Stellantis has ambitious plans: to have a range of fully electric passenger vehicles in Europe by 2030. In the United States, the target is 50%. That’s the crux of the conglomerate’s Dare Forward 2030 plan, and despite the slowdown in electric vehicles in the U.S., it’s moving full speed ahead. But that doesn’t mean the company won’t build combustion cars if that’s what buyers want.
This is what emerges from a recent report by NeighborhoodsAuto, which quotes Stellantis CFO Natalie Knight talking about the flexibility of building combustion vehicles from electric platforms. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard a Stellantis executive talk about flexibility, but the report presents things in a broader spectrum. In short, if demand exists for a combustion version of an electric vehicle, Stellantis is ready to build it.
“I don’t want to ignore the fact that we want to stay close to the consumer, and if we see that there is an opportunity with these models that we first introduced as BEVs, we will look at it,” a- she declared, according to NeighborhoodsAuto.
Despite its all-electric endgame, Stellantis offers a new line of STLA platforms designed to accommodate electric or combustion powertrains. The company sees this as an advantage for the future, and why not? As the automotive industry transitions from thermal to electric, having such flexibility is certainly an advantage. But we can’t help but think about the larger question here. What will happen if, by 2030, 75% of American buyers want a combustion vehicle? Will this undo the 50% plan outlined in Dare Forward 2030?
Although the future is uncertain, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed to us that, for now, the company is not changing or reconsidering any aspect of its 2030 goal. 50 percent electricity in the United States and 100 percent in Europe is still the plan. In Europe, sales of electric vehicles are still doing well. Things in the United States aren’t as rosy, although some models fare better than others. But 2030 is only six years away. Unless the auto market makes a significant adjustment, a line of 50% electric new cars could be a tough sell for U.S. buyers.
