Jeep Grand Cherokee, Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Citroen C5 Aircross and other important models critical to the future of Stellantis.
The new Jeep Grand Cherokee could be the best-selling Stellantis in Australia.
This week, a new automotive giant appeared in the world.
It took over a year, but the merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Group PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) was finally completed, immediately making it the fourth largest car company in the world.
Together, Stellantis' combined production is around eight million vehicles a year, and by joining forces, the two sides hope to save up to 5 billion euros ($7.8 billion).
Stellantis brings together 14 brands - Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Abarth, Maserati, Lancia, Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall. While obviously not all of these are sold in Australia, there could be major changes to the brands that are offered here.
However, it remains to be seen what exactly the new structure means for Australian customers: FCA Australia is based in Melbourne and operates as a direct factory facility, while Citroen and Peugeot are imported and distributed by Sydney-based Inchcape.
To complicate matters further, the popular Ramutes and Maserati are being looked after by the Ateco Group in Sydney, which has confirmed it will continue its ongoing deals with FCA.
Regardless of how the business is structured locally, there are several key models that will help shape the hopes of Stellantis in Australia.
Alpha Romeo Stelvio
The Italian brand is set to expand its SUV lineup with the compact Tonale, which will surely boost its appeal and sales; but he hasn't committed to introducing it to Australia yet...yet. But whether it brings Tonale or not, Alfa Romeo should get more out of what it already has.
The Stelvio in particular, because while the Giulia is a good car, the sedan market remains in decline and the future of the market lies with SUVs; Thus, Stelvio is more likely to influence the overall results of Alfa Romeo.
Alfa Romeo only managed to sell 414 Stelvios in 2020 compared to 4470 Mercedes-Benz GLCs and 4360 BMW X3s sold. Obviously, reaching the same heights as the Germans is too optimistic, but the Italian brand should focus on getting the Stelvio above 1000 units a year. That would put it on par with more niche offerings like the BMW X4, Range Rover Evoque and GLC Coupe.
The refreshed 2021 Stelvio should arrive in the first quarter of the year, which is the perfect time to try and start growing.
Citroen C5 Aircross
If all (or at least most) of the Stellantis brands come under the same management in Australia, there will no doubt be serious questions about Citroen's long-term future locally. The French brand managed to sell just 203 items in 2020, almost half of its pre-pandemic 2019 sales.
Standing out is no problem for Citroen, the brand offers some of the most interesting and attractive cars on the market today. The problem is to turn those turned heads into sales.
The most likely candidate for success is the C5 Aircross, if only because it competes in the sizable midsize SUV market. In 152,685, Australians bought 2020 medium SUVs and unfortunately for Citroen, only 89 of them were 5 Aircross, meaning it sold better than the Jeep Cherokee, MG HS and SsangYong Korando.
It will never be a bestseller, but the C5 Aircross offers the best growth potential for the brand. He just needs to find a way to get more people to take a chance on a fancy SUV.
Fiat 500
What's next for the Italian city car brand? It's been a question we've been asked many times, especially since the introduction of the all-new electric 500 in early 2020. The Australian venture has yet to confirm if it will be offered locally, as it will likely carry a big premium over the already expensive petrol model (it starts at $19,250 before road costs for the three-door hatchback).
The good news for Fiat Australia is that the current petrol model will continue to be launched alongside an all-new EV version, at least as long as it remains popular enough around the world to justify it.
Local management will hope so because the 500 accounts for more than 78 percent of total sales. To put it simply, it's hard to imagine the future of the Fiat Down Under brand without a gas-powered 500, so a lot depends on a pint-sized car.
Jeep Grand Cherokee
The American SUV brand has high hopes for Australia as it aims to be in the top 10 brands over the next four years. The new Grand Cherokee is undoubtedly the most important model to reach this goal, because back in 2014 when the company reached its peak sales (30,408 XNUMX), over half of its sales came from its rival Toyota LandCruiser Prado.
Jeep will face some major hurdles to overcome in order to return to those higher sales numbers, not least reliability issues after the previous generation was recalled more than a dozen times during its lifetime.
The good news is that the new model meets many of the requirements that should make it attractive to buyers again. First, it's an all-new vehicle based on a new unibody platform that the company claims makes it quieter and more refined than ever before. It will also be available in both five- and seven-seater configurations, further enhancing its appeal.
Interestingly, however, it will ditch the diesel engine: only the 3.6-litre V6 petrol and 5.7-litre V8 petrol are confirmed to launch in Australia later this year, with a plug-in hybrid variant arriving in early 2022 for those looking for more efficiency. .
Peugeot Expert
The rival Volkswagen Tiguan 3008 is the best-selling French brand, and an updated model will arrive in 2021. but the brand as a whole.
Peugeot sold just 294 Expert vehicles in 2020, putting it in last place in the light commercial van market. But given that Expert was only partially launched in 2019 and entered the commercial market for the first time in recent memory, 2020 results were promising.
Peugeot almost tripled its sales in 2019, which shows that people were willing to take a chance on a new player in the market.
While it still has a long way to go before it closes in on the class leaders Toyota HiAce (8391 sales) and Hyundai iLoad (3919), it could steal sales from the likes of the Volkswagen Transporter, LDV G10 and Renault Trafic. to increase sales. commercial presence of the brand.
