Production Of Four Maserati Models And Fiat 500 Electric Suspended

Stellantis is putting the brakes on production by temporarily halting operations at its Mirafiori plant in Italy. A spokesperson for the automotive conglomerate told Automotive News Europe that both assembly lines are on a hiatus this week. In addition, output will be halted again from October 19 until November 3. The decision to temporarily halt production is going to impact 2,400 workers who will not be paid for those days.

Located in Turin, the Mirafiori factory is in charge of four Maserati models: the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans, GranTurismo, and the Levante SUV. The smaller Grecale crossover is built at the Cassino factory in the Lazio region while the MC20 is assembled in Modena. Stellantis will discontinue the current-generation Ghibli and Quattroporte in December when production is scheduled to end, according to ANE. Of the two sedans, only the Quattroporte will be renewed in 2024 with a next-gen model set to spawn a fully electric derivative.

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On sale since mid-2016, the aging Levante is not getting a successor until 2025 and it too will be offered as an EV. As for the GranTurismo, the latest model was unveiled about a year ago and is going to be joined by a GranCabrio before the end of 2023, complete with a zero-emission Folgore variant.

Stellantis also builds the 500 Electric at the Mirafori plant whereas the previous-generation model with combustion engines continues to be manufactured in Poland at the Tychy factory. The "New 500" as it is marketed in some countries has been in production since early 2020 and was the third best-selling EV in Europe in 2022.

However, demand on the Old Continent dropped by 1.7 percent through August this year, according to the sales figures gathered by market analysts Dataforce. In the first eight months of the year, the 500 Electric was only the sixth best-selling electric car on the Old Continent.

Speaking of small electric cars going temporarily out of production, the VW Group has decided to halt output of the ID.3 and Cupra Born at the German plants in Zwickau and Dresden in the first two weeks of October. In addition, VW is also negotiating a new contract at the Zwickau factory where the three-shift agreement will come to an end after 2023.

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