Stellantis has decided between Opel, Citroën and Fiat

For several weeks now, there has been a steady stream of information about Stellantis the Group has decided to concentrate its efforts on four priority brands, namely Fiat, Peugeot, Jeep and RAM. A move that may come as a surprise to some observers, especially in view of the Franco-Italian-American automaker's gigantic portfolio. However, the industrial and financial logic behind this decision is quite clear.

Stellantis aims to quickly turn the tide

After a complicated period marked by falling sales in several markets, high inventories and pressurized margins, Stellantis now seems to be focusing on immediate efficiency rather than risky long-term bets.

Why these four brands? Quite simply because they are already global brands capable of generating volume quickly. Jeep, Peugeot and Fiat each exceed one million annual sales worldwide. They already have solid networks, adapted factories and, above all, an established customer base.

The objective is simple: maximize revenues, restore profits and get factories running at full capacity as quickly as possible. Clearly, Stellantis is above all looking for brands capable of producing visible results quickly.

Conversely, some of the Group's Italian brands are still too fragile to drive growth on their own. Lancia barely exceeds 10,000 annual sales, Alfa Romeo hovers around 70,000 units, while Maserati has fallen below 10,000 units. This doesn't mean they've been abandoned, far from it. But they have yet to prove that they can return to profitability, profitability and real sales momentum. For the time being, they are clearly not the ones that will enable Stellantis to post record revenues.

Why Fiat was chosen over Opel and Citroën

On paper, however, Fiat was not an obvious choice. In Europe, the Italian brand has long since ceased to dominate. By 2025, Opel will be selling around 400,000 units a year, Citroën around 350,000, while Fiat will remain below the 300,000 mark. But Stellantis no longer thinks in terms of Europe alone.

This is precisely where Fiat makes the difference. The Italian brand still has an extremely strong presence in several strategic regions of the world. In Latin America, particularly Brazil and Argentina, Fiat has been performing well for years and now exceeds 600,000 annual sales. The brand benefits from a very strong popular image and a range perfectly adapted to local expectations.

Added to this is Fiat's historic presence in North Africa and the Mediterranean basin, with markets such as Turkey, Algeria and Morocco. This presence gives Fiat a truly international dimension that Citroën and Opel do not have. All in all, taking Europe, Latin America and North Africa together, Fiat sells well over a million units a year. Above all, Stellantis believes that growth potential remains enormous.

Fiat, Stellantis' future growth driver?

The Group clearly believes strongly in Fiat's return to prominence in Europe. As its CEO, Olivier François, recently stated: Fiat aims to become Stellantis' growth engine for the European market.

This ambition is based on a very clear strategy: to rapidly offer a wide, accessible and aggressively priced range. With the new models expected in the coming months, Stellantis hopes to enable Fiat to regain significant volumes in Europe, while continuing its already solid growth in Latin America and North Africa.

This is probably what tipped the balance against Opel and Citroën. Both brands remain highly dependent on the European market. While they can still make progress, they will inevitably come up against the limits of a mature, highly competitive and stagnating European market. Fiat, on the other hand, has several international growth drivers already up and running. And above all, unlike some of the Group's other brands, it can grow rapidly without requiring colossal investments to relaunch itself on new continents.

In the end, Stellantis' choice seems less emotional than economic: among Opel, Citroën and Fiat, the Italian brand today appears to be the one capable of generating the most growth... and the fastest.