Positive news for Fiat, which will return to occupy segment B, that of small cars, from which it has been absent since the Punto left the scene in 2018. This was announced by Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, during the conference call to present the financial statements for the second quarter and of the half-yearly report, anticipating some points of the industrial plan (which we will know by the end of the year / beginning of 2022) relating above all to Italian brands.
In fact, the road map towards the electric evolution of brands appears increasingly defined, starting with Lancia, which will begin to electrify itself from 2024 and will exclusively produce battery-powered models from 2026. Alfa Romeo, will be electric from 2027 but limited to some markets, while on others there will continue to be models with internal combustion engines on board for a while.
Returning to Fiat, there are still no details about the integration of electric propulsion, although it is plausible that the new B segment will be born ready for the electric. All already defined, however, for the French luxury brand DS, which from 2024 will introduce new battery-only models.
New Fiat Punto, how it will be
Say already today what the style of the new Fiat Punto it is clearly a gamble, even if some time ago we tried to hazard a style hypothesis with our render. On the other hand, the adoption of the CMP platform of PSA origin, that of the other small ones of Stellantis, seems obvious: Peugeot 208 e Opel Corsa, as well as the Peugeot 2008, DS 3 Crossback, Opel Mokka and compact Citroen C4 crossovers.
New Fiat Punto, our render
Multi-energy architecture, thanks to which one could therefore be born Fiat Punto electric, to be combined with the variants with classic non-electrified endothermic engines. The CMP in fact does not include hybrid powertrains, neither full nor plug-in.
Within the range of small Stellantis then the new Fiat Punto could represent the entry level, with competitive prices – also made possible by economies of scale – but with autonomy for the electric variant that can stand up to the competition. The “cousins” in fact exceed 300 km with a single charge.
21 electric and hybrid are coming in 2 years
The programs partly resume what was announced during the recent EV Day, in particular the electric offensive which will see the introduction on the market of 11 new 100% electric models and another 10 plug-in hybrids in the next 24 months and the complete electrification of the light commercial vehicle range.
This last part is already well advanced if we think that almost all the LCVs of the “French part”, that is of the ex-PSA brands (including Opel) already have electric variants in the list and that the first medium hydrogen fuel cell vans are already were presented and will be on the market by the end of the year.
New partnerships also “aerial”
Still on the subject of electrification programs, the Stellantis management also reiterated the creation of third gigafactory in the former FPT plant in Termoli and the total conversion, by the end of 2022, of the British factory in Ellesmere Port (where Vauxhall-branded models are assembled) to the production of electric vans for that and other brands of the group. Operation that will make it the first Stellantis factory entirely dedicated to electric vehicles.
Then announce your collaboration with Engie for the electric charging network and the curious partnership with Archer for the development and production of vertical take-off vehicles.
Positive balance despite everything
The chip crisis and the generalized one of the market did not affect the financial results and above all the Stellantis production programs too much, which confirmed that it had closed the first half of the year in profit, even revising the estimates of operating margin from 2021 to 10%.
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