Stellantis NV is placing partnerships at the heart of its corporate strategy as it prepares to lay out details of a restructuring later this month, Chief Executive Officer Antonio Filosa said Tuesday.
Speaking at the Financial Times' Future of the Car conference in London, Filosa stated, "Partnerships will be embedded in our strategy going forward," and reiterated the company’s focus on securing collaborations that deliver mutual benefits.
Earlier in May, Stellantis announced plans to broaden cooperation with China’s Leapmotor in Europe. Filosa said the carmaker is seeking alliances that can create advantages for both parties and stressed the intention to retain jobs while developing new models for marques such as Fiat. He added that these sorts of agreements do not inevitably threaten a brand’s independence, noting, "Partnerships don’t need to be mono-directional."
The company, which owns brands including Maserati, Fiat and Peugeot, is carrying out a reorganization of its European operations alongside increased spending in North America. Last week Stellantis disclosed that two of its Spanish factories will manufacture electric vehicles for Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology Co. The automaker has also renewed a partnership with Dongfeng Motor Corp. in China.
Filosa left the door open to potential partnerships in the United States, saying he did not expect Chinese carmakers to enter the US market for some years but suggesting the US could still serve as a platform for cooperative arrangements.
Stellantis said it plans to deepen its work with Leapmotor on procurement to achieve cost reductions. The company is scheduled to release its business review on May 21 in the United States.
Contextual note - The statements above reflect remarks made at the London conference and the company disclosures cited by Stellantis in May related to cooperation with Leapmotor and the revival of its relationship with Dongfeng.