Green light to restyling of the electric Fiat 500stop (at least for now) to the hybrid engine version. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavareson the sidelines of the meeting with the unions for the inauguration of the new one Mirafiori plant which will assemble up to 600 thousand hybrid gearboxes, revealed that the company will invest one hundred million euros to “reduce the costs of the 500e”, which is currently struggling on the market, “with a new battery”.
The incentive node
And he attacks: «Many promises have been made to Italian consumers to facilitate theaccess to electric vehiclesbut despite the promises the incentives have not yet been released. We are still waiting. We will not wait for those promises to be kept – he continues – we will invest no less than 100 million euros to introduce a new battery for our 500e that will break a paradigm, allowing for more km with less costs”. «We will thus allow Italian consumers easier access to this car» he added.
Chinese competitors and risks
«At Stellantis we have a clear vision of where we want to be at the end of our time Strategic Plan». Said the CEO, speaking at the inauguration of theeDCT Assembly Plant, as part of the «Mirafiori Automotive Park 2030» project. With the President of the Region Alberto Cirio and the mayor of Turin Stefano Lo Russo, present at the inauguration, «we are not here to protect the status quo, because it is for people who have no vision. We are here to provide solutions and to give vision. Turin has a vision, Piedmont has a vision, Stellantis has a vision. So, being three pragmatic people, we can arrive at concrete solutions”, said Tavares and underlining that “to have the maximum benefit for the city and the region, we work together, because we are three pragmatic people”. On the hypothesis of Chinese competitors he says: «We are able to stand up to them, if someone wants to introduce Chinese competitors they will be responsible for the decisions unpopular that will have to be taken.”
The unions
Fiom is skeptical. «The meeting with the CEO Carlos Tavares did not bring any concrete elements that could suggest a change in Stellantis’ strategy in our country.» This was declared in a joint note by Samuele Lodi, national secretary of Fiom-Cgil and responsible for the mobility sector, and Edi Lazzi, general secretary of Fiom-Cgil of Turin, reporting that the CEO underlined the dangers that would be represented by the entry into our country of a Chinese manufacturer, as it would do nothing but cut Stellantis’ market share. «It is important to point out – the Fiom representatives write – that in the face of a market which on average stands at 1.5 million cars registered per year in Italy, Stellantis production is just over 500,000 cars: there is ample space for other manufacturers, even if the objective of one million vehicles produced in our country defined by the automotive table at Mimit were to materialise”.
The strike of April 12th
«The statement on the centrality of our country for Stellantis – they add – is not confirmed by choices and decisions that go in this direction. No guarantees have been given on the productions, on factory saturations and on employment. The company believes it is making its maximum effort to address a transition not wanted by Stellantis but imposed by the European Union.” Fiom-Cgil reiterated the fact that in Turin on Friday 12 April there will be a united strike of the entire automotive sector due to the situation of Mirafiori and the entire component supply chain. «It is no longer the time for simple company communications. We need to open a real negotiation with Stellantis at Palazzo Chigi, as we have jointly requested in recent weeks, to arrive at a framework agreement that secures factories, central bodies, employment and the components supply chain” conclude the trade unionists.
New models
The announcement of 100 million investments for the restyling of the 500e is “a first step” according to Sara Rinaudo deputy secretary of Fismic “than what is required of the company”. However, as regards the allocation of new models, “we believe that these should be of various engines and not just full electric, to accompany the transition period without traumas”. Also Gianluca Ficco, secretary of Uilm, reiterates the need for new (hybrid) models to relaunch production, both in Mirafiori and Pomigliano. «We appreciate CEO Tavares’ willingness to listen to our requests».
Tavares’ objective of bringing production in Italy to 1 million vehicles was confirmed by the manager to the unions, stigmatizing the hypothesis entertained by the government of bringing a Chinese car manufacturer to Italy. “They will have to take responsibility for it,” said the Portuguese top manager. Tavares, speaking of the incentives, announced several times and which have yet to materialize on the market, could increase Mirafiori’s production by 20 thousand cars. «To the CEO Tavares – he explained Ferdinando Uliano, Fim Cisl secretary – we reiterated our requests to strengthen volumes and employment in all Italian factories, starting from the emergencies of Mirafiori and Cassino”. And then he specified: «If one million vehicles is the objective, shared at the table with the Italian government, it is necessary to reverse the trend found in the first quarter of a 9.8% decline in production volumes».
