Fiat Grande Panda production: new Italian workers sent to reinforce Serbia "all available volunteers!"

The industrial saga surrounding the Fiat Grande Panda he Serbian production crisis continues to take twists and turns. After the reinforcements sent last spring from Italy (quickly forced to return for administrative reasons), followed by rumours of workers from Nepal, Algeria and Moroccoa new stage is underway.

According to the Italian media Torino Cronaca, Stellantis has offered workers at Mirafiori in Turin the chance to move to Serbia to reinforce production lines for the Grande Panda. A paradoxical announcement: the Piedmont plant is soon to assemble the new Fiat 500 hybrid, presented as essential to relaunch the site, and at the same time its workers are being asked to move abroad.

An offer for one month... and for "all available volunteers".

The conditions? A minimum of one month's secondment to Kragujevac, while retaining the Italian salary. For the first fortnight, a daily allowance of €25.82 is provided, to cover the time it takes to find accommodation. Thereafter, a flat rate of €70 per day covers accommodation and meals, including weekends. Internally, the motto is clear: "all available volunteers" are welcome.

This initiative comes at a time when the Grande Panda is in the middle of its commercial launch. available in a petrol version at €14,950 in addition to the hybrid and electric variants. But there is no shortage of difficulties: some Serbian workers are reluctant to accept wages deemed too low (€500-600 per month compared with a national average of around €900). Stellantis has already called on Moroccan workers, after sounding out other countries.

Between uncertainty in Turin and urgent need in Serbia

At Mirafiori, production of the Fiat 500 hybrid is scheduled to start in November, with an ambitious target of 5,000 units produced by the end of the yearas announced by the head of FiatOlivier François. For the time being, only a pre-series is being tested, and 2,300 employees are still covered by a solidarity contract extended by five months.

This situation raises a number of questions: is Stellantis seeking to alleviate an emergency in Serbia to the detriment of Turin's prospects? And above all, at what pace will the Piedmont plant really be able to restart production? One thing is certain: the Grande Panda, a strategic model for Fiat, continues to mobilize resources well beyond Serbia's borders, even if it means creating yet another paradox in Stellantis' complex industrial equation.