Stellantis production in Italy lowest in almost 70 years

Trade union FIM CISL said Tuesday that Stellantis Group’s production in Italy has worsened and is now at its lowest level since 1956.

It said Stellantis production worsened significantly in the first three months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, which had already been “a black year.”

Minus 36%

Some 109,900 units of cars and commercial vans were produced, a 35.5% drop and the lowest figure since 1956.

“All car and commercial vehicle plants are in the red and the (Trump) tariffs will further worsen the situation”, said Ferdinando Uliano, general secretary of the FIM CISL, at a meeting in Turin.

The first quarter saw 60,533 cars produced (-42.5%) and 49,367 commercial vehicles (-24.2%). The unions see no signs of a quick recovery, especially not with President Trump playing Jojo with import tariffs and threatening all car-producing countries.

Board chairman and Agnelly heir John Elkann, who has also taken over the role of CEO since the early and sudden departure of well-known CEO Carlos Tavares in December last year, has the heavy task of increasing vehicle production again, both in the Italian peninsula and in all the other parts of the world where Stellantis builds cars and commercial vehicles.

He recently promised that Stellantis would invest €2 billion in Italy in 2025, but at the same time, he warned that new trade barriers would hinder the increase of production worldwide.

Production of Leapmotor T03 stopped in Poland

Meanwhile, the car manufacturing group has stopped producing the tiny Leapmotor T03 EV at its factory in Tychy, Poland. According to Stellantis, other production options are being investigated. “While the Group remains wholly focused on the launch of leapmotor vehicles in Europe, it is evaluating different production options,” said a spokesman without giving further details.

An insider says that Stellantis and Leapmotor do not plan to restart the production of the T03 in Europe soon. Instead, they plan to upgrade the T03 into an A-series model that will be produced outside China.

Last year, both companies halted plans to build a second Leapmotor model in Poland, the B10 electric crossover. Apparently, they are now looking into the possibility of assembling the car in Spain, an EU member that abstained from the decision to impose import tariffs on Chinese EVs, while Poland voted in favor.

Stellantis has a 51% stake in the joint venture Leapmotor International and has the exclusive rights to sell, export, and produce Leapmotor EVs outside China.