Rome — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles says "extremely positive" results for sales of the new Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X will allow the automaker to add 1,500 new jobs in Italy.
It said Monday that the workers at the plant in Melfi, in the southern region of Basilicata, will initially be on temporary contracts.
The company said that once global demand for the models is stable, the workers could be offered new contracts featuring increasing job security.
The round of hiring would be a bright spot for Italy, where unemployment last year topped 13 percent.
Fiat says that Melfi, where it has invested more than 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) toward the production of the new models, is now one of the world's most advanced car assembly plants.