- Stellantis will temporarily halt production at its Pomigliano d’Arco, Termoli, and Pratola Serra plants.
- The production pause affects both engine assembly and the Fiat Panda manufacturing lines.
- The automaker said they’re facing a “path requiring difficult choices and offering no easy solutions.”
Earlier this year, Fiat announced they were increasing production of the Panda by approximately 20 percent to meet customer demand as the model was a “market leader in Italy and the segment leader in Europe.” This pushed Fiat CEO Olivier Francois to confirm production at the Pomigliano d’Arco plant would continue until at least 2027. It seemed like smooth sailing ahead for the city car that’s been a staple in Italian garages for decades.
But fast forward just eight months, and it looks like Stellantis, Fiat’s parent company, is having second thoughts. The automaker is hitting the pause button, with plans to temporarily halt production next month due to “tough market conditions.” Citing the automaker, Reuters is reporting there will be planned work stoppages at the Pomigliano d’Arco, Termoli, and Pratola Serra plants.
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The work stoppages are set to begin on November 11 and will apparently stretch over several days throughout the month. This will impact Panda production as well as engine assembly.
The move comes shortly after Stellantis hit the brakes at the Mirafiori plant, which builds the Fiat 500e as well as the Maserati GranTurismo. The former model has struggled, but should be aided by the introduction of a new hybrid variant in late 2025.
While the production stop suggests lackluster demand, the Panda has actually been doing fairly well. In July, Fiat noted the model was the best-selling vehicle in Italy as it generated over 63,500 sales for a 21% year-over-year increase. Despite this, Stellantis said the pause was necessary as they’re facing a “path requiring difficult choices and offering no easy solutions.”
