Tag Archives: Romania

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Electric Power, Romanian Muscle: Inside Mercedes’ New EV Heart Factory

By the time you’ve finished your morning espresso, a brand-new Mercedes-Benz electric drive unit will already be whirring its way down a kilometer-long assembly line in a small Romanian town called Sebeş. It’s not exactly Stuttgart or Sindelfingen — but make no mistake, this place is quietly becoming one of the powerhouses of Mercedes’ electric future.

Star Assembly, Mercedes-Benz’s wholly owned Romanian arm, has just flicked the switch on production of electric drive units for the next all-electric Mercedes-Benz GLC. In plain English: Romania is now officially part of the EV big league.

This isn’t some back-room bolt-on job, either. The Sebeş site is now the second plant in the global Mercedes network to supply electric drive units to its vehicle factories — a job it shares with the legendary Untertürkheim plant in Germany, the mothership of Mercedes drive tech.

A Decade of Gears, Now a Jolt of Voltage

Star Assembly’s been part of the three-pointed star family since 2013, mostly churning out gearboxes for all sorts of Mercs. In 2020, it took a first sip of the electric Kool-Aid by adding hybrid units for the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. But now, things have gone fully electric — and fully serious.

Mercedes has sunk a major investment into Sebeş: over 30,000 square metres of shiny new facilities where robots and humans work side by side to build electric drive units with surgical precision. The assembly line alone stretches about 1,000 metres, dotted with more than 200 processes — some manual, most automated, all very German in their efficiency.

Jörg Burzer, Mercedes-Benz’s production boss, calls the project “an important milestone in the transformation of our plant.” Translation: Sebeş just became a vital artery in Mercedes’ transition from piston power to pixel-perfect electrification.

From Transmissions to Transformation

This isn’t just corporate speak. For Romania, the move means more than a few shiny motors. As Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan put it during the launch ceremony, Mercedes’ investment brings “technology transfer, access to markets and integration of Romanian industry into the European value chain.” In other words — it’s a massive vote of confidence in Romania’s industrial chops.

And of course, it’s green. The Sebeş site runs on 100 percent renewable electricity, operating in a carbon-neutral fashion — just like the rest of Mercedes’ in-house production network. It’s proof that sustainability doesn’t have to mean small-scale or slow.

The Bigger Picture

Mercedes’ electric ambitions are sprawling across the continent — from Germany to Hungary to now Romania — each site a piece of a puzzle that spells “less CO₂, more volts.” The Sebeş plant, with its newfound electric focus, might not make headlines like a new AMG or concept car, but make no mistake: this is where the future of the brand quietly takes shape.

It’s not glamorous, it’s not loud, but in its quiet, humming precision, it’s everything Mercedes wants to be in the EV age — efficient, connected, and just a little bit brilliant.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

News

Romania Delivers a World First: The HR12 LPG Direct-Injection Engine

The automotive world is usually quick to dismiss LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) as yesterday’s fuel—a stopgap for taxis, budget cars, and markets where gasoline and diesel come at a premium. But a new engine rolling out of Romania might just change that perception. Horse Technologies, the new propulsion arm spun out of Renault and Geely, has launched production of the world’s first mass-produced direct-injection LPG engine. And it’s not just a clever lab experiment—it’s an industrial-scale, Euro 6e–certified, mild-hybrid-equipped reality.

At the heart of this breakthrough sits the HR12 LPG, a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder designed to sip both gasoline and LPG. On paper, it looks like a sensible modern powertrain: 138 horsepower at 5,500 rpm, 170 pound-feet of torque from as low as 2,100 rpm, and mild-hybrid torque fill courtesy of a 48-volt belt-driven starter generator. But the real party trick is the way it burns LPG.

Traditionally, LPG engines have relied on indirect injection, mixing the vaporized fuel with air before it enters the cylinders. It works, but it’s inherently less efficient than gasoline, often leaving LPG cars a step behind in performance and refinement. Horse’s solution? A purpose-built direct-injection system for LPG, complete with an electronic vaporizer for precision compression control and reinforced components to withstand the new pressures. This isn’t just an adaptation—it’s a ground-up rethink of how LPG can work in a modern engine.

And the payoff is real: when running on LPG, CO2 emissions drop by about 9 percent compared to gasoline. Pair that with the hybrid system’s ability to shave fuel use and smooth acceleration, and you’ve got a genuinely modern, low-emission combustion engine that doesn’t feel like a compromise.

Packaging has also been smartly handled. The LPG tank nestles neatly into the spare tire compartment, leaving interior space untouched. That makes the HR12 a realistic option for mainstream vehicles, not just niche eco-specials. And with production capacity of up to 450,000 units a year at Horse’s Mioveni plant in Romania, this isn’t some boutique project. It’s scale.

Patrice Haettel, Horse’s CEO, is understandably bullish: “Direct-injection technology for LPG fuel makes it a true world-first for Horse Technologies and is further evidence of our global technology leadership as alternative fuels experts.” He’s not overselling it, either. Right now, no other carmaker offers an LPG engine with direct injection at this scale.

It’s rare to see three innovations converge in one combustion engine—direct LPG injection, mild-hybrid assist, and high-volume production. Together, they push LPG into new territory: precise combustion, stronger performance, and cleaner emissions, all without requiring exotic fuels or huge infrastructure shifts.

As the industry sprints toward electrification, the HR12 LPG is a reminder that there’s still room for clever combustion. It may not make headlines like a 1,000-hp EV hypercar, but this Romanian-built three-cylinder could quietly prove that alternative fuels still have a meaningful place in the transition.

Source: Horse Technologies; Photos: Newspress