Italy and the electric car are not a big love story. With a relatively dense network of charging stations in the country and a fairly strong industry around thermal engines, Italy does not necessarily take the European 2035 targets very kindly, and its government has already done so.

But everything can change. The Italian automotive industry is facing major challenges today, which obviously have an impact on jobs. The situation at the Stellantis Mirafiori factory in Italy clearly illustrates the current challenges in the sector. Faced with an unstable situation in the electricity market, the plant had to leave its workers on partial unemployment due to the lack of sufficient demand.

Faced with this situation, Stellantis is banking on a partnership with Leapmotor to breathe new life into its Italian plant. The contract provides for reception 150,000 units of Leapmotor models at the Mirafiori plant, thus providing a perspective for the future of the workers and the factory. It will also allow Stellantis to fulfill its promise to the Italian government to produce an additional 150,000 electric vehicles in the country, eventually reaching one million vehicles produced per year.

Italy plans to attract the Chinese manufacturer BYD

And, obviously, Italy is not going to stop there. Chinese giant BYD is in the spotlight as it negotiates with the Italian government to establish a bigger presence in the European market. This initiative, launched by Georgia Maloney’s government, aims to diversify Italy’s automotive landscape, which is now dominated by Stellantis. According to the statements of Michael Shu, director of BYD Europe, the Italian authorities contacted the Chinese manufacturer to explore the possibility of creating a larger presence in Italy. “We have some contacts to discuss this”He stated this on the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show in an interview with the Bloomberg agency.
Although Italy’s Ministry of Business did not comment on the reports, discussions between BYD and the Italian authorities clearly indicate a mutual interest in increasing car production in the country. Michael Shu emphasized that the decision to open a second plant in Europe will depend Commercial indicators of BYD in the region, but also the evolution of the market. BYD, which already plans to open its first European plant in Hungary in three years, is following in the footsteps of other manufacturers that have established a presence in Europe to boost their sales.

Stellantis is not too happy about this idea

BYD’s offer comes at a time when Stellantis is in the midst of a debate over government subsidies for electric vehicles. Italian Business Minister Adolfo Urso recently floated the idea of ​​bringing in a second carmaker to boost production in Italy to one million units a year. However, Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Stellantis, expressed concern about the impact the decision would have on his group’s production targets. Boss Stellantis warned against the risks of increased competition in the Italian marketsuggesting that the target of one million cars produced per year may be in jeopardy.
The possibility of more Chinese automakers investing in Europe, particularly in Italy, is also raising questions and debates.

With BYD overtaking Tesla as the world’s leading electric car maker, the entry of more Chinese players into the European market could potentially change the automotive landscape, traditionally dominated by European and Japanese manufacturers.

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