Italian car industry in crisis: production at record low!

Italian car industry in crisis: production at record low!

In 2024, the Italian auto industry has experienced a dramatic decline that has reached alarming proportions. According to the FIM-CISL union, production has fallen by a staggering 46 percent, reaching just 475,900 vehicles, the lowest level since 1956. The decline affects not only passenger car production, but also that of commercial vehicles, which highlights the critical situation. In 2023, around 300,000 more vehicles were built, which makes the drastic decline even clearer Krone.at reported.

Challenges for Stellantis and the industry

The Stellantis consortium, the fourth largest car manufacturer in the world and operator of the most important factories in Italy, is facing serious challenges. Weak sales of electric cars, political uncertainty and growing competition from Chinese manufacturers are affecting the company. In particular, in Turin at the Mirafiori site, production fell by 70 percent, while Maserati production even fell by an alarming 79 percent. The union is now calling on the EU to review emissions targets for 2025 to help the industry, according to reporting n-tv.de shows.

At the urging of the unions, Stellantis announced that it would invest two billion euros in Italy by 2025. However, uncertainty regarding future production figures remains. The Italian government aims to increase vehicle production in the country to over one million units by 2026. Nevertheless, the responsible manager Jean-Philippe Imparato expressed concerns and predicted another year with falling production figures. The collapse in the auto industry could also result in massive layoffs if countermeasures are not taken quickly.