Horse Romania, the local division of the thermal engine division Renault and Geely Horse Powertrain Limited, has started production of the HR12 1.2-litre petrol engine that will equip the new Duster III model, among others. 

"We started production of the HR12 engine at our plant in Romania based on the existing process at the Horse plant in Valladolid, Spain," announced Horse CEO Patrice Haettel, quoted by Ziarul Financiar.

The installed manufacturing capacity is 450,000 engines per year, including the casting of aluminum parts and their finishing.

In order to produce the new HR12 engine, more than 75% of the existing workstations on the assembly line of the Horse Romania factory located in Mioveni were modified, and 24 new workstations were installed. These investments allowed the local integration of the entire production cycle - including the casting and machining of the cylinder casings, which are 100% done in-house.

The Mioveni powertrain plant and foundry became part of Horse in July 2023.

The company produced 337,777 engines and 275,701 gearboxes in 2022.

It produces over one-third of the Group's total aluminum output and a significant portion of Renault Group's engine and transmission systems, including full 4×4 transmissions (a purpose-designed gearbox with a front module and final drive unit). It is also home to the largest aluminum foundry in the Renault Group (and Romania).

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Iurii Pozdnikov/Dreamstime.com)