ItalyStellantis has halted production at its Mirafiori plant in Turin for three days, citing insufficient supply of hybrid engines. The company claims this shortage makes it impossible to meet demand, but the Fiom-Cgil union disputes this, arguing that low sales of the Fiat 500 hybrid, Mirafiori’s sole product, are the true cause. This follows a longer-than-expected summer shutdown and raises concerns over ongoing productivity issues. Union leaders criticize the new CEO, Arnaud Belloni, for failing to address these problems, calling for urgent investment in new models and production lines. According to internal estimates, Mirafiori was expected to produce around 100,000 units of the 500 by 2026, but sales have fallen significantly short of projections. Meanwhile, reports suggest that 100 hybrid engines were recently sent to another Stellantis plant in Pomigliano d'Arco to support production of the Panda model, further fueling suspicions that the motor shortage is being used as an excuse.
Bias read (Progressive): The article frames the situation as a conflict between workers and management, emphasizing the union's perspective that the factory closures are due to poor strategic decisions and low market demand rather than technical constraints. It criticizes the company leadership and highlights the need for '
