Franco-Italian automaker Stellantis has posted disappointing global third-quarter sales data, with shipments falling 1% from a year ago to an estimated 1.3 million vehicles.
In North America, vehicle shipments dropped 12% to 357,000 units, a phenomenon that should be directly attributed to the production shutdown that affected Jeep models like the Grand Cherokee and Compass.
Production of each of those vehicles, due to the disruption, went down by 25,000 units year-on-year.
Europe’s shipments, on the other hand, rose 10% to 588,000 units, the only region that brought performance improvement for Stellantis, fuelled by demand for EV models.
The latest European sales figure also includes around 44,000 vehicles from Chinese partner Leapmotor, which Stellantis distributes on the continent.
Shipments in the Middle East and Africa fell 21% to 75,000 due to lower volumes in Turkey and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as a result of the ongoing Iran war.
Stellantis will start deploying its new STLA One platform with its Peugeot brand in France, followed by other brands in Europe and North America.
STLA One has emerged as Stellantis’ new global, modular vehicle platform, designed to support more than 30 models across EV, hybrid, and combustion-engine vehicles and across different sizes.
While the Franco-Italian automaker presented the platform in May, it estimated STLA One would have well over two million vehicles by 2035.
Stellantis has advanced its Leapmotor partnership, with the joint venture now planning to manufacture small electric vehicles in Pomigliano, Italy, based on the e-car platform being developed collaboratively in Mirafiori.
As per Ned Curic, Stellantis’ chief technology officer, the automaker has already started its e-car programme.
“We have joint locations in Mirafiori, where our engineers and their engineers sit, and we teach them what it takes to build a European city car platform, while we are also learning from them how to go and build fast,” Curic told us during the Paris auto show.
While Stellantis has extensive experience in producing small cars, it is learning from Leapmotor how to build them in just two years, drawing inspiration from the industry R&D practices adopted by Chinese ventures at home.
With a price tag of around 15,000 euro (USD 16,770), e-cars have emerged as a new category of low-cost EVs aimed at reviving Europe’s shrinking entry-level car market.
Stellantis plans to produce at least two e-car models in its Pomigliano, Italy, plant, with a market launch expected in 2028.
The Citroen 2CV, a concept unveiled during the auto show, is among them.
Stellantis has also tied up with Indian giant Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, with the goal of developing cars for more than 50 global markets and manufacturing them in India.
The agreement broadens an over two-decade-long relationship that has so far centered on manufacturing vehicles through Fiat India Automobiles, the company’s 50:50 joint venture, and follows a February pact to explore cooperation in manufacturing, engineering, and supply chains.
Tata Motors, as a part of stepping up its partnership with Stellantis, will go beyond manufacturing into vehicle development, with the Franco-Italian automaker getting crucial access to India, the world’s third-largest car market, to use it as a base for engineering, product development, and exports.
“Under the agreement, Stellantis will gain access to the Indian carmaker’s vehicle architecture and technologies, which it will use alongside its engineering and product-development capabilities to develop vehicles for international markets,” the companies said.
CEO Antonio Filosa, ahead of this week’s Paris Motor Show, has made the company’s strategy clear: more focus on affordable EVs, as he on Sunday unveiled six of the nine concept cars Stellantis is bringing to Paris alongside a range of other production models.
The centrepiece of Stellantis’ renewed European push has been the revival of Citroen, especially the iconic 2CV, a retro-styled concept previewing a low-cost EV that is expected to make its commercial debut in 2028.
Stellantis has pitched the Citroen 2CV as the flagship of the group’s plans for Europe’s new “e-car” category.
During the Paris Auto Show, Stellantis will unveil the DS7, Fiat Grizzly, Lancia Gamma, Opel Corsa GSE, and the B03 and D19 models of Chinese partner Leapmotor.
“This event brings our … 2030 strategy to life,” Filosa said.
“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,” the CEO added further.
As per Filosa, Stellantis is looking to give its sister brands more distinct identities as the industry’s increasing reliance on shared platforms and technologies leads to broad design uniformity.
“Each concept explores new ways to … reinforce the unique identity of its brand,” Stellantis design chief Gilles Vidal said.
Filosa is pressured to show investors the success of his turnaround plan after two years of witnessing declining market share and profitability in the group’s two key regions, North America and Europe.
In a business plan through 2030 unveiled in May, Filosa promised dozens of new models, cost cuts, and deeper cooperation with Chinese partners, including Leapmotor.
However, investors still need to be convinced that Stellantis is on the path to sustained recovery.
The Franco-Italian automaker’s shares fell to 3.81 euro this month, their lowest level since the group’s formation in 2021.
Image Courtesy: Stellantis