Stellantis upgrades factory in Serbia for EV production

Stellantis has announced plans to build electric cars in Serbia in the future. According to the group, a new electric compact model will go into production at the Stellantis plant in Kragujevac from mid-2024, replacing the Fiat 500L minivan.

Another electric model could be added at a later date, Stellantis said in the statement. Given the group’s electric plans in Europe, it is hardly surprising that more plants are to build electric cars in the future or are being converted to do so. The Fiat brand, for which production in Kragujevac is a priority, is reportedly to become a pure BEV brand in Europe from 2027.

Stellantis is currently not giving any concrete details about the planned model – such as the platform. However, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares stated that the “new platform for electric vehicles fits perfectly with products in segments A, B and C”. It is therefore unlikely to be the e-CMP as a mixed platform or the small car platform of the new Fiat 500, but rather the STLA Small for this range of segments.

According to media reports, the electric successor to the Fiat Panda could come off the production line in Kragujevac. As a slightly taller vehicle compared to the Fiat 500, an electric Panda would also fit the STLA Small – the similarities with the 500L, which has little to do with the iconic small car apart from the name and some design elements, are much greater.

The Serbian state, which owns 33 per cent of the factory, is also participating in the conversion. The company and the government signed a contract this week worth 190 million euros – of which the state is contributing 48 million euros. With its factory, Stellantis is one of the ten largest exporters in Serbia. “Today marks the beginning of a new era,” said Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic.

Vucic went on to state, according to Reuters, that Serbia would have to open numerous charging stations in the coming years in order to attract local buyers to electric cars as well. To do this, he said, the country must also adopt a new energy strategy. “We have to secure cheaper electricity and have more renewable energies for it,” Vucic said.

reuters.com, autonews.com, stellantis.com (in Serbian)