MILAN (Bloomberg) -- Fiat Group is facing delays producing vehicles in Europe after a supplier stopped delivering plastic components used in Fiat 500 minicars and Maserati sedans.
Fiat's Maserati plant near Turin has been stopped for at least four days because of the halt in supplies from Selmat Automotive, a Fiat representative said.
The automaker's factories in Poland, where Fiat builds its iconic 500, and Serbia, where it produces the roomier 500L, have faced delays in production this week and last week, the spokesman said.
"Fiat is facing serious damages" because of the components shortage with "thousands of workers" affected, the company said in a statement.
Selmat CEO Enzo Maccherrone said the company informed Fiat one month ago that it was going to stop production from April 29 to May 2 and that it's delivering its car parts normally again now.
Selmat supplies Fiat and Fiat Industrial with 7,000 kinds of plastic products.
"Fiat is making all this noise just because they wanted to buy my company at a bargain price," said Maccherrone, whose company employs 1,000 workers and had about 150 million euros in revenue last year. Fiat had no comment on his statements.
Fiat, which controls Chrysler Group, is boosting production of upscale models in Europe, including the $130,000 Maserati Quattroporte, as it targets to end losses in the region by 2016.
Fiat's European business had a loss of more than 700 million euros ($908 million) last year.
The components shortage also hit production of trucks at Fiat Industrial's Iveco plant in Spain.
