AUTONEWS

Fiat also temporarily shuts down its EV factory

Do you remember? Not so long ago, one car manufacturer after another had to stop production due to a shortage of chips and other parts. Delivery times increased considerably and there were simply too few electric cars in particular. Now, less than a year later, production is being scaled back left and right, but this time due to declining demand and apparently excessive inventories. In less than a year we have gone from shortages to surpluses, and we can imagine that the car manufacturers are becoming very grumpy due to so many fluctuations. At Volkswagen, this phenomenon has already led to production being scaled back and temporary staff being laid off at the factory where the ID3 and the Cupra Born are built. Stellantis has chosen to shut down the Mirafiori factory in Turin for several weeks, Automotive News reports. According to that medium, this already happened this week, but will be repeated for two weeks from October 19 to November 3. ‘Mirafiori’ builds several Maserati models, but also the electric Fiat 500e. It is generally doing well in Europe, but the somewhat reduced demand is apparently no longer in line with what the factory is now producing. Demand for the 500e is expected to pick up again before 2024, partly because the Fiat 500e will then have to cross over to North America. According to Automotive News, unspecified market analysts are convinced that European EV demand will remain at a relatively low level next year, before picking up again in 2025.