Stellantis announced that it will extend a production stoppage at its Fiat 500 factory in Turin, Italy, for an additional week. The development marks the fourth straight week of no production at the facility, Reuters reported.
The automaker initially cited a weak demand when the stoppage began in mid-October. However, a Stellantis spokesperson pointed to a shortage of electronic components, particularly chips for engine control units, as the cause for the extended pause. The company added that the shortage had significantly disrupted production of the Fiat 500 and Fiat Pandina models in Italy.
Reuters noted that the FIOM trade union attributed the issue to weak demand for the city car, with union representative Gianni Mannori calling Stellantis’ component shortage claims “an alibi."
