Stellantis closes historic French plant after 52 million engines, expands PureTech production in Morocco
After 57 years in operation, Stellantis’ Douvrin plant in northern France permanently closed on October 30. But the petrol engine made there will continue its industrial run, particularly in Morocco, where the automaker is expanding production in Kénitra.
Founded in 1969 by Peugeot and Renault under the name Française de Mécanique, the Douvrin plant produced more than 52 million engines, including the renowned 1.2 PureTech. Assembly had already ended in summer 2026, before the final machining operations stopped on October 30. The closure marks the disappearance of a historic site in France’s automotive industry, reports the specialist publication ItalPassion.
Production of this engine family is continuing, notably in Hungary and Morocco. At Szentgotthárd, Stellantis has an annual capacity of 460,000 three-cylinder engines. The Hungarian plant, which has produced more than two million engines since 2020, supplies thirteen of the group’s assembly plants.
Kénitra prepares to manufacture more engine components
In Morocco, Stellantis has been assembling a new generation of the 1.2 EB2 petrol engine, part of the PureTech family, since May 2025. This activity, announced as early as December 2024, is part of the expansion of the Kénitra plant, inaugurated in July 2025.
According to official Stellantis figures, the Moroccan site’s annual engine production capacity has risen from 100,000 to 350,000 units. The automaker has also scheduled the launch of machining operations for November 2026, adding a manufacturing stage to the assembly already carried out on site.
This reorganization affects an engine family whose earlier versions experienced significant reliability problems, particularly involving the timing belt. The new hybrid generations have benefited from technical changes, including the adoption of a chain. Last February, Stellantis’ evolving strategy raised questions about the future of PureTech in Morocco.
The closure of Douvrin is also accompanied by a redistribution of jobs. Nearly 350 former employees of the French plant have joined the ACC battery gigafactory located nearby. In Kénitra, the expansion program represents an investment of 1.2 billion euros and is expected to create more than 3,000 additional jobs.
