Stellantis does not close the gates to internal combustion engines. If there was sufficiently sustained demand, cars originally designed as electric could also be available in hybrid or combustion versions.
The person who says this is one of the most authoritative voices of the multinational itself: the financial director Natalie Knight, who spoke to comment on the related results for the first quarter.
No dogma, but focus on market developments
Following a dogma without monitoring market developments would, in fact, mean precluding large business opportunities, going against the principles of the company itself. “Having multi-energy platforms for all our products in development and having the agility to move between them is a great opportunity for us, compared to our competitors”explains the CFO, in a report WardsAuto. Which doesn’t rule out a petrol or diesel Jeep Wagoneer Scontrary to what it seemed until today.
The public itself will have the real decision-making power, capable of influencing the next strategies. An illustrious precedent bears the signature of the American brand and concerns the Avenger.
The lucky model was initially designed only with an electric powertrain, except for Italy and Spain, where BEVs remain a small niche (the April 2024 data confirms this). Then, however, a change in strategy occurred, also in other countries.
It went the same way in the case of two multispace vehicles, the Citroën Berlingo and the Peugeot Rifter. This is because the philosophy does not exclusively concern the Jeep brand, but the entire conglomerate.
Green commitment
Knight points out that Stellantis aims to embrace trends and, at the same time, send a clear message about its commitment to the energy transition. During 2024, 25 new models will be launched, of which 18 are electricat least according to the initial plans.
“I don’t want to ignore the fact that we want to stay close to consumers and if we see that there is an opportunity with those models that we introduced before as BEVs, we will evaluate them”adds the manager.
STLA platforms a strong point
In Stellantis’ opinion, the STLA platforms, designed to accommodate electric or combustion engines without any problems, constitute a strong point. In fact, it is currently complicated to say what the mobility developments will be.
In theory, BEVs will dominate the sector, however the lack of diffusion recorded so far raises doubts. The high list prices, dictated by the high cost of the components (primarily the batteries), prevent many families from considering purchasing them. Everywhere in the world they are trying to find solutions to reduce expenses.
In any case, Stellantis confirms Dare Forward 2030 plan presented a couple of years ago, according to which, by the end of the decade, all vehicles marketed in Europe and half in the United States will be full electric.
Unveiled to shareholders in March 2022 by CEO Carlos Tavares, it pursues the objective of increase net revenues to 300 billion euros (double compared to 2021) and to record double-digit adjusted operating profit margins throughout the decade, becoming Carbon Zero by 2028.
