Stellantis Temporarily Shuts Down Maserati and Fiat 500 Electric Production at Mirafiori Facility

Stellantis is applying the brakes to its manufacturing efforts by intermittently ceasing operations at its Mirafiori manufacturing facility in Italy. According to company representatives who spoke with Automotive News Europe, the assembly lines are taking a brief break this week and will shut down again from October 19 through November 3. The move is expected to affect roughly 2,400 employees, who will be off work without pay during these periods.

Situated in Turin, Italy, the Mirafiori plant is responsible for the assembly of four Maserati vehicles: the Ghibli, Quattroporte, GranTurismo, and the Levante SUV. Meanwhile, the smaller Grecale crossover is manufactured at the Cassino factory in the Lazio region, and the MC20 is put together in Modena.

Stellantis plans to cease production of the current Ghibli and Quattroporte models this December. Among the two, only the Quattroporte is slated for a next-gen release in 2024, which will include a full-electric variant.

The Levante SUV, available since mid-2016, is slated to have a successor only in 2025, which will also come in an electric version. As for the GranTurismo, the most recent iteration was introduced about a year ago and will soon be joined by a convertible GranCabrio model by the close of 2023. This new model will also feature a zero-emissions Folgore variant.

Alongside Maserati, the Mirafiori plant also handles the production of the Fiat 500 Electric. The previous model, with traditional combustion engines, continues to be built in Poland at the Tychy facility. The Fiat 500 Electric, marketed as the "New 500" in some markets, has been in manufacturing since early 2020 and ranked as the third highest-selling electric vehicle in Europe during 2022.

However, according to market analysis by Dataforce, demand for electric cars in Europe declined by 1.7% until August this year. The Fiat 500 Electric found itself in the sixth position in terms of sales for the year's first eight months.

It's worth noting that Stellantis isn't alone in temporarily suspending small electric car production. The VW Group recently announced plans to cease manufacturing of the ID.3 and Cupra Born in their German plants in Zwickau and Dresden for the initial two weeks of October. Furthermore, VW is also in the process of negotiating a new employment contract at the Zwickau plant, where the current three-shift system will conclude after 2023.