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Maserati Levante SUV may be built in Italy after all

In July Fiat halted its investments in Italy, putting on hold plans for the Maserati Levante SUV to be built at the automaker's flagship factory in Turin. But Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, whose company owns Maserati, met with unions on Wednesday, and he may announce plans to move forward with production of the SUV at the Mirafiori factory if the CEO and the unions reach an agreement, Bloomberg reports.
Marchionne is reportedly about ready to build new cars at Fiat's largest and oldest factory, on the grounds that 5,300 workers accept extended temporary layoffs through most of next year in a slowing European auto market. If unions don't accept the deal, it's not clear whether Fiat would still consider building the Levante at Mirafiori or not.
The Levante, Maserati's first SUV, is based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee platform, and we reported two years ago that it would be built in Detroit next to its Jeep cousin. Obviously those plans have been altered considerably in the intervening period of time.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 disaster endangers FCA's Magneti Marelli sale

Samsung's financial and public relations positions are going up faster than one of the company's Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, and that's bad news for Fiat Chrysler. FCA was in talks with the South Korean tech giant to sell all or a portion of Magneti Marelli, the enormous Italian parts supplier. The deal, estimated to be in the $3 billion range, was a big part of FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne's five-year plan to slash his company's ˆ5.5 billion ($6.07 billion at today's rates) debt. But Samsung's flaming phones may have stalled the deal, Automotive News reports. Samsung was hoping to acquire all or part of Magneti to gain access to its lighting, in-car entertainment, and telematics business, all in a bid to reduce its reliance on occasionally explosive consumer electronics, AN's sources report. This week alone, Samsung permanently ended production of the Note 7 and began recalling millions of devices, sending out flame-proof return boxes so owners can ship the device back in relative safety. The disaster has already caused Samsung to slash its third-quarter operating profit by $2.3 billion, and is leading the company to divert its attention away from big, blockbuster deals, people "who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are private" told AN. According to the same sources, the two sides haven't even agreed on a valuation for Magneti Marelli. Neither company was willing to comment on the potential sale. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Andrew Zuis / AP Chrysler Fiat Technology Smartphone Sergio Marchionne FCA Samsung

New Stellantis layoffs mean over 3,000 jobs set to go in Italy

The gates of the Stellantis factory in Mirafiori, Turin, Italy. (Getty Images)   MILAN — Stellantis, the maker of Fiat cars, on Wednesday signed further deals with unions in Italy for voluntary layoffs, meaning the automaker could cut its workforce by a total of over 3,000 roles in the country. New deals were reached on Wednesday for over 1,000 layoffs at facilities in Italy, including Melfi, Pomigliano d'Arco and Termoli, both for line workers and other functions, the FIOM union said in a statement, although it has not itself signed the agreements. The cuts are being driven in part by the transition to cleaner energy in the industry. They add to similar deals announced on Tuesday for Stellantis operations in the city of Turin, with as many as over 1,500 voluntary layoffs, and for the engine making facility in Pratola Serra, with 100 additional jobs involved. A deal has not yet been signed for the Cassino plant, another large Stellantis assembly facility in Italy. The company has proposed 850 voluntary redundancies for that site, FIOM had said on Tuesday, but a final deal with unions is expected to settle on a lower figure. Another agreement is expected to cover the Atessa van making plant in central Italy. A spokesman for Stellantis confirmed the new deals signed on Wednesday, under a framework agreed with unions last week. "They are part of the initiatives implemented by Stellantis to address the effects of the ongoing energy and technology transition process ... including on employment," the spokesman said. They are on a strictly voluntary basis and mostly aimed at employees close to retirement age or willing to take new professional opportunities, the spokesman reiterated. Stellantis employs about 43,000 people in Italy, including about 15,000 in the area of Turin, in Italy's northwest, the historic home of Fiat, which merged with Peugeot-maker PSA to create Stellantis. Voluntary redundancy packages have been the main tool used by Stellantis to cut its workforce in Italy, which amounted to around 55,000 people when the group was formed in early 2021. The carmaker, which on Wednesday reiterated Italy had a central role to play in its global operations, is in talks with the Italian government on conditions allowing it to boost its annual output in the country to 1 million vehicles, from about 750,000 last year.