Stoppages at Mirafiori pushed Italy's Fim-Cisl labor union to cut its view for Stellantis's this year's output in the country. Secretary General Ferdinando Uliano now sees around 450,000 cars and light commercial vehicles this year, which is roughly 10% below the union's prior expectation. He contrasted that with Fim-Cisl's previously stated goal of 500,000 units for 2026. At Mirafiori specifically, he expects about 60,000 hybrid Fiat 500s this year, compared with the company's plan for 100,000.
Uliano also pressed for more product in Turin, saying, "We need a second model for Mirafiori" other than the electric and hybrid Fiat 500. "There's an improvement in production volumes compared to last year, but last year was terrible. This isn't enough." A spokesperson for Stellantis would not discuss the union's figures and estimates.
Plants in both Italy and France are seeing short-lived pauses this month tied to tight supplies of parts, including batteries, and weaker appetite for vehicles like the hybrid 500. After output in Italy fell to mid-1950s levels last year, activity has picked up. From January to September, output climbed 28%, putting it within reach of the 380,000 units built in the whole of 2025.
Uliano added that, across the country, car output in Italy jumped nearly 37% to 206,945 units in the first nine months, helped by nameplates like the Fiat Panda and the Compass. Output increased at every Stellantis facility in Italy other than Cassino, home to assembly of the Maserati Grecale and older Alfa Romeo models, where nine-month production dropped 37%. "The situation in Cassino is no longer sustainable," Uliano said.
"The plant is up and running only five or six days a month."
Production cuts ripple through suppliers, towns, and entire regional economies. Market Briefs covers the auto industry free every weekday.
CEO Antonio Filosa, more than a year into the job, is leaning on a wave of fresh models to better load underused plants. To refresh an aging lineup and support Italian output, the company has brought models such as Jeep Compass to Melfi. Filosa has also pledged to keep all Stellantis factories open in both Italy and France.
Partnerships are part of the playbook. Filosa pitched partnerships with Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology and Dongfeng Motor to fill several sites in Europe, and Stellantis is in talks with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group and Huawei Technologies on arrangements that could help rescue Maserati, which is losing money. Fim-Cisl said it would back agreements with Chinese companies that bring production back to Cassino, provided Stellantis keeps control and safeguards local jobs and suppliers. "We don't want our factories to become screwdriver plants that only assemble kits produced in China," Uliano said. "It would make no sense for Stellantis to erode the Maserati brand."
This is not just a scheduling hiccup. Stellantis is navigating tougher EU rules, higher energy costs in Italy, and intense pressure from Chinese rivals like BYD. The upshot for regular investors: execution is doing the heavy lifting here.
If new models and smart partnerships fill lines and parts keep flowing, Italy's rebound can build. If shortages and soft demand linger, the recovery could cool.
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