Stellantis has invested 100 million euros to revive this plant, but it remains shut down

In April 2024, Stellantis announced a 100-million-euro investment to boost sales of the Fiat 500. Two and a half years later, despite the launch of the Fiat 500 Hybrid, the Mirafiori plant in Turin continues to face one shutdown after another. Another week of shutdowns has just been announced, from November 9 to 13, 2026. And this time, the unions are refusing to sign the short-time work agreement.

100 million euros to save the electric Fiat 500

By April 2024, sales of the electric Fiat 500 had already slowed. Its high price and the reduction in purchase incentives in several European countries were weighing on orders, leading to periods of short-time work at Mirafiori.

To reverse the trend, Stellantis announced 100 million euros in investment in order to make its city car more appealing. On the agenda: a hybrid version, and for the electric version, a new motor, a new battery, and improved range.

But two and a half years later, these changes have yet to materialize. The facelift of the electric Fiat 500, featuring a new battery, is now scheduled for 2028. In the meantime, Stellantis did launch the Fiat 500 hybrid in late 2025, which is expected to boost production at the Italian plant.

Even with the Fiat 500 hybrid, the plant is still closing

The introduction of hybrid powertrains was supposed to be a game-changer, however. Stellantis initially projected annual production of between 100,000 and 120,000 Fiat 500s, before revising its target to approximately 60,000 units for 2026.

While the situation is better than it was in 2025, significant challenges remain. After a four-week shutdown in August, several work stoppages in September, and then two weeks of short-time work from October 19 to 30, Mirafiori was also set to remain shut down November 2–6. Except that Stellantis has now announced a fourth consecutive week of production stoppages, from November 9 to 13, 2026, again due to a shortage of raw materials.

The unions are now refusing to sign

This latest shutdown has caused a rift between Stellantis and the labor unions. For the first time in this series of events, none of the unions agreed to sign the proposed agreement. At the heart of the issue is Stellantis’s refusal to guarantee that employees will retain their rights to vacation and leave during the short-time work period. With more than 50 % potential days off in November, employees could lose some of these rights.

But the unions also dispute the automaker's justifications. «As usual, we consider this to be an alibi.», says Gianni Mannori, head of the FIOM union at Mirafiori, regarding the shortage of materials. According to him, the real problem is more likely related to the sales performance of the Fiat 500 Hybrid, whose sales volume is insufficient to ensure steady production.

Mirafiori is still waiting for a second model

Faced with this situation, the unions quickly called for a second vehicle model for the plant. In mid-October, Arnaud Belloni, head of Fiat, Lancia, and Abarth, confirmed work on a new, competitive compact car. However, no production date has been announced yet.

Two and a half years after the announcement of the 100 million euros, Mirafiori is still waiting for a real turnaround. The Fiat 500 hybrid was supposed to help the plant return to normal operations, but it is now set to face a fourth consecutive week without production. As for the promised improvements to the electric version, we’ll have to wait until 2028.