Recently, Shenlong Motor Co., Ltd. officially released the “TSTT core power†at the Hubei Puyang plant. A total of five new powertrains have been put into operation in China. In addition, the STT start-stop technology will also be more widely used on the Shenlong models. Shenlong's "E-strategy" phase reached its goal and once again set off a boost "storm" in the Chinese auto market.
"Dragon and PSA will continue to deepen cooperation." Qiu Xiandong, general manager of Shenlong Motor, told reporters.
It is reported that the “E-movement strategy†is officially announced in 2012. It mainly refers to the strategic direction of powertrain and new energy development—Efficiency, Economy, and Environment. According to Shenlong's "5A" medium-term plan, from 2011 to 2015, Shenlong will launch 12 new models, 6 new engines, and match the corresponding new gearboxes.
So far, Shenlong Automobile's "T" technology will cover 1.6-liter, 1.8-liter CVVT technology engines, 1.2-liter, 1.6-liter and 1.8-liter THP turbocharged direct injection engines, and all five engines are matched with the STT engine intelligent start-stop system.
Dongfeng Citroen C4L and Dongfeng Peugeot 3008 have been equipped with 1.6THP turbocharged engines, and the market received good feedback. In the future, the fully domesticized "T" powertrain will also be equipped with more models.
According to Lu Haitao, deputy general manager of Shenlong Motor Business, the new Dongfeng Citroen C5 and Dongfeng Peugeot brand new 408 will also carry the "TSTT" power combination, and then extended to the next two years, Shenlong's full range of models will be equipped with TSTT technology.
In the first half of this year, Shenlong Motors achieved a good performance and sold a total of 343,000 vehicles, an increase of 24% year-on-year. In view of the good sales growth, Shenlong has increased its annual sales target by 50,000 units to 700,000 units.
Qiu Xiandong emphasized in particular that China has now become the most important regional market for the PSA Group. At the same time, based on Dongfeng Group’s shareholding in PSA, China has also taken a leading position in the Asia-Pacific region.
After China and France signed a strategic cooperation agreement in March this year, Shenlong and PSA established six major technical special teams, and Shenlong is expected to leverage on Dongfeng to achieve greater development.
According to Qiu Xiandong, the six major technical teams include the PSA diesel models and new energy projects. Shenlong Motors will begin with micro-mixing, transition to mid-mix, and finally to strong-mix. In addition, plug-in hybrid and pure electric models will be available.
With the hot sales of products this year, Shenlong is also facing the worries of insufficient productivity in China. Lu Haitao stated that the lack of capacity did lead to a longer vehicle cycle for certain models, but its factories have all been producing at full capacity.
It is reported that Shenlong's current total vehicle production has reached 2,600 vehicles, and its daily engine output has reached 3,000 units. In July last year, the third plant in Wuhan was put into operation. To ensure the production of Dongfeng Citroen's new Elysee, Dongfeng Peugeot 301 and 2008, it has been upgraded to the current capacity limit of 44 vehicles/hour. The annual output of the plant is expected to exceed 220,000 units (designed capacity of 150,000 Vehicle/year).
Qiu Xiandong said that Shenlong plans to sell more than 800,000 vehicles in 2015, and the target for annual sales in 2017 will be aimed at 1 million units. In 2020, it is expected to achieve the goal of 1.5 million vehicles sold annually.
The reporter learned that with the commissioning of the five powertrains, Shenlong will introduce DCT dual clutch gearboxes, 8AT automatic transmissions, and CVT gearboxes in the future. With the introduction of new technologies, the development of PSA in China, subject to the powertrain, is expected to become history and lay the foundation for achieving planned sales targets.