2023-10-18 18:00:02
Stellantis, the fourth largest automotive group in the world in terms of turnover, knows that it has an important asset with its commercial vehicle division. Today, its turnover amounts to around 60,000 million euros, a third of the total and, in terms of volume, it corresponds to 1.6 million registrations, which places it in second position, behind Ford.
However, the strategy of the Franco-Italian-American consortium has been heterogeneous, since each brand decided, to a large extent, its strategy independently. Not anymore. Starting in 2024, all commercial vehicles of its brands – Fiat, Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Vauxhall and Ram – will be unified under the Stellantis Pro One business area.
The person who will lead the strategy is the current CEO of Alfa Romeo, Jean-Philippe Learnedwhich stated that its intention is, by 2030, to achieve a turnover worth around 80 billion euros, practically double what it was when the FCA and PSA groups merged in 2021.
Furthermore, for that same year, Imparato has proposed reaching revenues of 5,000 million euros in additional services – “Without systems like fleet management you can’t even talk to B2B customers,” he stated – as well as achieving a mix zero emissions sales of 40%.
To this end, coinciding with the premiere of Pro One in early 2024, the range of commercial vehicles will also begin to be renewed – the official launch will be on October 23 -, offering a new generation of electric motors, as well as alternative technology options. like hydrogen.
In addition, Imparato also announced that the ‘retrofit’ business area would be promoted, which consists of adapting thermal vehicles to other less polluting propulsion systems, mainly electric. “It’s an affordable way to reduce emissions.”
The intention is to become world leader in the highly profitable segment. “Today there are only three manufacturers that exceed 1.5 million commercial vehicles: Ford, Stellantis and Toyota,” said the manager. Today, it has the first position in the regions of Extended Europe (29 markets) and South America, where Fiat enjoys great acceptance.
The second place by market share is held by the Middle East and Africa, while in North America they are in third position, but they hope that their offensive with pick-ups will serve to climb sales positions.
To achieve this, collaboration with the network, which has some 20,000 points throughout the world, is essential. For Imparato, “loyalty to brands and the service provided by dealers is essential in the world of commercial vehicles,” which is why it aims to establish a homogeneous and stable pricing policy, given that “playing too much with discounts destroys margins.” of the sellers.
The objective is to «find a balance between adjusted prices and profitability margins for the concessions. To improve their income, these will be able to commit to the brand to offer more coverage – for example, immediate assistance to professional clients – and, in exchange, receive a certification that allows them to modify Stellantis models.
As for the factories, the consortium has 10 production points, distributed throughout the world, but Imparato wanted to highlight the two located in the Iberian Peninsula: the Portuguese one in Mangualde and the Galician one in Vigo “are two of the best that exist, capable of reducing costs without giving up valuable elements in vehicles.
«Vigo is ready to change the engines that are needed in the K9 models [Peugeot Rifter, Citroën Berlingo, Fiat Dobló y Opel Combo] in a matter of a day,” he said. This degree of flexibility is something that is being sought in the rest of the Stellantis plants, which can represent both an opportunity and a threat.
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