The final time we checked, Stellantis had no less than 14 automobile manufacturers underneath its wings and much more subsidiaries scattered all through the globe. However even with a lot potential energy, it–like many different automakers–has struggled to maintain up with the inflow of Chinese language-made electrical automobiles making their manner into Europe.
In accordance with Reuters, CEO Carlos Tavares stated that the corporate is “able to struggle” the brutal problem of the Chinese language EV offensive.
Native lithium and low-cost workforce
With a brand new EV meeting line in Serbia and a neighborhood provide of lithium, the important element wanted for high-voltage batteries, Stellantis reckons it has what it takes to struggle the inflow of Chinese language-made electrical automobiles making their manner into Europe—that, and the truth that it’s also assembling a Chinese language-made EV in Poland.
“We’re going to be challenged and I’d say brutally challenged by the Chinese language offensive on the European market,” Tavares stated on Monday throughout the opening of a brand new EV manufacturing line in Serbia which is able to assemble the brand new Fiat Grande Panda sub-compact crossover. “At Stellantis, we’re prepared for the struggle,” he added.
The previous Yugo plant, which used to construct the Fiat 500L minivan, is a key a part of Stellantis’ struggle with the inflow of Chinese language-made EVs, that are generally cheaper than European-made ones. Manufacturing prices are decrease on the Serbian Kragujevac manufacturing facility than in Poland, France and Italy. This, coupled with the nation’s current reinstatement of a mining license to develop Europe’s largest lithium mine, will assist preserve the promoting value down–as little as $28,000 within the case of the Fiat Grande Panda.
“We’re going to show to them that … we’re hard-working, we’re going to show to them that now we have the proper know-how, we’re going to show to them that we’re a really fierce competitor,” Carlos Tavares stated.
6 Pictures
Fiat
That “fierce competitor” attribute can be interpreted with the assistance of the outdated saying, “When you can’t beat them, be a part of them.” That’s as a result of earlier this yr, Stellantis, by way of its three way partnership with Leapmotor, began assembling a Chinese language-made EV at its manufacturing facility in Tychy, Poland. The Leapmotor T03 is a metropolis automobile that prices round $21,000 to $24,000 and comes with a 41.3-kilowatt-hour battery and single electrical motor that makes both 94 horsepower (70 kilowatts) or 107 hp (80 kW), relying on the trim. The WLTP-rated vary is 174 miles on a full cost.
By comparability, the Fiat Grande Panda, primarily based on the identical platform because the Citroen e-C3, encompasses a 113 hp entrance motor paired with a 44 kWh battery for a claimed vary of 195 miles, presumably on the WLTP cycle. A light-hybrid mannequin will even be accessible, powered by a 1.2-liter gasoline engine making round 100 hp.