but avoided layoffs through to 2011.
By November 2011, the plant had reached a milestone of one million vehicles produced. That same month marked the start of production for the two-door Peugeot 208 alongside French facilities at Poissy and Mulhouse. Notably, Trnava commenced Peugeot 208 manufacturing several months prior to these French plants, supported by an investment exceeding €120 million in 2011.
Following recovery from the economic downturn in 2009, output at Stellantis Trnava grew steadily: increasing by 15.5% in 2013, 2.7% in 2014, and 19% in 2015. After ceasing production of the Peugeot 207 in 2013, manufacturing focus shifted predominantly to the Peugeot 208.
| Year | Number of Vehicles |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 52,000 |
| 2007 | 177,000 |
| 2008 | 185,000 |
| 2009 | 205,000 |
| 2010 | 186,140 |
| 2011 | 177,776 |
| 2012 | 214,617 |
| 2013 | 248,405 |
| 2014 | 255,176 |
| 2015 | 303,025 |
In early 2015, Slovak media disclosed that Trnava would manufacture a new Citroën B-segment SUV (code B618), akin to the C3-XR. PSA later confirmed this with a €300 million investment; the vehicle was officially revealed at the plant in March 2016 as the Citroën C3 III.
Since 2019, Trnava has served as the primary production site for the Peugeot 208 II and exclusively manufactures its electric version—the Peugeot e-208.
Peugeot
- Peugeot 207 (June 2006–2012; total production: 792,149 units)
- Peugeot 208 I (2012–September 2019; total production: 1,275,058 units)
- Peugeot 208 II (from July 2019; produced approximately 174,950 units by late 2020)
- Peugeot e-208 (since November 2019; approximately 40,597 units produced by late 2020)
Citroën
- Citroën C3 Picasso (September 2008–June 2017; about 501,956 units produced by late 2020)
- Citroën C3 III (in production since September 2016; roughly 931,316 units made by late 2020)
Scale and purpose
Designed with an annual capacity of up to 300,000 cars, the plant initially employed around 3,000 workers operating three shifts with an hourly output target of approximately 55 vehicles. Constructed specifically for producing "Platform 1" small cars within Stellantis' lineup, its initial volume model was the Peugeot 207, introduced in October 2006 at a daily rate of around 450 units—planned to increase to roughly 800 by mid-2007. By the year 2013, production levels approached full capacity with daily output reaching approximately 1,200 vehicles and a workforce expanded to about 3,500 employees. In 2014, operations ran at nearly 85% capacity with a total output of around 255,176 cars despite some operational pauses.
In March of 2015, General Director Rémi Girardon announced intentions to introduce a third model from Citroën at Trnava with ambitions to raise annual production to approximately 360,000 units by the year 2017. To accommodate this increase in volume, hourly vehicle output was scheduled to rise between 57 and 60 cars starting from May that year alongside additional recruitment. A fourth shift operating during weekends was implemented in 2016 aiming to boost personnel numbers to nearly 4,200 employees by around 2018.
Departments
The facility is organized into six primary divisions: metal shaping and pressing, body assembly utilizing welding techniques, painting, final assembly operations, logistics, and quality assurance.
Wage levels
Following its inauguration in 2006, the Trnava plant's minimum monthly wage was approximately €183, with an average employee salary around €450, while workers on the assembly line earned roughly €350. Compared to Germany, wages at the nearby Volkswagen facility were reported to be about 85% lower. PSA president Jean-Martin Folz minimized the significance of these wage disparities, highlighting expectations for rapid salary growth in Slovakia’s automotive sector as it developed into a key European manufacturing center. This region hosts production sites for companies such as Volkswagen (Bratislava), Kia Motors (Žilina), along with other global manufacturers including Hyundai Motor Company, Škoda Auto, and PSA’s joint venture Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile Czech.
By 2015, the average monthly remuneration had risen to €1,331, with those earning under €850 receiving supplementary income through a 13th-month bonus.