Stellantis, Tavares threatens Italy: “New competitor? Job at risk”
The debate on criticism from politicians, in particular from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, regarding Stellantis' commitment in Italy, led CEO Carlos Tavares to extend the discussion, but without losing sight of the central point. Tavares stressed that the decision to focus exclusively on the production of electric vehicles by 2035 was dictated by mandatory political choices. With over 40,000 employees in Italy, the CEO defended the work done by the group, highlighting the efforts made.
The CEO underlined the need for quick decisions in this context and highlighted the requests for electric car incentives submitted nine months ago, still awaiting a response. However, Tavares welcomed the announcement of the incentives coming in February, while highlighting the production losses suffered in the meantime. The Atessa site, which has been in operation for 40 years and has produced over 7.2 million commercial vehicles, is set to host a gigafactory for electric vehicles.
On the front of possible competition from a second car manufacturer in Italy, Tavares declared Stellantis' willingness to compete hard, but he warned of the inevitable consequences for Italian factories. He drew attention to the risk of making the same mistakes made with Chinese manufacturers when the EU opened the market.
Tavares reiterated Stellantis' commitment on Italy, announcing investments in the Termoli gigafactory and confirming that the Melfi plant is not under discussion. Despite the challenges, Tavares recognized the exceptional work done in Atessa to make the plant more efficient Sevel, Stellantis model for commercial vehicles.
In the context of the visit to Atessa, Tavares also addressed the issue of Prime Minister Meloni's statements, highlighting Stellantis' workforce in Italy and reiterating the intention to compete, but with the need to carefully evaluate the consequences of a possible competitive struggle. He concluded by confirming Stellantis' growth objectives in Europe and globally, expressing confidence in their implementation.
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