The car manufacturer Stellantis plans to manufacture a new hybrid version of its iconic Fiat 500 city car from 2026 at its Mirafiori factory, near Turin, in northern Italy, to increase its production on the peninsula.
Its CEO, Carlos Tavares, presented to the unions “concrete perspectives on the allocation of models in Stellantis’ Italian factories until 2030 and beyond” to the unions during a meeting on Monday in Turin, according to a statement from the group.
At the same time, Carlos Tavares announced the assignment of a new hybrid version of the Jeep Compass to the Melfi factory, in southern Italy.
Strong protests by unions over relocations
These announcements come in a context of controversy with the government of Giorgia Meloni, which accuses the French-Italian-American manufacturer of relocating its production to low-cost countries, to the detriment of Italian factories.
Stellantis’ decision to produce its future electric Fiat Panda in Serbia sparked strong protests in December by Italian unions, concerned about jobs in factories on the peninsula.
Stellantis increased its production in Italy last year by 9.6% to almost 752,000 vehicles and agreed with the government to increase it to one million units in 2030.
Carlos Tavares confirmed on Monday “the ambition shared with the Italian government to reach one million vehicles produced in Italy by 2030.”
But this increase in production “will require a favorable business environment, currently affected by uncertainties related to electrification and strong competition with new entrants to the market,” he warned.
Source: BFM TV
