Hybrid Versions Of Fiat 500e and Jeep Compass To Be Built In Italy

Italy isn’t messing around when it comes to vehicles not made in the country, and it looks like this strategy is helping to bear fruit as recent talks with Stellantis have ended with the allocation of new models to Italian factories. Given the recent downturn in the EV industry, Fiat is currently looking for more ways to sell the 500 beyond the 500e, and now it looks like a new hybrid version will be built at the brand’s Mirafiori plant.

In addition to this, the brand is also looking to build a new hybrid version of the Jeep Compass at the Melfi plant in addition to the fully-electric and plug-in hybrid models already announced. Built on the STLA Medium platform, the Compass will be joined by other models from DS, Opel/Vauxhall, and Lancia.

Stellantis Committed To Italy

As the country’s largest automaker, Stellantis understands the need to invest in the country’s future by creating jobs and improving relations with the Italian government. Meeting with union leaders in Turin, the company highlighted the need to build affordable and quality vehicles for Italian customers, and adding new hybrid models is one way of achieving this goal.

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The Mirafiori plant currently produces the 500e, and the hope is that by adding in a hybrid model Fiat will be able to boost sales substantially to around 200,000 500s a year. With the addition of the hybrid Jeep Compass model in Melfi, Stellantis could raise the number of vehicles produced in the country to one million annually by 2030. As of right now, there are no plans to bring either mild-hybrid model to the US, but depending on consumer tastes, this could certainly change.

Italy Is Serious About Italian-Made Vehicles

The country has been in the news for the past couple of months after taking some hard stances against models made by Italian brands that aren’t actually that Italian. The first came about when Alfa Romeo unveiled its smallest SUV, the Milano, aiming to honor the birthplace of the brand in 1910. Unfortunately, even though the vehicle was designed in Italy, it was produced in Poland, and thus couldn’t be named after a location in a country. It was quickly renamed Junior, which is another historic Alfa Romeo name, if one lacking that Italian touch.

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Soon after, over 100 Fiat Topolino models were stopped at the port in Italy on their way from a factory in Morocco. The reason? They all featured a little Italian flag on the doors, which the government found problematic because it believed consumers would think the cars were made in Italy.

The country firmly believes that for something to be advertised as “Italian” it must be made in Italy. The government isn’t going to let companies like Stellantis imply a vehicle is Italian when it’s not built within Italy’s borders.