To get more details on what will be the future of the brands and related models of the Stellantis group we will have to wait a few more months, when the new industrial plan of the auto giant, born from the merger of FCA and PSA, will be disclosed between the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022. However, yesterday the CEO Carlos Tavares clarified the first fixed points of the company strategy during the shareholders’ meeting.
Naturally, the commitment is aimed at electrifying the offer as much as possible through “Lev” vehicles: this category includes rechargeable hybrid models (plug-in) and 100% electric ones. Already in 2021, the aim is to sell over 400,000 units, three times as much as last year. Not only that, by 2025 – when 98% of the European range will be electrified – 38% of the vehicles sold by Stellantis will belong to the Lev category (31% in the US), to reach 70% by 2030.
The construction architectures will be fundamental in this sense: Stellantis, in fact, aims to optimize economies of scale and, at the same time, to maintain the flexibility necessary to adapt production to market demand. On the one hand, the philosophy of multi-energy platforms seems to be confirmed, that is, capable of hosting thermal engines with different levels of electrification, mild or plug-in hybrid. On the other hand, however, four new modular platforms will arrive – called Stla Small, Medium, Large and Frame – which will flank the evolutions of the CMP, EMP and Giorgio platforms (the same will receive substantial upgrades to better match the electrified engines). The goal is to come up with electric cars with ranges of up to 800 km. The first applications of the new platforms will make their debut as early as 2023, in the medium and high range segments. While in 2026 the new architecture will arrive for more compact models.
Not only that, with a view to reducing costs and greater control over the supply of components, Stellantis will directly deal with the production of electric motors, gearboxes, double clutch gearboxes with integrated electric motor (for plug-in models), battery management and accumulator cells. Two Gigafactories of the group dedicated to the production of batteries, one located in Douvrin, France, active from the end of 2023. The other located in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and active from the end of 2025. Their production capacity will be 130 GWh in 2025 and 250 GWh in 2030. These plants could be joined by new ones, both in Europe and in America. More details will be disclosed during the Electrification Day, scheduled for next 8 July.
