European electric vehicle production faces setbacks amid worker strikes and corporate profit disputes

Stellantis is under fire from both workers and investors as it blames governments for weak support of electric vehicle transitions, while employees argue corporate mismanagement is behind job losses and poor EV sales.

Kate Aronoff reports for The New Republic.

In short:

• Stellantis has halted production of its electric Fiat 500e, citing low sales, while laying off workers and shifting focus to hybrid vehicles.
• Workers in Italy, France and the U.S. are striking over unmet investment commitments, criticizing Stellantis’s focus on profit and executive pay.
• Stellantis claims the slow transition is due to inadequate government support, but unions argue that corporate underinvestment is at fault.

Key quote:

“They have distributed profits to shareholders, never to the workers.”

— Maurizio Oreggia, international coordinator for the Italian metalworkers’ union FIOM

Why this matters:

Electric vehicle production is vital to reducing carbon emissions, but corporate delays and job losses raise concerns about the auto industry's ability to transition effectively. Addressing these challenges is key to meeting climate goals.