A 30 billion bet on electric. Stellantis, the colossus born from the merger between FCA and PSA, fielded a maxi-investment between now and 2025 for the transition and software, with the aim of becoming a leader in the LEV market (low-emission vehicles), with a sales share of over 70% in Europe in 2030. The company’s objectives were unveiled by the CEO Carlos Tavares, on the group’s Electrification Day, who designs the strategy of the car group. In Italy these efforts will translate, among other things, into the creation of a gigafactory in Termoli, the third in Europe of the group, which will create five worldwide to support its efforts. The allocation of the third European site in Italy, after those in France and Germany, “confirms Stellantis’ commitment in Italy and the company’s willingness to continue investing in its production system” explains the group. The identification of the Termoli powertrain plant, explains the company, “represents a coherent choice in the context of Stellantis’ path towards the complete energy transition”, in the wake of what was announced for Douvrin in France and for Kaiserslautern in Germany. Stellantis, Tavares summarizes, “is working with determination and speed to anticipate and support the energy transition of all its Italian industrial sites, with the aim of ensuring their sustainability by improving their performance and making the country play a strategic role among the main domestic markets of the group ».
The plan will be disclosed and communicated with a gradual approach and at the appropriate time, but in the meantime it is pointed out that Mirafiori had never been a possible choice, because for the role of gigafactory Stellantis has focused on plants that produce thermal engines. However, critical voices arise from the territory. «This decision betrays Turin. It betrays Piedmont, its history, its workers, its universities and in general a land that invented the car, invested and risked. A land that has enormous credit towards this company and towards this State »declared the president of the Piedmont Region Alberto Cirio and the mayor of Turin Chiara Appendino. «Today – they continue – we feel betrayed and those who are betrayed feel anger. An anger that those who, like us, have institutional responsibilities must transform into action. We await clear words from Rome to understand on what basis this choice was shared with the Government. We will convene all the Piedmontese institutions tomorrow ».
Tavares, during the meeting, explained that the focus of the plan will continue to be “the customer as top priority” and the group’s commitment “is to offer iconic vehicles with characteristics of performance, functionality, style, comfort and electric range capable to integrate perfectly into everyday life “. The strategy “that we have defined today assigns the right amount of investments to the technologies necessary to arrive on the market at the right time, ensuring that Stellantis can strengthen freedom of movement in the most efficient, economic and sustainable way”, explained the CEO. Also through its efforts on electricity, the company aims to achieve sustainable double-digit adjusted operating profit margins over the medium term. “Our electrification journey is probably the most important step to start defining the future of Stellantis just six months after its birth, and today the entire company is dedicating all its efforts to exceeding each customer’s expectations and accelerating our initiatives to redefine mobility around the world ». According to Tavares, the group has “the size, capabilities, spirit and sustainability to be able to achieve double-digit adjusted operating profit margins, position ourselves at the head of the industry as an efficiency model and supply electrified vehicles capable of igniting customer passion” .