Italian brand Fiat, part of the Stellantis conglomerate, has announced a new "global game plan" based around five new vehicles on its recently unveiled adaptable STLA Large platform.
The new concepts represent a pivot towards larger cars, including a city car which is bigger than the current Panda and a pickup for the South American market.
Fiat adds that it is preparing to offer updated ICE and hybrid vehicles into the 2030s. The STLA Large platform received some criticism from the EV industry upon its recent launch for allowing Stellantis to continue to build ICE cars on it.
"Fiat will offer electric, hybrid and ICE powertrains to ensure maximum relevance to customers wherever they live in the world," Stellantis says in a press release.
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Hedging bets
The move makes Fiat the latest European brand to hedge its bets with ICE vehicles, after German OEM Mercedes last week announced that it was preparing to sell upgraded ICE offerings into the next decade.
This has led to some speculation that the European auto lobby may be considering urging the European Commission to reconsider the 2035 new ICE sales ban amid stuttering demand for EVs so far in 2024.
However Luca de Meo, Renault CEO and president of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (Acea), told a recent press conference at the Geneva Motor show that European manufacturers would not challenge the 2035 legislation, although he urged that: "the right conditions must be in place".
Last week Stellantis management said there was "no room" for price increases in the highly competitive EV market, adding that the company's ICE portfolio will have to do some heavy lifting to help sustain the firm's profits.
In separate news, Gothenburg-headquartered EV maker Polestar announced that production of its Polestar 3 SUV has begun in Chengdu, China. Additional production is slated to start in South Carolina, USA, in the middle of 2024.
"This stunning car takes a significant step forward with start of production marking an important milestone on our journey from a one- to three-car company this year. We have also achieved launch readiness at the factory in Ridgeville, South Carolina, and are well on track with our plans to start manufacturing Polestar 3 in the USA," says Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath.
Ciaran has written about finance, politics and culture. He is passionate about e-mobility and what it means for our way of life.
Ciaran has a Masters in Ancient Philosophy from Oxford University.
