Joinville Plant Starting Hybrid Engine Production

General Motors has begun mass production of hybrid engines at its GM Joinville plant in Brazil, following confirmation that the company will launch its first flex-fuel hybrids this year. The plant, in Santa Catarina, is now starting production of flex-fuel hybrid engines intended for most Chevrolet vehicles built in Brazil. The move comes days after Thomas Owsianski, president of GM South America, said the electrified powertrain components’ homologation in Brazil was being finalized. GM invested 300 million reais (about US$60 million at current exchange rates) to expand and adapt the Joinville facility for hybrid engine production. Sources indicate the hybrid system uses the existing architecture behind mild hybrid electric vehicles (MHEVs) based on turbocharged I3 engines used in models like the Chevy Onix, Tracker, Montana and Sonic, paired with a small electric motor and a 48V battery.