Will Morocco be impacted by Stellantis’ new strategy?

The era of "all-PureTech" desired by former CEO Carlos Tavares seems to be over. Faced with a reputation crisis due to the recurring breakdowns of its flagship engine (belt problems, oil consumption), the group, under the impetus of its new leader Antonio Filosa, is looking for reliable alternatives. The strategy of generalizing this engine across all brands, including Jeep or Alfa Romeo, is now abruptly stopped, reports Auto-moto.com.

The fallback solution is turning to Italy. Stellantis has confirmed that it wants to extend the life of the Fiat-origin GSE (Firefly) engines (1.0, 1.3 and 1.5 turbo) beyond 2030. Considered more robust, these blocks will benefit from updates to meet Euro 7 standards and secure the activity of the Italian plant in Termoli.

This turnaround casts a heavy uncertainty over the industrial sites dedicated to the PureTech. Morocco, which has become a major hub for the manufacture of this engine and the vehicles equipped with it (particularly in Kenitra), is exposed. A massive shift towards Fiat powertrains would imply a "colossal industrial reorganization", potentially affecting the volumes and investments planned in the Kingdom, as well as in the French plants of Douvrin and Trémery.