Up to 80% less

The decline of Italy’s car industry continues

Production figures for the Fiat 500e are also falling.

(Bild: AFP/APA/MARCO BERTORELLO)

The decline of the Italian car industry worsened dramatically in 2024. Car production slumped by 46% and was at its lowest level since 1956.

With these figures, the FIM-CISL trade union sounded the alarm on Friday. Fiat's parent company Stellantis only built 475,900 vehicles in Italy last year, compared to around 300,000 more in the previous year. Commercial vehicles were also on the decline. The company itself could not be reached for comment.

Like other companies, Stellantis, the world's fourth-largest car manufacturer, is struggling with weak demand, particularly for electric cars, political uncertainty and increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers. The decline in production is also due to other factors, including the lack of low-cost models.

The slowdown in the transition to electromobility led to a two-thirds drop in production of the electric 500 and brought work at the Mirafiori plant in Turin to a virtual standstill. FIM-CISL boss Ferdinando Uliano called on the EU to review the emissions targets for 2025. "This is a battle for Europe," he said. "The individual countries can only lose. The trade unions have announced a protest action in Brussels for February 5, in which the FIM-CISL also intends to participate.

Maserati plant produced 79 percent less
Stellantis is by far the most important car manufacturer in Italy and operates five plants there, where vehicles of the Fiat, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Lancia brands, among others, roll off the production line. According to the trade unions, the main plant in Mirafiori in Turin, where production fell by 70 percent, performed particularly badly last year. Only the Maserati plant in Modena recorded an even greater slump, with a drop of 79 percent. "We are very worried about Maserati," said Uliano. "We expect a clear and detailed project for Maserati quickly."

In December, Stellantis announced that it would invest a total of €2 billion in Italy in 2025 and produce new models. Production could therefore increase again from 2026. The Italian government has set itself the goal of increasing car production in the country to more than one million vehicles. However, Stellantis does not want to commit to such a target, said the responsible manager Jean-Philippe Imparato in December. However, he expects another black year for Italian car production.