Excess production capacity, particularly in Europe, is one of the most urgent challenges for Stellantis. The carmaker has no intention of closing plants and wants to make full use of its facilities through partnerships with Chinese manufacturers Leapmotor and Dongfeng. This is the strategy outlined by chief executive officer Antonio Filosa at the Paris Automotive Summit, held as part of theParis Motor Show.
"We have excess production capacity, especially in Europe, but we do not want to shut plants," the executive said, explaining that the solution identified is based on sharing industrial capacity. The aim is to use existing facilities in line with demand, without bringing into the group’s sites products in direct competition with the other Stellantis brands.
Stellantis bets on partnerships with Chinese manufacturers
The collaboration with Leapmotor, Filosa explained, makes it possible to combine technological expertise, industrial capacity and market access. Part of the production could be located in Europe, to serve European customers more efficiently and expand the range of affordable electric vehicles.
The collaboration model also extends to other Chinese players and partners in markets such as India. Stellantis aims to integrate partners’ technologies with its own industrial experience, sales network and knowledge of consumers, accelerating the development of new models and improving the utilisation of its plants.
The European distribution network is another source of advantage: it allows competitive products to reach the market by drawing on already well-established commercial infrastructure.
More battery gigafactories in Europe
The electric transition will require new investment in battery production as well. Stellantis already has European gigafactories built with two partners, but according to Filosa it will be necessary to develop additional ones to support demand and meet the requirements linked to Made in Europe.
The executive stressed that the industry needs sufficient time to carry out the necessary investments. European battery production capacity therefore remains one of the key issues to be addressed in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the automotive sector.
The Stla One platform debuts with Peugeot
On the industrial and technological front, Stellantis is preparing to launch the new global Stla One platform, which will initially be used by Peugeot in France and later rolled out to the group’s other brands in Europe and North America.
The project is part of the Fastlane 2030 plan, which foresees total investment of 60 billion euros. Forty per cent of that will go into cross-cutting technologies shared between the various brands and markets.
The same approach will be applied to engines, with the development of common families of powertrains that can be used in multiple regions. The goal is to reduce duplication, harness economies of scale and channel a significant share of investment into shared solutions, leaving the remaining 60 per cent for the specific needs of individual brands.
Emissions rules and Made in Europe, Filosa calls for swift agreement
Filosa finally urged a rapid agreement on the revision of European CO2 emissions rules and on measures to support Made in Europe. According to the chief executive, the car industry already shares most of the objectives, but the remaining differences need to be overcome.
"We all agree on 90 per cent of the issues," he said, underlining the urgency of approving the new rules. The talks also involve the diplomatic initiatives of France and Germany and meetings with manufacturers and suppliers promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
In the days leading up to the show, Stellantis had unveiled six of the nine concept cars scheduled for the Paris Motor Show during The Night Before event. The prototypes, bearing the signatures of Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS Automobiles, FIAT, Opel and Peugeot, illustrate how the group intends to relaunch its brands by focusing on design, innovation and new mobility solutions. The preview is part of the FaSTLAne 2030 strategic plan, presented in May by chief executive Antonio Filosa, with the aim of accelerating model development and strengthening the group’s competitiveness.