Stellantis also builds hybrid transmissions in Termoli

The car manufacturer Stellantis has announced that it will also produce eDCT (Electrified Dual Clutch Transmission) gearboxes for hybrid vehicles at its Termoli plant in Italy starting next year. However, there is no update on the battery cell factory of the ACC joint venture that is also planned there.

According to Stellantis, Termoli will become the third production centre for these transmissions for the automotive group, alongside the Mirafiori (Italy) and Metz (France) plants. It will have a capacity of 300,000 units per year. These eDCT gearboxes will be used in the various Group brands’ entire mild hybrid fleet (MHEV) and new plug-in hybrid generation (PHEV). Stellantis says they are characterised by “top performance in terms of weight reduction, fuel consumption and pollutant emissions.”

The eDCT transmission was introduced to Stellantis via the former PSA Group and comes specifically from a joint venture between the French car manufacturer and the Belgian transmission manufacturer Punch Powertrain. It has been built in Metz since 2020. However, at the end of January, Stellantis took “full control of the development and production process of the eDCT gearbox, previously conducted in collaboration with a Belgian OEM.” The initiative to also build the eDCT in Termoli in the future is a “logical and concrete consequence of the recent acquisition.”

The multi-brand group relies on the eDCT on a large scale and is also expanding production in Metz with a new assembly line. To meet increasing demand, the production of important components in the component plants in Metz and Sint Truden, Belgium, is also being ramped up.

The factory in Termoli was a Fiat engine plant for a long time. In the field of electromobility, the site on the Adriatic coast is best known for the ACC cell factory announced for 2022. The joint venture between Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz and TotalEnergies wanted to build a battery factory there that would produce 40 GWh per year when completed. In the summer of 2024, the project in Termoli and also in Kaiserslautern was put on hold to await future market developments and the required cell technology – the plan was to produce NMC cells, but especially cheaper electric cars increasingly use LFP cells. Given the situation at Stellantis, including the departure of its CEO, the subdued development of Mercedes’ electric car sales and the recent statements by TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné regarding the focus on the existing French factory, it is questionable whether the announced cell production in Termoli will be realised at all.

With this in mind, Reuters asked ACC what the current development means for the battery plans: an ACC spokesperson said that the joint venture is still evaluating its investment plans for Italy and Germany to make a decision this year – but not before June. The gearbox announcement by Stellantis does not change the situation.

stellantis.com (eDCT; in Italien), reuters.com (ACC)