“I don’t wake up in the morning dreaming of being number 2.” Jean-Philippe Imparato, director of the public services branch of Stellantis, who came to head the unit last January, does not hide his ambitions. His observation is simple: light utility vehicles already weigh heavily on Stellantis’ balance sheet. But there are ways to do it better.
Under the Fiat, Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Vauxhall and Ram brands, sales of utility vehicles represent a third of the group’s total turnover, that is, 60 billion euros. “This is more than some car manufacturers produce on their own!” congratulates Jean-Philippe Imparato.
Strengthen its positions in Europe and accelerate in North America
Stellantis now wants to go further. The group presented this Wednesday, from its Balocco test center in northern Italy, twelve new models of electric vans for its European brands: Fiat, Peugeot, Citroën, Opel and Vauxhall. Vehicles that will be made public on Monday.
If Stellantis, which is already a leader in the European public services market, wants to strengthen its positions, it is in North America where the group’s offensive will be most important. The group is today only in third place on the podium. To gain market share, Jean-Philippe Imparato is betting on the Ram brand, with the launch of the first two electric pick-ups, the Ram ProMaster EV and the RAM 1500 REV 2025.
“Win the Champions League”
By 2030, Stellantis wants to become the number one utility company in the world. “And we can get there alone, we have the means. It is not necessary to create a joint company,” insists Jean-Philippe Imparato. The head of the utility sector at Stellantis may be taking aim at its competitor Renault, which announced a few days ago the creation of a company with Volvo and CMA-CGM to manufacture electric vans.
The financial objective is to double Stellantis’ turnover in light commercial vehicles within five years. “Today we play the Champions League against Ford and Toyota and we are going to win it,” concludes Jean-Philippe Imparato.
Source: BFM TV
