Stellantis 1st half earnings and conference call

[cygnus]

But I thought you loved to be ripped off just to come to this forum to bash the europeans because our region has lower profit margins!

10% is fine.

 

[Bili]

It was strong two quarters for Europe, which still had delivery issues (of finished vehicles), and if anything Carlos has proven to make profits in Europe.
Also Stellantis has yet to full rollout the CMP vehicles to the FCA brands (only the Avenger is out), in past conference calls they mention the CMP models as a big cost savings for Europe unit.

I would argue that CMP products are worst in class on some categories... Actually most of them. Nothing special.

But they are very cheap to make.

I'm gutted.

 

[AlexB]

I would argue that CMP products are worst in class on some categories... Actually most of them. Nothing special.

But they are very cheap to make.

I'm gutted.

FIAT 600 and Alfa smallest & European only CUV (all made in Poland).
Hopeful they hold their own.

 

[patfromigh]

The fires (There have been a few now in the news.) on ships transporting vehicles worries me because US bound Fiat EVs are to be shipped from Europe. I don't think it is cost effective to ship a vehicle without the batteries installed and add them stateside. Fiat as a brand has a small volume in the US, does this doom the brand in North America?

 

[AlexB]

The fires (There have been a few now in the news.) on ships transporting vehicles worries me because US bound Fiat EVs are to be shipped from Europe. I don't think it is cost effective to ship a vehicle without the batteries installed and add them stateside. Fiat as a brand has a small volume in the US, does this doom the brand in North America?

I thought an North American answer to VW ID4 that's built on STLA Medium would make sense for FIAT brand, but that will be a Chrysler model built along side next generation Compass.

No, FIAT brand is not doom because of emission standards including CARB States,+cost of removing a brand is high.

 

[patfromigh]

No, FIAT brand is not doom because of emission standards including CARB States,+cost of removing a brand is high.

I wasn't talking about emissions standards. Fiat is going all battery electric in Western Europe and the new generation 500e is a winner both in sales and customer satisfaction. Will these recent ship fires present a logistical issue for importing battery electric vehicles? The Fiat brand doesn't have enough sales volume to build products in North America profitably, so importation is the only practical choice.

Fiat's biggest problem in the US is the brand's marketing has been a disaster. Passing Fiat off as a boutique brand quickly ran out of steam and the sales plummeted after a promising start.

 

[Deckard Cain]

That's a matter for insurance companies to worry about. If that spurs more domestic production and less imports from China, all the better to be honest.
Fiat in the US has residual sales, so if it leads to the death of the brand in NAFTA, from what I've seen in these forums or the older ones, there won't be a lot of shed tears because of that.
And frankly Fiat's strenght is in Europe and Latin America.

I would argue that CMP products are worst in class on some categories... Actually most of them. Nothing special.

But they are very cheap to make.

I'm gutted.

Eh. The Clio/Sandero twins are clearly superior, but the VW cars aren't much better.
Either way, in B-segment interior space is not the most important parameter since they're not supposed to be family cars.

 

[AlexB]

I wasn't talking about emissions standards. Fiat is going all battery electric in Western Europe and the new generation 500e is a winner both in sales and customer satisfaction. Will these recent ship fires present a logistical issue for importing battery electric vehicles? The Fiat brand doesn't have enough sales volume to build products in North America profitably, so importation is the only practical choice.

Fiat's biggest problem in the US is the brand's marketing has been a disaster. Passing Fiat off as a boutique brand quickly ran out of steam and the sales plummeted after a promising start.

But emission standards (FINES) is why the brand is worth another effort ( logistical/past sales volume) in North America.

 

[patfromigh]

I think the Brand is worth another try in North America. I misunderstood what you stated about emission standards being from the viewpoint of CAFE. That said, back in the days of the Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) we told them follow the 1970s and 80s Mitsubishi Colt strategy that the old Chrysler used. This means sell the brand in all showrooms and share technology with domestic brands. It is ironic that Mitsubishi and Stellantis now use the same supplier for e-axles. The Chevy Bolt seems to have found a sweet spot for battery electrics in our market, that of a small simple battery electric. The Fiat 500 and 600 pair fit this niche nicely.

What Stellantis should do differently now compared to when the Fiat brand was introduced ten years ago is leverage Free-2-Move to boost and support the brand in North America.

 

[pumadog]

I could even see them bring the Topolino with Free-2-Move.

 

[Deckard Cain]

But emission standards (FINES) is why the brand is worth another effort ( logistical/past sales volume) in North America.

Is it? With the new EVs coming for Mopar brands I think that type of niche stops making sense for Fiat.
With the hatred for the brand from Mopar fans, and the indifference of the rest of the market they should just cut their losses and end the brand in the US.
The resources they waste in keeping Fiat in the US would be better spent in strengthening it in Europe.

 

[patfromigh]

Is it? With the new EVs coming for Mopar brands I think that type of niche stops making sense for Fiat.
With the hatred for the brand from Mopar fans, and the indifference of the rest of the market they should just cut their losses and end the brand in the US.
The resources they waste in keeping Fiat in the US would be better spent in strengthening it in Europe.

The Mopar fans who hate Fiat tend to be the same ones expressing anger over the demise of the Hemi, not realizing Fiat's success helps lower the CAFE penalty generated by the V8 powered vehicles. The EV market isn't a niche, it is multiple niches. The Fiat brand would cover one that is lucrative. There seems to be more indifference to the larger EVs than there is to the Fiat brand, even the Ford Lightning is stacking up on dealer's lots.

I suspect the US version of the Fiat 500X is just something to keep the lights on until the new 500e arrives. The old Fiat 500e is a cult favorite and is a phenomenon Fiat USA hasn't capitalized on.

Stellantis is trying to expand Fee-2-Move in North America. The Fiat 500e and 600 models would be a great fit. I would also argue the new Doblo is as well, but only as an EV or PHEV. There aren't that many Fiat outlets in the US, they should integrate Free-2-Move services at them, definitely by adding some charging stations.

 

[Deckard Cain]

I don't think that the current purpose of Fiat is to continue in the US. For example, the new 600e doesn't comply with US regulations so it can't be exported to the US.
If Fiat is just a one model brand in the future with the 500e, then it is destined to disappear eventually.