Probably The World’s Fourth Largest Car Maker
Stellantis is the name of the world’s fourth largest motor vehicle company (subject to EU approval!) with a possible annual production of 8.7 million vehicles. This is a product of the 50:50 merger between the Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) and the French PSA groupe.
Will this merger see the return of Alfa Romeo and Fiat to Malaysia?
Will this merger see the return of JEEP to Malaysia under an official brand guardian?
Will this merger bring a new multi-brand Malaysian owned franchise to Malaysia or will it come under the Naza Automotive Group who currently carries Maserati, Peugeot, Citroen and DS?
Will Lancia return to making right hand driver vehicles for the world?
Will Abarth become a car brand by itself and not just a niche tuning arm of Fiat?
Will Fiat expand its product line-up finally to include more than just compact cars?
This will take time to answer and we wait patiently for its to happen in our automotive lifetime.
Derived from the Latin verb ‘stello’ that means ‘to brighten with stars’, Stellantis will be finalised some time in 2021.
This French and Italian-American alliance is set to bring many known marques under one corporate umbrella. PSAalready controls Peugeot, Citroën, and DS, along with the recently acquired Opel and Vauxhall; while brands such as Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati and Ram are under the FCA umbrella. When the merger is completed, the breadth of automobile choice offered by Stellantis will be only rivalled by other equally giant automotive conglomerates like GM and the Volkswagen Auto Group.
Of course, these distinct brands will still exist in their own right. But try as they might to say that their product is unique and individual, the whole point of mergers like Stellantis, that are happening increasingly often in the auto industry, is to reduce development costs by platform sharing and badge engineering. It is a rarity nowadays that a high volume car maker is standalone.
While sensible people might see Stellantis as a way for Dodge to gain access to a competent hatchback in the form of a Peugeot 208, or Citroën to obtain a reasonable four wheel drive in its line-up using Jeep or Ram parts; there are some interesting possibilities that can be birthed from this marriage of two giant auto conglomerates.
Maybe a reimagined Citroen SM, the once funky Maserati-engined Citroen GT coupe that was the height of Parisian chic in the 70s. Or how about a DS luxury sedan with a Hellcat motor. All the French trimmings inside clothed in a stylish Parisian exterior, while simultaneously being able to smoke its rear tires at the drop of a hat. Well, one can dream.
More information can be found in the press release below:
STELLANTIS: The name of the new group resulting from the merger of FCA and Groupe PSA
In a major step as they move towards the completion of their 50:50 merger as defined in the Combination Agreement announced on 18 December 2019, Peugeot S.A. (“Groupe PSA”) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (“FCA”) (NYSE: FCAU / MTA: FCA) today announce that the corporate name of the new group will be STELLANTIS.
STELLANTIS is rooted in the Latin verb “stello” meaning “to brighten with stars”. It draws inspiration from this new and ambitious alignment of storied automotive brands and strong company cultures that in coming together are creating one of the new leaders in the next era of mobility while at the same time preserving all the exceptional value and the values of its constituent parts.
STELLANTIS will combine the scale of a truly global business with an exceptional breadth and depth of talent, knowhow and resource capable of providing the sustainable mobility solutions for the coming decades. The name’s Latin origins pay tribute to the rich history of its founding companies while the evocation of astronomy captures the true spirit of optimism, energy and renewal driving this industry-changing merger.
The process of identifying the new name began soon after the Combination Agreement was announced and the senior management of both companies have been closely involved throughout, supported by Publicis Group.
The STELLANTIS name will be used exclusively at the Group level, as a Corporate brand. The next step in the process will be the unveiling of a logo that with the name will become the corporate brand identity. The names and the logos of the STELLANTIS Group’s constituent brands will remain unchanged.
As previously stated, completion of the merger project is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by both companies’ shareholders at their respective Extraordinary General Meetings and the satisfaction of antitrust and other regulatory requirements.
Opinion and Text by Joshua Chin
