CEO of Maserati, Stellantis N.V.
Crisi dell'auto: l'intervista esclusiva a Jean-Philippe Imparato - XXI Secolo 09/12/2024
https://www.raiplay.it/programmi/xxis... - L'intervista esclusiva al responsabile europeo di Stellantis, Jean-Philippe Imparato, per parlare di crisi dell'auto.
Transcript (20 segments)
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Interviewer0:00
Good evening, Jean-Philippe Imparato. As head of European operations at Stellantis, on December 17th you will represent your company at the table on the automotive crisis with Minister Urso, who has asked the company for a precise plan regarding the fate of the Italian plants. What will you tell him?
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Jean-Philippe Imparato0:17
The intention I have, as you can imagine, is that we are already working on this type of meeting. I will say first and foremost that Italy is at the center of Stellantis's strategy. Stellantis considers Italy an absolutely key point for development, and I will provide an industrial plan for each factory that I am evaluating during this time to give a very simple answer to Minister Urso. I don't want promises that aren't kept, meaning if I say something at the table on the 17th, it will be ready, based on concrete things: cars coming, engines coming, and an industrial footprint at the right level.
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Interviewer1:08
The sales data for Stellantis shows a decline, but it should be said that the entire automotive supply chain is going through a kind of perfect storm. And I ask you, why is all of this happening?
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Jean-Philippe Imparato1:24
I'll tell you my view. For me, customers are lost. Firstly, because in these times of uncertainty, you should know that within four weeks, for example, I need to sell 20% of electric cars. Out of 100, obviously, as we are at 12 cars sold out of 100 today, there's a dead jump to make at the electric level and people don't really know where to go. That's the first reason for me. Secondly, the global economic situation is obviously not in order, it's not good, and so people say: do I need to change my car now? I'm not sure, and do I need to get an electric, hybrid, or hydrogen one? This is part of the uncertainty. Beyond that, there's a climate where we hear that individual mobility is about to change. In the end, when we look at real life, we need to bring customers a form of security, both to private individuals and to companies.
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Interviewer2:39
The Italian plants in recent months have been running at reduced volumes and the use of the Cassa Integrazione furlough scheme is frequent, so much so that it has led some to think that Stellantis was changing its mind about Italy. Tell us how things actually stand.
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Jean-Philippe Imparato2:55
Well, things are actually very clear. I saw the numbers this morning because I need to consider the figures before meeting Minister Urso to explain what we're doing. I can say something that I will confirm with very clear facts: on the 17th, Italy becomes the second European market for me in terms of plants by 2029. Point one. Point two, I'm not closing anyone. Point three, each one has a product plan. So it's not that Stellantis is abandoning Italy. Absolutely not, and we will show it to everyone next week.
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Narrator3:34
The workers of the plants and those of the supply chain are waiting for precise answers because the fate of their families is at stake, along with that of this strategic industry. Valentina Vitale went to Turin, to Mirafiori, one of Stellantis's three sites worldwide, the hub of the future of sustainable mobility. Seven production sectors are active, but the body shops are stopped and no more cars will be produced, at least until January 8th. What future awaits the over 3,000 workers on the Cassa Integrazione furlough scheme? We spoke with them directly.
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Factory Worker4:16
We're asking for cars, we're asking for production. Those cars and that production are being made, but they're being made abroad and no longer in Italy, let alone at Mirafiori. We want to work.
How much did you work this year? Very, very little. I made a count of nine weeks. When I was doing shifts, I was earning about 1,600 euros a month. Now we're at around 1,100 to 1,150.
What's the loss of your salary over these years? If you count that monthly I've been losing 400 to 500 euros a month, you do the math. More than 50 to 60,000 euros.
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Interviewer5:05
And how do you manage to live on the Cassa Integrazione? You survive.
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Factory Worker5:11
You survive. I'm a single income earner living with two children. My social life is really one of poverty, because there are no expectations. Let me tell you what it means to be on the Cassa Integrazione through my son's words. This word has taken so much from me, because whenever I asked him what he wanted me to buy him, my answer was always the same: I'm sorry, but we can't. Today I'm 20 years old and you're still on the furlough scheme.
You're on a layoff but also worried right now because they renew my layoff month by month. They've really abandoned us workers. I had to take money from my pension fund, so I've burned my future for the present. How will Christmas be? I'm not thinking about it. If I have to say, I wish tomorrow were January 8th.
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Interviewer6:20
Dr. Imparato, what do you feel like saying to these workers and their families?
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Jean-Philippe Imparato6:24
First of all, I see them. I speak to the workers every day. Immense. When I go to eat... Alright guys, I'll tell you the very clear thing: Mirafiori will be alive and Mirafiori will be developed. What am I doing? Right now Mirafiori is the 500, right? The Fiat 500. So within a few months we'll have the hybrid 500, and beyond that I'm preparing the 500 for a day that will come. So the plan at this point is about to be consolidated. But let me tell you one thing: we're not giving up on Mirafiori and we're not giving up on Turin. Beyond the 500 I'm preparing for the future, we've also placed at Mirafiori the commercial vehicles division, Pro One, in Italy. And as head of Europe, I come and put the entire European organization in Turin. So there's no doubt: Mirafiori is here, Mirafiori will be here. Right now, you all know I'm developing the hybrid at Pomigliano, so I'll bring it as soon as possible. I see something around November 2025, and after that we restart at about 100,000 cars a year. But not only that. After that, we place at Mirafiori the future of the 500. The future of the 500 takes us to 2032, 2033. So there's no doubt: Mirafiori will have work.
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Interviewer8:05
The fact that you carry out your activity as head of European operations from Turin — is this intended as a signal of the group's renewed commitment to Italy?
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Jean-Philippe Imparato8:11
Yes, having the European organization plus the commercial division, plus a hybrid 500, plus the future of the 500 in Turin — this is a signal beyond everything else that we're doing in the city.
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Silvia Sacchi8:30
In the crisis of the automotive sector, the transition to electric vehicles weighs heavily. With Silvia Sacchi, let's present some data related to the global market. Let's immediately ask the key question at this point: despite the slowdown in some markets, what is the spread of electric vehicles worldwide? The International Energy Agency estimates that by the end of 2024, we'll reach 17 million cars, beating the record of 14 million in 2023. Volumes continue to rise despite the slowdown in demand and represent 20% of global sales. So we can say that one car out of five is electric. It's above all China where there's a boom in electric vehicles — about 45% of all car sales in the entire country last year. Six out of ten electric cars were sold in China, which confirms itself as the leading market also for this year, followed at 25% by Europe and at 10% by the United States. And coming to Italy, full electrics don't go beyond 4% of the total. In the first eight months, registrations have actually dropped by 12.3% compared to 2023.
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Interviewer9:48
Dr. Imparato, making electric cars costs 40% more for manufacturers due to the use of more expensive components like batteries, and they require less labor — some studies say 30% less. So I ask you, how do you manage to keep all of this together?
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Jean-Philippe Imparato10:01
You're absolutely right. When one decides overnight on a regulation that brings a 40% cost impact on the car, it's absolutely obvious that there will be consequences. No one can, and no one is ready to pay 40% more for a product like a car. You've seen that. So what do we do? We engage in a competitiveness race. You know this perfectly well, because the average customer says: I won't double the price of a car just because you've put in electric — it's not something I can accept. Secondly, we ask those who can help this industry to move toward what will eventually be the 100% electric situation. Look at China, for example — they're now on a path toward 90% electric within three years. And if anyone thinks they can be protected against this, they're wrong. So we need to push for being competitive quickly in this sector and for everyone to unite to make this cost as light and as fast as possible. I see the technology, I see the batteries, I also see the software to optimize in order to be ready. But you should know something: we are now launching as Stellantis 14 electric and also hybrid cars to face this competition, and we will do it.