ROME (ITALPRESS) – “We have said it fifty thousand times, including to the Meloni government: we are not leaving Italy, rather we will invest resources and professionalism in it. But do not ask me today how much I will sell: I produce what I sell.” This was stated by Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of Stellantis Pro One and Group Chief Operating Officer for the Enlarged Europe area, in a lengthy interview with Andrea Boeris and Roberto Sommella in MF-Milano Finanza. “If we look at all the path we have done since before the birth of Stellantis in 2021, in 2014 we had a struggling Psa and we took over a failing Opel and then came a merger between Psa and Fca, and together we supported brands that were in crisis. We got them all right, with a product plan of 70 more cars,” Imparato explains. “A huge job. And now, for getting one semester wrong, the market has tarred us. And this in spite of a 10 percent margin in the semester, which compared to others is much higher….””Although I cannot give precise figures, I confirm that at the moment the stock in the U.S. is coming down at the right speed and to the level we want,” he continues. “Also from the mix point of view. And we are doing the same work in Europe, because we want to come out of 2024 with the right level of stock and free cash flow. “Stellantis is preparing the new generation of many of its models, so we are in a moment of transition, which we have to manage,” the top manager stresses. “For example, in Trnava, with the Smart Car platform, or in Mirafiori, where the hybrid will arrive. Or even in Attesa, where the electric Ducato will arrive. But with all the launches planned as early as the beginning of 2025, the rebound will come. “As for the Fiat brand, Imparato explains, “It is suffering, yes, even though in the first ten months of the year it is always firmly in first place in registrations in Italy. But what products are we putting on the track to get Fiat back to the right level? The first is the Pandina, extended in Pomigliano until 2029, because the Panda makes 60 percent of the segment in Italy. Then there is the electric 500, whose support we need at the European level and to which we will add the hybrid in November 2025. And on this model we will do everything to be able to anticipate the opening of orders without sacrificing quality, and we are talking about a model of 100 thousand cars a year. Third element,” he continues, “comes the Grande Panda in the first quarter of 2025, a wonderful car both electric and hybrid: it can be worth 150 thousand more cars a year. Then there will be more surprises, but already there is everything Fiat needs to get back to the market share it deserves in Europe, around 5 percent. Always counting heavily on Italy, because no kidding: Fiat must remain dominant here among cars and commercial vehicles. And with the products that are coming, there are no doubts for the future of the brand. “And about production in Italy, “in my opinion Mirafiori is probably the plant that will have the chance to play the electric transition in the best conditions,” Imparato says. “Because, apart from the hybrid version of the 500 that is coming, Mirafiori makes the eDCT gearboxes for the hybrid and employs 850 people to produce them: we need 60 thousand of those gearboxes every month, which have a huge growth potential, and so Mirafiori is an incredible source of business at the transition level.”Secondly, there is the Battery Technology Center, and, thirdly, there is the Circular Economy business,” he adds. “Then Mirafiori is home to the new global hub of Stellantis Pro One, the commercial vehicle division I am in charge of, which integrates several cross-functions, including engineering, marketing, product development, sales, logistics, communications, finance, human resources, purchasing, recreational vehicles, manufacturing and other customer-focused activities. And that’s not the end of it,” he adds. “It’s not official yet, but starting January 1, the Europe region of Stellantis will be managed from Turin: this means that the Enlarged Europe staff at the communication, marketing, HR and production planning level present in Italy will work with me in Mirafiori. “Yes but it’s not car production,” you will say, and that’s fine. But, in terms of business location and corporate governance at the European level of Stellantis, Turin is and will always be more central: so no one can say we are closing. “More generally, “Italy’s industry-wide coverage is probably the widest in Europe. Italy is the only country to have two of the new Stla platforms, has the Panda in Pomigliano for many more years, and will have the hybrid on the 500. I would like to reassure those who are worried, because Italy’s protection at the industrial level is total. Obviously, however, the same principle always applies: you produce what you sell and, if there is no market, you have to adapt, because otherwise the consequence is to find full yards and thousands of cars on our backs and we have to avoid entering those conditions in 2025. “As for the interlocution with the government, “we will make a very clear summary of Stellantis’ industrial vision for Italy, with platforms and launches. My advice, however, is this: we have to help the whole ecosystem and be pragmatic, because it is time to invest in the structural transition of the industry to something on which there will be no turning back,” Imparato explains.It would be nice to find harmony with the Italian government on this, also because our intention, indeed I would say the obsession shared also with Carlos Tavares, is to protect Europe, brands, DNA and history in the face of competition that will be terrible. That is why, in my opinion, it would be crucial to have the public hand, with all its possibilities, at our side in this difficult transition. I believe in it and, personally, I am open to doing what will serve to facilitate an agreement.”
– IPA Agency Photos –
(ITALPRESS).
