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Stellantis' CEO has called on European regulators to create stronger incentives for carmakers to manufacture vehicles in the region, as it faces intensifying competition from Chinese rivals that are dominating the market.
Antonio Filosa, who has served at the helm of the automotive giant since 2025, spoke with "CNBC Conversation" ahead of the Paris Motor Show on Monday about the company's declining sales amid China's "impressive" acceleration in the European market.
"What we are supporting a lot in Europe is to establish for everybody a level playing field," Filosa said in an interview with CNBC's Charlotte Reed.
"In concrete terms, it means to work on true regulation... starting from "Made in Europe," that should be regulation that incentivizes, rewards, and protects the ones that are able to demonstrate that they design cars, engineer cars," Filosa added.
Made in Europe refers to proposed legislation drawn up by the EU Commission which would require carmakers to meet minimum local content requirements to sell within the regional market.
The global carmaker, which is known for its key car brands such as Jeep and Ram, has been in the midst of a $70 billion turnaround strategy as it struggles with declining demand. The company's shares are down almost 60% so far since the beginning of the year.
Stellantis' shares since the beginning of the year.
Chinese car brands are dominating the global market, with their global auto-sales share jumping by nearly 70% from 2020 to 2025, according to market research and consulting firm GlobalData. Meanwhile, the market share of European car sales was close to zero in 2020, but is up to 12% in August this year, according to data from Germany-based Dataforce.
"I believe that Chinese automakers, the ones that we know, can really offer many consumers in many segments, good technology, and competitive prices," Filosa said.
European trade commissioner Maroš Sefčovič said Friday that China has agreed to halve its exports of hybrid cars to the bloc, after Beijing had repeatedly rejected requests.
European carmakers moved higher Monday morning after news of the agreement. Stellantis added 2.7% and French carmaker Renault were up around 3%. French automotive parts suppliers Valeo and Forvia also rose in early trading.
A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce responded on Monday to the request, saying that China and the European Union have maintained a dialogue on trade and investment and reached "several consensuses and achievements that are conducive to maintaining a stable and balanced key trade partnership," according to CNBC's translation from Chinese to English.
As part of the agreement, one principle laid out was "non-discrimination," which says that no measures will specifically target or discriminate against Chinese companies. "China's quota will not be lower than that of any other import source for the EU."
— CNBC's Michael Wayland helped contribute to this report.