TURIN, Italy – Antonio Filosa, the newly appointed CEO of Stellantis, kicked off his Italian tour on May 29, 2025, with a visit to the historic Mirafiori plant in Turin, signaling a renewed focus on the company’s Italian roots. Filosa, an Italian national who assumed the role on June 23, 2025, replacing Carlos Tavares, chose Mirafiori—Fiat’s storied production hub—as his first stop to underscore its strategic importance to Stellantis’ future. The visit comes amid challenges for the plant, including production halts and weak demand for the electric Fiat 500, but also highlights Filosa’s commitment to revitalizing the automaker’s operations in Italy.
Filosa, 51, who joined Fiat in 1999 and rose through roles in Latin America and North America, toured Mirafiori’s sprawling 2-million-square-meter complex, which employs around 20,000 people and produces the Fiat 500 electric and Maserati models. Accompanied by Stellantis Chairman John Elkann, heir to the Fiat-founding Agnelli family, Filosa met with workers and union representatives, emphasizing collaboration and innovation. “Mirafiori is the beating heart of our Italian legacy,” Filosa said in a statement. “It’s where we honor our past and build our future, with the Fiat 500 and new hybrid models leading the way.”
The visit addressed concerns raised by unions, particularly after Mirafiori’s production was halted from December 2, 2024, to January 5, 2025, due to low sales of the Fiat 500 electric, which accounts for 97% of the plant’s output. Union leaders, including FIM-Cisl’s Rocco Cutri, expressed cautious optimism, citing Filosa’s promise to boost production with the upcoming Fiat 500 Ibrida, a hybrid model set for release in late 2025 or early 2026. The plant, which produced 77,500 Fiat 500 electric units in 2023—below the expected 90,000—also hosts a new global commercial vehicles hub and a circular economy hub, reinforcing its role in Stellantis’ electrification strategy.
Filosa’s tour comes at a critical juncture for Stellantis, the world’s fourth-largest automaker, formed in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Peugeot. Facing a 2.2% share price drop on the day of his appointment and pressure to recover U.S. market share, Filosa is tasked with rationalizing Stellantis’ 14 brands and navigating Trump-era tariffs. His experience in turning around Fiat’s market leadership in South America and boosting Jeep’s presence in Europe has earned praise, with Italian dealer Plinio Vanini calling him “the right person in the right place.”
The Mirafiori visit ties into your earlier “frightened crowd” quote, evoking the pressure Filosa faces from workers, unions, and investors, much like the chaotic crowds in Portofino or the mob that trapped Ashok Saraf. The “steps” of Mirafiori’s assembly lines bear witness to his first moves as CEO, under scrutiny akin to Karen Read’s trial or Chelsea’s trophy triumph. Filosa’s tour will continue to other Italian plants like Pomigliano and Atessa, which saw production growth in 2023, as he seeks to unify Stellantis’ global strategy while honoring its Italian heritage.