A city in Minas Gerais with 411,000 inhabitants houses a factory that occupies 2.2 million square meters and has produced 18 million cars since 1976, including the world's first ethanol car, and will now receive R$ 14 billion in investments to become Stellantis' largest plant in the entire world.

A city in Minas Gerais with 411,000 inhabitants houses a factory that occupies 2.2 million square meters and has produced 18 million cars since 1976, including the world’s first ethanol car, and will now receive R$ 14 billion in investments to become Stellantis’ largest plant in the entire world.

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 14/04/2026 at 11:27

Updated on 14/04/2026 at 11:28

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Betim is the city in Minas Gerais that houses the Stellantis Automotive Pole, a factory inaugurated in 1976 that has produced 18 million vehicles, exported to 37 countries, employs 17 thousand people, and will receive R$ 14 billion in investments from 2025 to 2030 to produce flex hybrid engines and 40 new products.

There is a city in Minas Gerais in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte where more than 43 thousand vehicles leave a single factory each month. Betim houses the Stellantis Automotive Pole, a plant inaugurated in 1976 that has produced 18 million vehicles over nearly five decades and will now receive R$ 14 billion in investments from 2025 to 2030, the largest investment in the history of the Minas Gerais factory. The city in Minas Gerais, with 411 thousand inhabitants, is, without exaggeration, one of the world capitals of automotive production, responsible for models that have led sales in Brazil for decades.

The transformation of this city in Minas Gerais into an industrial powerhouse began when Fiat chose Betim to install its Brazilian factory in the 1970s. The decision attracted hundreds of supplier companies and created an integrated production network that today brings together more than 300 direct suppliers and generates 17 thousand direct jobs, which represents more than half of the workforce of Stellantis in all of South America. From there came the Fiat 147, the world’s first ethanol car, the Fiat Strada, a three-time sales champion in Brazil, and the first flex hybrids produced in South America.

The R$ 14 billion that will transform the factory in this city in Minas Gerais

Betim, a city in Minas Gerais with 411 thousand inhabitants, houses the factory that produced 18 million cars and will receive R$ 14 billion from Stellantis by 2030.

According to Monitor do Mercado, the investment announced by Stellantis for the Betim Pole between 2025 and 2030 is the largest in the history of the plant. The R$ 14 billion is part of a total cycle of R$ 32 billion that Stellantis allocates to South America, the largest investment in the history of the automotive industry in the region.

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The 18 million vehicles that have left this city in Minas Gerais since 1976

The milestone of 18 million vehicles produced was reached in July 2025, when a Fiat Fastback Hybrid came off the assembly line as the “18 millionth vehicle.”

More than 4 million of these vehicles have been exported to 37 countries, making the factory in this city of Minas Gerais a driver for the economy of the state and the country. The plant currently produces six Fiat models (Strada, Argo, Mobi, Pulse, Fastback, and Fiorino) and the Peugeot Partner Rapid.

The factory in Betim also houses the largest powertrain production center in Latin America. In 2025, the unit reached 17 million transmissions and 2.3 million Firefly family engines produced, as well as 1.8 million GSE Turbo engines.

The diversity of production consolidates the city of Minas Gerais as a complete center that goes far beyond car assembly: it develops, tests, and manufactures from the engine to the final vehicle.

The structure that makes this city in Minas Gerais a global reference

The Betim Automotive Hub is not just an assembly line. The city of Minas Gerais houses the Stellantis Tech Center, which brings together more than 3,000 engineers, designers, and technicians responsible for all phases of new vehicle development, with over 60 laboratories and centers dedicated to safety, virtual development, and electrification technologies.

The complex has complete autonomy to design, develop, and test vehicles without relying on centers abroad.

The geographical location of the city of Minas Gerais is also strategic for logistics. Betim occupies a central position in the economic triangle between Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Belo Horizonte, with direct access to the Fernão Dias highway that facilitates the flow of vehicles and parts throughout the country.

According to data from the Government of Minas Gerais, the city has become a global reference in industrial productivity and logistical efficiency, attracting distribution centers and transportation companies looking to optimize deliveries in the Southeast.

What Betim offers beyond the factory for its 411 thousand inhabitants

Despite its industrial vocation, the city of Minas Gerais is not limited to factories. Betim offers leisure spaces such as the Exhibition Park and the Vargem das Flores Reservoir, a meeting point for water sports, as well as cultural centers like the Josefina Bento Cultural House and the Vale Verde Ecological Park.

The local commerce is vibrant, with modern shopping malls catering to a growing and diverse population.

The coverage of sewage treatment reaches 89.2% of the urban area, according to IBGE, and the urbanized area extends over approximately 95 km². The per capita GDP is one of the highest in Minas Gerais, supported by the presence of Stellantis and the hundreds of companies that make up the automotive production chain.

For the 411 thousand inhabitants, living in this city of Minas Gerais means being at the epicenter of Brazilian industrial production, in a community that is growing driven by billion-dollar investments that show no signs of slowing down.

Did you know that a single city in Minas Gerais with 411 thousand inhabitants has already produced 18 million cars and will receive R$ 14 billion in new investments? Do you know Betim or have you visited the region? Share in the comments. Brazilian cities that drive the economy of the entire country deserve more recognition than they usually receive.

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The R$ 14 billion that will transform the factory in this city in Minas Gerais

The 18 million vehicles that have left this city in Minas Gerais since 1976

The structure that makes this city in Minas Gerais a global reference

What Betim offers beyond the factory for its 411 thousand inhabitants

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The R$ 14 billion that will transform the factory in this city in Minas Gerais

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A giant half-ton ring fell in Kenya from space, and more than a year later, scientists still do not know where it came from.

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