Automotive News Europe — 2026-02-08
Automotive Industry
The Stellantis-backed Automotive Cells Company (ACC) told unions it had dropped plans to build gigafactories in both Italy and Germany, the Italian metalworkers’ union UILM said.
ACC, a battery joint venture in which Stellantis is the largest investor, had plans for three gigafactories in Europe -- in France, Germany and Italy.
However, UILM said ACC management had informed them that the planned projects for Termoli in Italy and Kaiserslautern in Germany had been “definitively shelved.”
ACC said in a statement on Feb. 9 that the projects in Germany and Italy had been on standby since May 2024 and added that the “prerequisites” to restart them were unlikely to be met. It said “different scenarios” were being considered.
Stellantis said it was closely monitoring the situation, and that it remained “fully mobilized” to assess industrial and social implications.
ACC, which is owned by Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz and TotalEnergies, has started production at a plant in France, but put on hold the Italian and German projects amid slow demand for electric vehicles.
ACC’s initial 2020 goal was to have three production lines in the three countries each with an annual capacity of 8 Gigawatt-hours. The plan now is to have only two blocks in France, but with a higher installed capacity of 13 and 15 GWh.
The French plant is producing products for Stellantis vehicles. Production of finished batteries for Mercedes should start in mid-2026, a source close to the matter said.
Stellant on Feb. 6 announced a €22.2 billion ($26.5 billion) writedown as it scales back its electric-vehicle ambitions.