Stellantis has extended its scheduled summer shutdown at the historic Mirafiori factory in Turin, Italy, pausing operations for an additional week. According to the FIM Cisl trade union and company representatives, the extra downtime is a direct response to persistent component shortages from key automotive suppliers, though union officials hint that cooling market demand may also be playing a role.
The automotive giant officially notified unions that the factory will halt assembly lines from July 27 to July 31. This newly added stoppage directly precedes a previously scheduled three-week summer closure set for August, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
A Stellantis spokesperson confirmed the extension, attributing the move to supply chain bottlenecks for essential parts, including engines, bumpers, and electronic sensors. Ironically, the company noted that some suppliers are struggling to keep pace with the manufacturing acceleration of the iconic Fiat 500 city car, which was refreshed late last year with a highly anticipated hybrid variant alongside its fully electric counterpart.
However, labor representatives view the situation with skepticism. FIM Cisl’s Igor Albera suggested that frequent production pauses at the Turin facility signal that consumer demand for the vehicle is softer than initially projected. The plant had already trimmed its daily output earlier this year, scaling assembly down to 400 units per day from an earlier rate of 430.
The manufacturing hiccup comes at a critical time for the brand’s volume targets. Stellantis previously announced an ambitious goal to manufacture roughly 100,000 hybrid and electric Fiat 500 units in 2026. While the automaker’s European Chief, Emanuele Cappellano, reported that first-quarter production had reached 15,000 vehicles and was accelerating, executives have stopped short of explicitly reaffirming that the 100,000-unit year-end target remains within reach.