Stellantis to extend Fiat Panda production until 2026 in Italy

Stellantis will produce its best-selling Fiat Panda small car at its Pomigliano plant in Italy until 2026, metal workers unions said on Thursday after the automaker met workers’ representatives.

The production of the Panda in Pomigliano, for which the group had never provided an end date, will add to the output of Alfa Romeo’s new sport utility vehicle (SUV) Tonale, which is about to begin at the plant.

Stellantis, which owns the Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands, said a deal to build a battery plant location in Italy for electric vehicles was imminent, unions said after the meeting.

The ‘gigafactory’ of Stellantis to be constructed through the ACC joint venture with Mercedes and TotalEnergies in Termoli, southern Italy, by the reconversion of a current engine facility, would be the third for the group in Europe, after those already declared in France and Germany.

Representatives of the UILM union said the updates on Termoli and Pomigliano showed Stellantis’ commitment to Italy during its transformation to electric mobility.

A source close to Stellantis, which last week presented its business plan to 2030, confirmed that progress had been made towards closing a deal on the Termoli battery plant shortly and that the company was verifying Italy’s central role in its strategy.