The new CEO of Stellantis Europe assures us that "the Fiat plant in Termoli remains a major focus of the company's industrial plan".

Until a few days ago, Termoli was the embodiment of anger, concern and mistrust. The anger of a historic industrial region that felt sacrificed on the altar of an energy transition deemed too brutal and ill-anticipated. On November 29, more than a thousand people had to defend the future of the Fiat engine planta pillar of Molise's economy for decades. Today, the tone has changed, but caution has not disappeared.

In Rome, the President of the Molise Region, Francesco Roberti, and the Assessor for Productive Activities, Andrea Di Lucente, met with the new CEO of Stellantis Europe, engineer Emanuele Cappellano. The meeting was eagerly awaited, as doubts about the Termoli site have been building up over recent months. At the end of the exchange, one sentence caught everyone's attention: "the Termoli plant remains a major point in the company's industrial plan". A clear message, at least on paper.

Termoli, a symbol of Stellantis' contradictions

The Termoli plant is the epitome of all the contradictions in Stellantis' European strategy. On the one hand, a site renowned for its know-how, which for decades has produced engines renowned for their reliability. On the other, an industrial vision that for a long time seemed to want to turn the page on combustion engines as quickly as possible, sometimes without any credible short-term replacement solution. The gradual abandonment of certain lines, the dismantling of the FIRE 16V, the under-utilization of GSE FireFly engines (an engine that Emanuele Cappellano knows very well, as it is also produced in Brazil), the uncertainties surrounding the GME 2.0L and the virtual failure of the ACC gigafactory project have all fueled a feeling of abandonment. Against this backdrop, the assurance given by Stellantis Europe's new CEO could not be more welcome. It doesn't solve everything, but it does mark an inflection in the discourse.

A rescue window as early as 2026

In the short term, the future of the Termoli engine plant could paradoxically be written by an emblematic model: the Fiat 500 hybrid. Announced as a pillar of Fiat's strategy for the coming years, this version has an ambitious production target of 100,000 units per year. This volume mechanically implies equivalent engine production, and therefore sustained industrial activity at Termoli from 2026. This perspective is a game-changer. It restores visibility to a site sorely lacking in it, and would secure several hundred, if not thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

Another item to keep an eye on is the recent restyling of the Alfa Romeo Tonale. While its commercial future remains uncertain, this model could nonetheless contribute to restoring some volume to Termoli with engine orders. The Tonale has shown its limitations since its launch, but even a modest relaunch could temporarily stabilize business.

The real challenge lies in the medium term

In the medium term, Termoli will have to find its true raison d'être. Hopes are now focused on the production of GME hybrid and plug-in hybrid engines. These engines, destined for future top-of-the-range Stellantis models, could ensure a long-term future for the site. At the meeting in Rome, regional representatives stressed the need for technological neutrality beyond 2035, the renewal of the European car fleet and the relocation of industrial added value to Europe. These are all issues to which Stellantis now seems to be more attuned, at least in its rhetoric.

A promise that commits Stellantis

For local elected representatives and employees alike, this statement by the new CEO is not an end in itself, but a starting point. After months of silence, postponements and vague decisions, Termoli needs concrete action. The first few months of 2026 will be decisive in determining whether this historic plant will remain a symbol of Italian know-how or become one of the many collateral damages of Europe's industrial transition.