FCA Group - PSA platform for segment B models: the point on Italian supplies
The FCA and PSA groups have
'initiated discussions for potential Segment B cooperation projects separately from any merger negotiations'. With this brief statement, the two manufacturers confirmed the French CMP architecture sharing project (already used for the Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa) which triggered the first concerns among Italian suppliers. The collaboration, however, is still in the process of being defined and for the moment there are no political or union controversies (as in the case of the 6.3 billion loan with state guarantees): in any case, Quattroruote learns, the tenders will not exclude tricolour supplies a priori.
The letter. The risk of a new dispute is linked to a letter sent to suppliers several weeks ago. In the letter, the FCA group informs the suppliers that the development project for a new platform to be used for the production of segment B vehicles has been halted, in particular at the Polish factory in Tychy, the "home" of the Fiat 500 and Lancia Ypsilon:
"We wish to inform your company, on behalf of FCA Italy and FCA Poland, that the Fiat Chrysler segment B platform project has been halted due to an ongoing technological change", the text reads.
"Therefore, we ask you to immediately cease all research, development and production activities in order to avoid further costs and expenses". The technological change would be linked, at least in part, to the consequences of the current health crisis: the coronavirus pandemic has lengthened the design time and therefore, in order to give a boost, FCA has decided to rely on a new architecture, already available on the market and considered more advanced, efficient and, among other things, in predicate to become one of the cornerstones of the new Stellantis group, although certainly not in a short time. It is, as said, the CMP made in PSA platform and it is precisely this choice that has triggered the fears of some suppliers, worried about losing orders and contracts for an alleged preferential lane rightly assigned to competitors beyond the Alps. In particular, within the Turin-based industry, there are those who have developed an equation that, at least for now, has no results, namely "French platform equals French components".
New perspectives. To get a better picture of the situation, it should not be forgotten that most Italian suppliers are no longer bound hand and foot to FCA as in the past with Fiat: today the Italian component manufacturers work with manufacturers all over the world, often also with the French PSA (precisely for CMP) and Renault. Secondly, from the Italo-American group they filter further information on what is further communicated to suppliers, more or less summarized as follows: start working on the projects necessary to participate in the tender for new supplies. The Italians, in short, will not be excluded a priori: quality, reliability and efficiency will count in the tender, not the flag. Finally, there should be no lack of prospects for new business opportunities, especially for those suppliers who have no links with the PSA group and who, through FCA, will be able to expand their sphere of action.
Developments. The whole project, however, is at an early stage and the puzzle is missing some vital elements: for example, it will need to be clarified how PSA will make the CMP platform available to Fiat Chrysler in the months leading up to the completion of the merger. In this regard, the possibility that FCA will "buy" the right to use the platform is not excluded, but to find out more we will have to wait for some information that - for now - the two groups do not intend to provide:
"For reasons of confidentiality and obvious reasons of competitiveness", explain PSA and FCA,
"at this stage we will not provide further details". The operation is therefore in full swing. Translated with
www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
