Today is the press day at the Paris Motor Show; the show will be open to the public from tomorrow until the 18th. On the eve of the Paris Motor Show, Stellantis welcomed guests and media to “The Night Before”, an exclusive event at the iconic Hangar Y, in Paris.
The event unveiled Stellantis’ vision for the future through six concept cars presented as world premieres. Marking the first step in Stellantis’ Paris Motor Show presence, the event set the stage for a public experience featuring over 60 vehicles on the auto show’s largest stand.
Developed under the leadership of Gilles Vidal, Head of Design, Enlarged Europe, these six concepts, representing six different iconic Stellantis brands, illustrate diverse paths to innovation. “With these six concept cars, we are expressing a shared conviction: the future of automotive design must be both bold and meaningful, said Vidal.
“Each concept explores new ways to enhance everyday experiences while reinforcing the unique identity of its brand. Together, they demonstrate how creativity, innovation, and emotion can come together to make people fall in love with cars again,” he added.
Transforming the company
“This event brings our FaSTLAne 2030 strategy to life,” said Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa. “It reflects the extraordinary effort of our teams and our commitment to shaping the future of mobility through iconic brands, compelling design and innovative technology, giving customers more choice and more reasons to be excited about what’s ahead.”
Stellantis’ extensive presence at the Paris Motor Show, featuring eight of its brands, including key partner Leapmotor, offers a glimpse of the ambition driving the company’s transformation. “Stellantis is deeply rooted in Europe and holds a leading position that will be strengthened by the success of all our brands,” said Enlarged Europe COO Emanuele Cappellano.
“Stellantis wants to fully leverage the competitive advantage set by its iconic brands’ uniqueness, offering cars that are at once rooted in heritage and future-driven, based on robust know-how and distinguished by their unmatched design beauty, to shape the future of mobility with more than 50 products to be launched by 2030. These achievements, based on the execution of our strategic plan, will enable Stellantis to expand its market coverage in Enlarged Europe by 25%,” added Cappellano.
Six concepts
Each concept explores a distinct dimension of progress, says Stellantis, “from mobility and performance to well-being and digital experiences. Together, they embody the creativity, ambition, and customer- focused vision propelling Stellantis into the future.”
We will give you here a short overview of the six concepts and offer a closer look into their singularities in separate articles over the next days. Beyond this overview, we will start with the new Citroën 2CV, which we see as the most iconic ‘return’ at the show.
Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso
Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso is a concept car born from the brand’s heart, “created for those who still love driving”. It shows how the
brand will move into the future: a vision destined to find expression in the key segments of the market, through multi-energy
architectures, with models up to 4.7 meters long and the potential to accommodate Quadrifoglio versions.
With this in mind, the epitome of performance could be a 2.9 V6 Full-Hybrid powertrain paired with Q4 all-wheel drive, a torque converter, and a carbon fiber driveshaft.
Citroën 2CV Concept
With the 2CV Concept, Citroën isn’t replicating an icon, says the manufacturer; it is reinventing an idea that has lost none of its relevance. A more accessible, simpler, and ingenious electric car “that puts freedom and joy back at the heart of mobility”. The new 2CV wants to stay true to the original’s spirit while being designed for tomorrow: fully electric, made in Europe, and accessible at €15,000.
DS F3VER
DS F3VER, a design-led concept, explores the future of DS Automobiles; “it wants to bring together what too often comes separately: uncompromising desirability, personalization and versatility.” Built on these three pillars, “DS F3VER breaks with convention to explore new possibilities and challenge established codes. A bold expression of where DS Automobiles is heading: more distinctive, more desirable and more daring.”
Fiat Multiplay
The Fiat Multiplay aims to reimagine mobility for a new era, exploring how a vehicle can adapt seamlessly to modern life’s evolving needs. Combining the versatility of a pickup with the comfort and flexibility of an SUV, it challenges traditional automotive categories through a configurable architecture designed around people and shared experiences.
Inspired by the then-groundbreaking Multipla (1998), Multiplay offers “a bold vision of Fiat’s future, bringing accessibility,
inclusiveness and innovation together to reimagine mobility.”
Opel STX Concept
The Opel STX Concept presents a vision for future estate cars, showcasing bolder, purer and even more emotional German design. The new Opel Vizor lighting signature, combined with the clean, downward-sloping rear, hints at the brand’s next-generation design language, with elements that will appear in future production models.
Peugeot RCZ Vision
PEUGEOT RCZ Vision is a brand manifesto “that gives the most advanced vision yet of Peugeot’s future, combining design and
technology at the service of driving pleasure.” Built on the STLA One platform, the RCZ Vision benefits from new steer-by-wire technology. It previews the next generation of the Peugeot onboard experience, notably through Hypersquare® and an all-new Peugeot i-Cockpit. “It embodies Peugeot’s vision of high-performance and efficient electric mobility,” the manufacturer says.
Comeback in Europe
As techno music boomed, six concept vehicles paraded down a stage designed to resemble a fashion runway, complete with a pirouette at the end. Nearly every top Stellantis executive attended, including Chairman John Elkann, CEO Antonio Filosa, Europe boss Emanuele Cappellano, brand CEOs, and designers.
Investors have given Stellantis mixed reviews in recent years, and some have downgraded the automaker. Sales have recovered under Filosa, but margins remain razor-thin. He has promised a sequential recovery, with each quarter showing improvement.
Bernstein analysts in the U.S. said the world’s fourth-largest automaker has yet to prove its turnaround in winning over buyers. They argued recent sales gains were driven more by higher deliveries to dealers to rebuild inventories than by stronger consumer demand.
Felipe Munoz of Car Industry Analysis told Automotive News that Stellantis needs a more competitive lineup of electric models to counter the rapid expansion of Chinese automakers. “They need to communicate that they are still in the game,” Munoz said. “Stellantis has been struggling, but they are still relevant in Europe, and they need to defend their position.”
Of course, the production models of all these concepts won’t appear on the road before 2028 (if they appear at all). For now, their main purpose may be to demonstrate how Stellantis is differentiating its European brands, some of which overlap in market positioning, if not geography.
A reorganization announced in May identified Peugeot and Fiat as the group’s main global growth brands, which will receive most of the investment in Europe. Opel and Citroen will have a more regional focus, while DS will be overseen by Citroen and Lancia by Fiat.
Cappellano said it was important to strengthen and differentiate each brand, adding that Stellantis will launch more than 50 models in Europe by 2030, including facelifts and new models. He said market coverage would increase by 20%.
At the same time, new platforms such as STLA One and E-Car will reduce costs, and improved capacity utilization through sharing arrangements with partners such as Leapmotor and Dongfeng will help.
