Fiat Grande Panda: too many orders, Italian workers sent to Serbia

The commercial success of the Fiat Grande Panda was not long in creating tensions... on the production side. Two months after the start of European orders, which recorded 15,000 units in just a few weeks, the Serbian plant in Kragujevac is struggling to keep pace. As a result, Stellantis has started to send Italian workers to reinforce its workforce.

Strong demand, but production lagging behind

The Serbian site at Kragujevac, co-managed by Stellantis and the Serbian state, was to ensure a gradual ramp-up in production of the Grande Panda, in both electric and hybrid versions. In reality, however, production rates are still a long way from the announced targets. Production currently fluctuates between 80 and 100 vehicles a day, while the group is aiming for around 500 vehicles a day.

Apart from logistical delays and shortages of components, particularly the eDCT gearboxes used for hybrids, the real problem is human: more than 1,000 workers are needed to keep the plant running at full capacity. Despite intensive recruitment campaigns in Serbia, the local workforce is not enough. So Stellantis decided to take action... in Italy.

Italian workers sent to Serbia

Initially, Stellantis proposed to employees of the Maserati plant in Modenapartially shut down, to work temporarily in Serbia. An offer poorly received by some of the staffAs Luigi Cozzolino, a worker for 35 years, testifies, the decision was an "insult" taken without union consultation.

But times are changing, and Stellantis has now extended its proposal to other Italian sites, including Melfi, where production is also in transition. With volumes set to collapse by 64 % in the first quarter of 2025, Melfi has plenty of manpower available. Some employees have therefore agreed to leave for Kragujevac, according to information from the Milano Finanza website.

The proposed conditions: a six-month voluntary secondment, return to Italy possible every 45 days, accommodation and meals provided, and a daily allowance of up to €100. Letters of assignment have already been sent.

It's urgent for Fiat

This is a strategic context for Fiat. The Grande Panda is designed to relaunch the brand on the European market. But without a rapid ramp-up, delivery times could become dangerously long. At the end of February, we were already estimating a six-month wait for any new order. If nothing were to change on the production side, this interval could become even longer, at the risk of dampening initial enthusiasm.