Stellantis: the Fiat Firefly (GSE) and FIRE engine plant still idle at the start of the year

The plant Stellantis in Termoli, Italy, continues to experience difficult times for the production of FIRE and FireFly (GSE) combustion engines. At a time when the automotive sector is undergoing a transition to electric vehicles, these engines, once the mainstay of Fiat production, are seeing their future darken. At the start of 2025, the factory still seems to be in slow-motion mode.

Falling production and expectations of shorter working hours

Production of Firefly engines, which power models such as the Fiat Panda and Alfa Romeo Tonale, went into full swing. sharply reduced for several months. With lower order volumes, Italian trade unions recently revealed that the GSE unit (which produces Firefly 1.0L and 1.5L engines) was now operating at a reduced pace. A change from three to two working days a week is envisaged.

At the same time, the Fire division, which continues to produce older engines, remains under a Contrat de Solidarité Défensif (CDS). This avoids redundancies by reducing working hours for employees. However, this CDS only delays the inevitable.

A reconversion still unclear

One of the major points of concern remains the uncertainty surrounding the reconversion of the Termoli plant. Initially, a Gigafactory project, aimed at transforming the plant into a battery production center for electric vehicles, had been envisaged, but suspended. The unions are waiting for concrete answers on the future of the plant. According to Marco Laviano, secretary of the Fim-Cisl Abruzzo-Molise, "we want Stellantis to call us in and give us a clear idea of Termoli's future". In the meantime, "the exhausting wait continues".

The pressure of the energy transition is palpable, and combustion models such as those equipped with Firefly engines are gradually becoming obsolete. The Fiat 500 hybrid to arrive in November 2025 could bring a breath of fresh air to the Termoli plant. This hybrid version of the Fiat 500, destined for production at Mirafiori, could breathe new life into the plant and its internal combustion engine production.

But until this deadline arrives, the situation at the Termoli plant remains tense. Workers, already affected by repeated production stoppages, are worried that their working conditions will deteriorate even further. It should be remembered that ACC, which is piloting the gigafactory project, is due to give a new deadline in the first half of 2025.