“These partnerships build on the e-Mobility strategy we announced last year as part of our five-year business plan,” said Mike Manley, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. “We are assembling an ecosystem of partners, products and services across multiple markets to meet and exceed the rapidly evolving expectations of our customers for electrified vehicles.”
As the investment plan for Mirafiori unfolds, many other initiatives will be implemented, including the creation of a series of solar power production units that will generate renewable energy on-site, providing a major benefit on the sustainability front. In partnership with Edison, 120,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels will be installed on building roofs. A further 30,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels covering 1,750 employee parking spaces will also be installed in partnership with ENGIE Eps. These solar power production units will generate a combined 15 megawatts of electricity contributing to a more than 5,000-ton reduction in carbon emissions while supplying renewable energy to charge the electric vehicles produced at the site.
In addition, 850 charging stations will be installed throughout the Turin manufacturing hub, 750 of which will be in employee parking areas.
The First Electrification Milestones
Product investment is also moving forward at a rapid pace, with several major milestones already reached. At Mirafiori, the assembly lines for the full-electric Fiat 500 have been completed and production is scheduled to begin in June 2020. At Grugliasco, production of the hybrid Maserati Ghibli has already begun, and restyling of the Maserati Quattroporte and Levante is under way. For both models, the production launch is set for July 2020. Investment has also begun at Mirafiori for production of the new Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio, the first Maserati models to adopt 100% electric solutions.
In addition, FCA has also begun investment at the Mirafiori transmission plant to increase production capacity to 350,000 six-speed transmissions per year.
Finally, 2020 will also see the creation of an all-new “Battery Hub” at Mirafiori, which will produce the battery modules installed in all Maserati electric vehicles. Capacity at the hub will be gradually expanded to provide increased autonomy in the supply of these components, which are of increasing strategic importance.
Focus on People
Investments at the Turin manufacturing hub total roughly €2 billion to date and a return to full employment is targeted by 2022. In the meantime, in order to meet the needs arising for the launch of new products, FCA has begun the hiring process for approximately 100 skilled specialists.
Pietro Gorlier, COO for FCA’s EMEA Region said: “The new sustainability-focused initiatives announced today, together with the operational milestones already achieved, demonstrate how FCA is continuing to strengthen its activities, with the contribution of its people and its centers of excellence. With a series of new product launches and these innovative electrification-related projects, 2020 will be an incredibly important year for the Group’s future.”
The investments at the Turin manufacturing hub form part of FCA’s €5 billion investment plan for Italy over the 2019-2021 period to support the launch of 13 new or significantly refreshed models and the introduction of 12 electric versions of new or existing models. To date, more than 90% of these investments have already begun.