Stellantis will increase production in Italy this year thanks to new models, says the head of the European division.
Stellantis is preparing to increase car production at several Italian factories in 2026 with the introduction of new models, reaffirming commitments to the Italian government to protect domestic production amid a prolonged downturn in the sector, according to Reuters.
After talks with the Minister of Industry, Adolfo Urso, the head of the European division, Emanuele Cappellano, spoke in detail about plans to resume production after a sharp decline in 2025, when Stellantis production in Italy fell by about 20% and passenger car production dropped to its lowest level since 1954, which led to mass vacations and tensions with Rome
Production of the new DS 8 and Jeep Compass models has already begun at the Melfa plant, and a second shift will be resumed soon; additional DS and Lancia Gamma models, offered in electric and hybrid versions, are scheduled to be released from 2026, and another new model until 2028. Activity is also growing in Atessa, where the partial resumption of the third shift will increase the daily production volume of light commercial vehicles by about 200 units. At the Mirafiori plant in Turin, Stellantis is hiring more than 400 employees as it launches a second shift for the hybrid Fiat 500. In Termol, continued investments in Euro-7 compliant gasoline engines and the new e —DCT transmission line will ensure industrial continuity, regardless of future decisions on the Gigafactory for battery production, and purchases from Italian suppliers will be maintained at over 7 billion euros.