In the European market, Stellantis is putting most of its weight behind two vehicles: the FIAT 500 Hybrid and the new-generation Jeep Compass. According to the group’s chief executive, Antonio Filosa, both are expected to go on sale next year.
The past 12 months have been especially tough for Stellantis. Only in the third quarter did the company begin to show signs of a turnaround, with sales up 4.5% to 423,517 vehicles. Even so, by September the group was still down 5.6% year to date, with 1.4 million vehicles sold, based on ACEA figures.
Stellantis market share in Europe
That performance has been reflected in a continuing slide in Stellantis’s European market share, which stands at 14.7% for the year so far. By comparison, in 2021-the year Groupe PSA and FCA merged-that figure was 20.2%.
This is the strategy
“We intend to regain the market share we lost,” Filosa said. To do that, Stellantis will lean heavily on the FIAT 500 Hybrid and the latest Jeep Compass, in line with what the group has already signalled.
FIAT 500 Hybrid production at Mirafiori
Production of the FIAT 500 Hybrid starts this month at the Mirafiori plant in Turin. By the end of the year, output is expected to exceed 5,000 units, with a target of reaching 100,000 units in 2026. The car will use the 1.0 Firefly three-cylinder engine (70 hp), a 12 V mild-hybrid system and a six-speed manual gearbox-the same package currently fitted to the FIAT Pandina.
New-generation Jeep Compass built in Melfi
As for the new-generation Jeep Compass, production began at the end of last month at the Melfi factory, also in Italy. It will be available with hybrid powertrains-e-Hybrid (145 hp) and plug-in hybrid (195 hp)-as well as a fully electric (375 hp) version. Both models are due to reach European customers next year.
Alongside these launches, Stellantis is also counting on a faster build-up in production for four compact models-Citroën C3 and C3 Aircross, the FIAT Grande Panda and the Opel Frontera-after delays linked to the availability of hybrid transmissions and other issues.
Production pauses
The ambition is clear, but weaker demand in Europe and a build-up of stock have pushed Stellantis to halt production at several European plants, including sites in France, Italy, Germany and Spain.
At the same time, the launch schedule is being reworked. One example is the decision to push back the successors to the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio by two years, reflecting the slow pace of electrification uptake. Both models were originally planned as electric-only, but they will now also include internal combustion engines.
The FIAT 500 Hybrid and Jeep Compass also underpin Filosa’s pledge-made after he took over leadership of Stellantis in June-to strengthen production in Italy. However, he notes that future investment will prioritise North America, where profit potential is higher. A recent illustration is the announcement of roughly €11 billion of investment for the United States.
As for the plans covering other regions where Stellantis operates, such as Europe and South America, these will be set out to investors in 2026. That presentation was itself pushed back from the start of the year to the end of the first half, due to continuing uncertainty in the economic backdrop, including issues linked to tariffs.
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