Fiat 500e Production Faces Another Halt
Fiat 500e Assembly Paused Once More
Stellantis is left with no choice but to halt production of the Fiat 500e once again. Despite poor demand for the electric city car, this time it's not just a short break - the production at the Mirafiori plant will be suspended from December 2 to January 5, 2025. In addition, two Maserati models, the GranTurismo and GrabCabrio, will also face the same problem and will not be produced during this period.
Low Demand for Electric and Luxury Cars
The reason behind this decision, according to Stellantis, is the continuing uncertainty in sales of electric cars in several European markets. EVs account for a significant portion of production at the Mirafiori facility. Moreover, Stellantis states that the low demand for luxury cars, especially outside Europe, such as the United States and China, is another factor affecting Maserati production.
Reviving Sales with a Hybrid Option
In an effort to boost sales, Stellantis plans to introduce a hybrid version of the Fiat 500 in 2026. The production for this new model will commence at the same Italian site. Meanwhile, the previous-generation model of the Fiat 500, produced in Poland, is still available with a combustion engine in certain regions. However, Fiat's performance division, Abarth, has already announced its plan to go fully electric.
Source
Bloomberg
