Stellantis continues to bet on electric and reiterates the intention to invest further. But the transition cannot be “the same for everyone”: it must be managed market by market. This was said by CEO Antonio Filosa at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit, explaining that different countries have different speeds and demand conditions. In Europe, he emphasized, customers mainly ask for fully electric cars, especially small BEVs, while in the USA the trend seems more oriented towards hybrids and solutions like range extenders.
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Stellantis does not abandon electric, but…
At the same time, Filosa indicated that strategic partnerships will not be one-way and will not only concern Chinese companies. While acknowledging the “very strong” arrival of Chinese manufacturers in Europe, the idea is to build collaborations that create value for both parties: Stellantis focuses on factors such as geographic presence, scale, and brand strength to increase its attractiveness. In this context, the relationship with Leapmotor already represents an example of a partnership taken to a higher level, based on a possible sharing of technological roadmaps, improvements along the supply chain, and, eventually, also on the use of production capacity.
The price problem according to Filosa
Finally, the manager linked the growth of electric also to more targeted regulatory and industrial choices, avoiding “too drastic” decisions that could risk losing customers. According to Filosa, one of the main problems of the European automotive industry is price accessibility, so the revival comes from rules dedicated to small electric cars and tools like super-credits within the European e-car project. The goal is therefore to prevent the costs of new regulations from falling mainly on segments that, instead, are crucial to making electric mobility more accessible: hence the hope for a quick solution for small electric cars, light commercial vehicles, and a “Made in Europe” regulation, capable of supporting investments in design, engineering, and production locally and maintaining fair competitive conditions.
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