Italian Plant Reconfigured For New Stellantis EV Platform
It is safe to say that by 2030, most major automakers will only produce electric vehicles. Some OEMs have already started switching their production over to EVs. Those that haven’t, have promised to get there within the decade. Stellantis is the latest manufacturer to make a significant move toward 100% EV production.
Mirafiori plant to be reconfigured for Stellantis EV platforms
According to a report from Automotive News, Stellantis has confirmed that they will reconfigure their Mirafiori manufacturing plant to be a “hub” for Stellantis EV production. Stellantis is going ahead with this reconfiguration to preserve jobs and boost manufacturing efficiency as the group begins to shift toward 100% EV production.
The Mirafiori plant will be “assigned” two new Stellantis EV platforms set to begin production between 2022 and 2024. The Mirafiori currently produces an electric Fiat 500. With the addition of the new EV platform, the Mirafiori manufacturing facility will become Stellantis’ hub for electric vehicle production in Italy.
Stellantis’ Mirafiori plant, located in Turin, Italy, has historical significance to the automaker group as it has produced cars since the 1970s. During that time, the plant employed 50,000 auto workers and manufactured 600,000 vehicles per year.
Today, the Mirafiori plant manufacturers Maserati Levante SUV and the electric Fiat 500 we previously mentioned. The report also notes that Stellantis may boost the production of the gasoline-powered Fiat 500 by moving some of its volume production to Mirafiori from another plant located in Tychy, Poland.
The new EV platform from Stellantis will be Maserati EV
The new EV platform that will be assigned to the Mirafiori facility will be used to produce two Maserati sedans. In the meantime, the plant will build the Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans. Previously, both vehicles were produced at Stellantis’ Grugliasco plant, located close to the Mirafiori facility.
The report does not say that Ghibli or the Quattroporte will be the vehicles built on the coming Stellantis EV platform. The two upcoming Maserati EV sedans will be based on an entirely new platform yet to be revealed.
“Stellantis is working with determination and alacrity to anticipate and prepare for the energy transition of all its Italian industrial sites,” Stellantis’ stated. The automaker group explained that the shifting of production between their plants is meant to help Italy become a more integral part of Stellantis’ European operations.
Specifically, Stellantis wants “to give this country [Italy] a strategic role among the group’s main domestic European markets,” said a company representative.
Stellantis is still dealing with the chip shortage
The reconfiguring of the Mirafiori plant is a forward-thinking effort of Stellantis to shore up their future in the emerging EV market. However, the automaker is still reeling from the global chip shortage’s harm to its supply chain.
Recently, analysts have said that the chip shortage has had a worse effect on Stellantis than shutdowns related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The future Stellantis EV project could suffer significantly if the company cannot recover from supply chain issues due to the global chip shortage.
