No sooner have the production lines restarted than they’re already set to shut down again. At Mirafiori, Fiat’s historic plant in Turin, Stellantis announced three additional days without production on September 2, 3, and 4. This decision comes after a four-week summer shutdown and just one week of full-scale operations.
But this time, the explanation offered by Stellantis is particularly surprising. If the plant has to shut down, it wouldn’t be because the Fiat 500 isn’t selling well. It would be almost the opposite: demand for hybrid cars is reportedly exceeding the production capacity for certain components. A version of events that the unions openly dispute.
Stellantis reports that demand has exceeded expectations
According to Stellantis, Mirafiori is facing a shortage of engine-related components. A key factor is the Teksid plant in Carmagnola, which is responsible for producing certain engine parts and is reportedly unable to keep up with demand at this time. The group explains that there is «higher demand for hybrid cars than production can meet.» Stellantis says it is working to adjust production capacity to resolve the issue.
On paper, then, the situation could almost be interpreted as good news for the Fiat 500 Hybrid: orders are coming in, but the supply chain can’t keep up. The problem is that this explanation doesn’t convince everyone at Mirafiori.
«The reason is low sales.»
The FIOM union, in fact, offers a completely different interpretation of the situation. According to the union, the problem does not really stem from the engines. «It is all too obvious that the cause of the production stoppages is not the supply of engines, but rather weak sales in the market, which were overestimated from the start,» say Edi Lazzi, secretary of the FIOM in Turin, and Gianni Mannori, FIOM representative at Mirafiori.
A statement that directly echoes the concerns expressed by the workers before the summer. In early July, we had already reported that employee testimonials who were surprised to see the number of long weekends, weeks of shutdowns, and the absence of Saturdays worked increase, even though the 500 Hybrid was supposed to be the very thing that would revive the plant. One of them summed up the situation as follows: «This kind of situation would never happen with a product that actually sells.»
A week of normal production… then another shutdown
The schedule is now raising even more questions. Before the summer, Mirafiori had already experienced several work stoppages. A fourth week of shutdown was then added to the summer break. After four weeks off, the employees finally returned to work.
Full-capacity production lasted only one week. On September 2, 3, and 4, the body shop will once again be shut down. This situation is also a cause for concern for the FIM, which is calling on Stellantis to quickly restore some stability. For its part, the UILM points out that employees had expected to be able to work without interruption until Christmas.
The need for the second model comes up again
Behind the debate over the exact reasons for these production halts, one concern remains unchanged: the industrial future of Mirafiori. For several months now, the unions have been repeating that the Fiat 500 hybrid and the electric 500 will likely not be enough to ensure sufficient production until the arrival of the next generation, expected around 2030. The FIOM is therefore calling for a new model to be introduced quickly, as well as investment in a new production line.
At Mirafiori, two opposing views are now locked in a head-to-head battle. According to Stellantis, the plant is shutting down because demand for hybrid vehicles exceeds the capacity of certain suppliers. According to the unions, however, it is shutting down precisely because sales are too low.
English 
French 
Italian 
Spanish 
German 
Japanese 
Dutch