For Stellantis, in addition to strategic about-faces, it is also time for rethinks. And here is the indiscretion which, having confirmed the production of the T03 city-car of the Chinese partner Leapmotor in Poland, sees the Mirafiori hypothesis emerge for the next model: the C10 SUV, again battery-only, with D-segment dimensions, a range of 420 kilometres, 5 stars in the E-NCap safety tests and premium vehicle equipment. Lost Maserati Levante, which recently went out of production, this model would be a panacea for the Turin plant, together with the hybrid Fiat 500. Second thoughts, and they are not the first for Stellantis (the 500 hybrid case), which could have been influenced by the new controversies on the part of the unions regarding the choice of the Tychy plant (formerly Fca) to produce the small electric T03 (265 kilometers of autonomy and an interior space comparable to that of a B-segment car, that of small cars).
«We have no new news regarding Mirafiori – states Ferdinando Uliano, Fim-Cisl general secretary – but we are obviously ready to examine any activity, oriented towards the growth of the Italian production impact, which has important repercussions on the related industries».
Leapmotor, meanwhile, of which Stellantis holds approximately 20% for an investment of 1.5 billion, is officially the fifteenth brand of the Stellantis group. The Chinese brand joins, in fact, the Italian, French, American ones, the German Opel and the British Vauxhall.
«Stellantis had 14 brands and now with Leapmotor, our fully electric car company in China, there are 15. We are working hard. Stellantis is very committed to being cost competitive on a large scale in the electric vehicle sector”, the words of John Elkann, president of Stellantis and CEO of the Exor holding company, in the episode of the In good Company Podcast, hosted by Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank, a Norwegian sovereign wealth fund.
Elkann then added that he believes that «Europeans must compete and, among the different components of a vehicle, batteries are among the most expensive; this is why it is important to try to ensure that, as new technologies are developed, both in chemistry and in battery assembly, we are able to find competitive solutions from a cost point of view.”
Among the news of these days at Stellantis stands out the imminent launch of the Fiat Grande Panda, produced in Serbia in the plant previously responsible for the 500L. Contrary to what was indicated until recently, this model will not only be electrically powered. Given market trends, in fact, it will also have a hybrid engine.
In practice, this is the same decision taken for the “cousin” Fiat 600. The fear, at this point, is that the new hybrid Grande Panda could in some way “disturb” the Panda made in Pomigliano d’Arco, whose life it was recently extended until 2029.
