Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: All or nothing: Why circular business models require a holistic approach
    • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
    • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automakers
June 16, 2021 05:08 AM

Stellantis to build 4 new midsize EVs at Melfi plant in Italy

Automaker expects capacity to reach a record 400,000 despite cutting a production line

Andrea Malan
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Stellantis Melfi plant

    Stellentis currently builds the Fiat 500X, Jeep Renegade and Jeep Compass in Melfi.

    Stellantis plans to go to one production line from two at its assembly plant in Melfi, southern Italy, but the factory will still have capacity to produce about 400,000 vehicles a year, according to Italian unions.

    That would top the plant's peak of 393,000 units assembled in 2015.

    Stellantis plans to build four midsize segment full-electric vehicles for its different brands in Melfi starting in 2024, underpinning them with its new full-electric STLA medium platform, according to the FIM-CISL and UILM unions.

    Melfi will be the first Stellantis plant in Italy to get new models based on a post-2022 business plan, UILM added.

    "Stellantis is working with determination and speed to anticipate and support the energy transition of all its Italian industrial sites with the aim of ensuring sustainability of its manufacturing sites," the company said in a statement.

    The plans were outlined on Tuesday at a meeting between Stellantis executives, Italy's Economic Development Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti and union leaders.

    Giorgetti said in a statement after the meeting that the discussion was positive but there are still things that need to be cleared up. There was, for example, no final decision on where to produce the battery cells.

    According to FIOM-CGIL, the plant will add a battery assembly line. "The creation of a battery gigafactory in Italy will be key," the union said in a release.

    Discussions are ongoing about battery production in Italy, with Stellantis possibily taking a role.

    The STLA medium architecture is one of four electrified platforms planned by Stellantis, which was formed in January by the merger of PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

    The automaker will underpin compact and midsize cars with STLA medium, according to a presentation by Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares in March.

    More efficient

    Stellantis said the Melfi plant will run up to 19.5 eight-hour shifts a week, which union officials say will make production "10 percent more efficient."

    Stellantis currently builds the Fiat 500X small crossover, Jeep Renegade small SUV and Jeep Compass compact SUV in Melfi. Plug-in hybrid versions of the Jeeps are also assembled at the plant, which exports the Renegade and 500X to the U.S.

    Production at Melfi has declined from its 2015 peak to as little as 248,100 units in 2019 and 229,848 in 2020. Output rebounded 29 percent to 63,805 units in the first quarter, according to union figures.

    The Melfi plant employed 7,200 workers at the end of March, according to unions, while Stellantis employs more than 50,000 workers across several-dozen manufacturing plants in Italy. Last year, the government led by Premier Giuseppe Conte approved a 6.3 billion-euro ($7.6 billion) credit facility for Fiat, the largest government-backed financing arranged for an automaker in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic.

    As part of its green transition push, the new government led by Mario Draghi is planning to invest about 25 billion euros of European Union recovery funds in new infrastructure and top-up that amount with domestic funds for an overall investment of more than 31 billion euros.

    Bloomberg contributed to this report

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    VW's potential battery IPO attracts high investor interest, top shareholder says
    Recommended for You
    VW Battery production
    VW's potential battery IPO attracts high investor interest, top shareholder says
    cupra-born_01.jpg
    VW's Cupra brand weighs entering U.S. market with larger EVs
    The Ford Mach-E
    Ford expects to lose $3B on EVs this year
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
      • ANE Eurostars
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: All or nothing: Why circular business models require a holistic approach
        • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
        • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us