Alexandre
Season 9, episode 5, part 2: the tug-of-war between Stellantis and the Italian government has taken another decisive step forward. On September 17, the Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, has made good on the threat he made several months ago to withdraw European public funds earmarked for the construction of the battery gigafactory in Termoli, southern Italy. This move marks a breaking point in the relationship between the automotive giant and Rome, and raises many questions about the future of the Italian automotive industry.
A project on hold
The Termoli gigafactoryled by the ACC joint venture (Stellantis, Mercedes and TotalEnergies), was to become a pillar of Italy's energy transition. With a colossal investment of over 2 billion euros, The site was to be involved in the production of batteries for electric vehicles, and thus play a central role in the sustainable development of the European automotive sector. For several months now, however, tensions have been mounting, not least because of delays in the site's progress.
Starting in August, Adolfo Urso had warned ACC that the European funds allocated to this project, in particular those from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), would be reallocated if no precise timetable was presented for the construction of the plant. This warning went unanswered, prompting the government to take action.
Technological delays and uncertainties
Stellantis and his partners invoked the need to update battery technology to justify delays. In June, ACC announced a "pause" in the construction of battery factories in both Italy and Germany, citing the following reasons innovation needs to keep pace with the rapid evolution of electric mobility. However, this explanation was not enough to reassure the Italian government, which considers that the country's automotive industry cannot afford such postponements.
According to the official website of the Ministry of Made In Italy, Urso declared that the funds earmarked for Termoli would be redeployed to other projects more in line with the energy transition, reaffirming the government's determination not to let Italy's future depend solely on Stellantis.
Relocation in the background
The situation is all the more tense because Giorgia Meloni's government accuses Stellantis of relocating part of its production to low-cost countriesleaving Italy on the sidelines. Criticism of the group is mounting, particularly concerning the closure or downsizing of several Italian industrial sites. The withdrawal of the 250 million euros of public funding initially earmarked for Termoli is therefore part of a wider context of mistrust between Rome and the automaker.
A door still open?
However, all is not yet lost for the Termoli gigafactory. Adolfo Urso hinted that the government might reconsider granting other types of funds, on condition that ACC presents a solid new industrial plan, incorporating the promised technological advances. For its part, Stellantis has reiterated its commitment to building the plant, but only when market conditions and technologies are fully adapted to its customers' needs.
In a press release, ACC said it hoped to resume construction in the first half of 2025, after overcoming the technical and market obstacles that slowed down the project. In particular, the joint venture plans to develop new low-cost cell chemistries (LFP battery) to meet growing demand for batteries.
Impact on the Italian automotive industry
The Italian government's decision to reallocate NRRP funds is likely to have repercussions for the country's automotive industry. Italy, which still has ambitions to become a key player in vehicle production Europe's electricity industry, must now find new ways of attracting the necessary investment. The introduction of new market players, in particular Chinese manufacturers such as Dongfengcould play a crucial role in this dynamic.
I'm very much afraid that consumers' freedom of choice will once again be reduced to nothing as all these European and other subsidies will be accompanied by taxes and even bans on choosing means of transport other than those subsidized. As far as fuel is concerned. To put it plainly, we're going to be forced to drive electric... Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, they used to say...! what a joke...
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The Italians got screwed by the French. Ever since a Frenchman took over Stellantis, Italian factories have been closing, but not French ones, as if by chance.
All the Italians have to do is regain control and things will settle down.
the Italians have been duped by Europe. No product made in Italy is compatible with the co2 levels imposed by the EU, except for the 500e, which was sold at far too high a price. FCA didn't invest enough in electrification at the time, whereas others started 10 years ago. I don't often comment, but it's important to put the bell tower back in the center of the village.
Europe, the French and Tavarès have nothing to do with this story. The only guilty parties are the Agnelli family, who allied themselves with Peugeot and, above all, put an ex-Peugeot man in charge of the group.
At the helm of Stellantis is American-Italian John Elkann, while the CEO is Portuguese Carlos Antunes Tavares; ex-Peugeot Jean-Philippe Imparato (long-time boss of Citroën Italy) has been at the helm of Alfa Romeo since the creation of Stellantis. As a global player, Stellantis thinks globally, not American, French or Italian!
What if all-electricity was a dead end?
Many manufacturers, and not the least, are starting to retro-pedal.
What about infrastructure and power generation?
As far as I'm concerned, individual and collective transport will remain an unrealistic utopia, only possible for urban and suburban transport and completely absurd for heavy, long-distance transport.
Gasoline and diesel still have many practical and economical advantages!
As luck would have it, the entire board is French, and everything closes in Italy. Ci ricorderemmo dei nostri "amici" francese! Grazie!
The Chairman of Stellantis is American-Italian John Elkann, and the CEO is Portuguese Carlos Antunes Tavares. As for the Board, it includes many nationalities: https://www.stellantis.com/en/company/governance/board-of-directors
The same goes for the Top Executive Team: https://www.stellantis.com/en/company/governance/top-executive-team
So to say that everything is French and everything closes in Italy ...
Fiat CEO: Olivier François, very Italian, Alfa Romeo: a Frenchman, Jean Philippe Imparato. Latest Lancia: rebadged Peugeot. Latest Alfa: based on peugeots. Italian engines, at a standstill. Giga factory in Termoli: stillborn. Fiat production: Serbia, Poland. The junior? Polish... Maserati? Left to die, factory closed! They're sucking the life out of Italian brands, it's unacceptable, and I'm in total solidarity with the Italian government, if they could take back Alfa and Lancia by force...
Of course, FCA under Marchionne and then Manlay did not invest in electrification, since the roadmap assigned to them was to rid the Agnelli / Elkann family of FCA ... and this was achieved in January 2021.
The Italians got screwed by the French ... ah well! The roadmap given by the Agnelli / Elkann family to Sergio Marchionne was simple: make FCA as "sexy" as possible in order to get rid of it, hence the lack of investment in electrification with a heavy backlog on platforms and non-renewal of products. This was achieved under Mike Manley, with the birth of Stellantis in January 2021, the Agnelli / Elkann family retaining only Ferrari, the flagship of the Italian car industry.
The President of Stellantis is the American-Italian John Elkann, while the CEO is the Portuguese Carlos Antunes Tavares. As for the plants, it "s only a matter of time before one closes in France, in particular the Poissy plant (manufacturing DS3 and Opel Mokka), which is currently undergoing a major transformation with the construction of a new "High Environmental Quality" tertiary site integrating R&D following the closure this summer of the Vélizy and La Ferté-Vidame (sold) R&D centers, which integrated test tracks. The closure of Vélizy and La Ferté-Vidame has not been the subject of much comment, given that part of the business has been transferred to R&D in ... Turin!
The Italian takeover is a dream come true, since the Agnelli/Elkann family has decided to pull out of FCA, and if rumors are confirmed, Stellantis and GM could merge. Stellantis, which is already American-French-Italian, would become even more American and less European.
perdonami...... ma non sei molto informato..... perchè in italia non ha chiuso nessuno stabilimento.... e stellantis produce in italia più auto di quante ne produca in francia..... peraltro l'italia beneficerà dei marchi francesi... ma non è vero il contrario.... questo per dirti che a melfi è programmata la produzione di un modello 2 modelli DS e un modello Opel.... oltre ad una Lancia e una Jeep.....
per ciò che attiene la testa del gruppo..... ti dico solo che la sede di Stellantis Europe Spa ha sede a Torino ... mirafiori... se non erro in via Plava..... questa società non è altro che la Fiat Auto Spa..... creata nel 1980.... poi rinominata in Fca Italy dal 2013..... se non erro....
cmq in Stellantis Europe stanno confluendo tutte le attività europee del gruppo...
ma aggiungo ancora che il controllo societario di Stellantis è saldamente in capo ad Exor.... a sua volta controllata dalla Giovanni Agnelli Bv.... a sua volta controllata da una società semplice con sede a torino...... controllata da jhon Elkan....
spero di averti chiarito le idee