Once upon a time
Once upon a time there was Fiat. The Ingot. The track on the roof of the factory where to test the cars. The Fiat 500 Topolino designed in 1934 by Dante Giacosa. And then the seventeenth century that emerges from the Mirafiori driven by Vittorio Valletta to motorize Italy with the “economic miracle”. Yesterday Turin, at the “The future is on track” event, the future is on track, more than 170 journalists made a journey through time to the presentation of the two new Fiat models with the Stellantis license plate. Everything is made in Turin as then, perhaps even more than before, except for production, which, as stated by the CEO of Fiat, Olivier François, «will not be in Italy, but outside, in Poland, the new Fiat 600 in the electric version and the new Mickey Mouse in Morocco».
Two icons
“These are two iconic names, which represent a large part of our heritage, a heritage projected towards the future not only of the car but of mobility”, said Elkann, presenting the new models and emphasizing that in Italy we have a glorious past, we have a strong present and a great future»and that the company wants to play a key role in the world. Because according to Fiat’s top management, the future is a global journey. As the CEO Olivier François remarked, the Fiat brand is making a strong comeback on track.
The Fiat brand
“The Fiat brand is number one in terms of volumes in the Stellantis group, with over 1.2 million cars sold worldwide, and is the leader in the 3 main markets: Italy, Brazil and Turkey, in 3 different regions”. And above all, the Fiat brand is profitable again, making profits. “Over the next 3 years, our product plan will bring Fiat back to its rightful place: as leader, point of reference and love brand,” said the top manager. To those who ask him why the Stellantis group produces more cars in France, about a million, than in Italy, about 400,000, a quarter in Turin thanks to the 500e, François replied that the problem lies in the market and in the incentives.
The two models
«In Italy we will produce more cars if they buy more. Italy is the only country in Europe that is withdrawing from electricity because there are not enough incentives». In the first six months of the year, sales of full electric cars in our country stopped at 33,000 cars according to data from Motus-E, just 4% of the market according to Unrae. The two sisters of the 500e were presented in Turin, the older one, the 600, and the younger one, the Topolino. «When Stellantis was born, about two and a half years ago, – recalled John Elkann – we were in the midst of the pandemic and despite this we courageously launched the electric Fiat 500 which has become an incredible success. And for this reason I can proudly say that Stellantis is on track in Turin». Over 100,000e produced at Mirafiori, which should increase thanks to exports to the USA, Elkann underlined the company’s commitment to the city.
Production already started
In fact, speaking of Turin, the president of Stellantis recalled two days ago that «the grEEn-Campus was presented at Mirafiori, where one of the most impressive transformations in the sector is taking place, the hub of circularity will also be built there. And then there are the R&D design centers there, and after the summer the battery development hub will arrive». Olivier François also spoke about the future, anticipating new launches for 2024. «It was a crossing of the desert, but here we are. And inside Stellantis the Fiat brand has a very high reputation. In the last month like Fiat, thanks to the 500e, we have sold 60% of the full electric cars of the entire group. We also have many new features ready for 2024 and 2025». Meanwhile, production has already begun for both models, the 600 and the Topolino, and the first deliveries are expected within the year.
2023-07-04 18:13:39
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