Yahoo Finance Fiat to remove Italian flag from cars built in Poland after row with Meloni
The owner of Fiat is removing the Italian flag from the bumpers of cars produced in Poland after clashes with Giorgia Meloni’s government over “made in Italy” branding.
Stellantis said it would stop putting green, white and red stripes on its Fiat 600 SUVs to prevent misunderstandings about where they are assembled.
It is the latest concession by the company amid a simmering row with Ms Meloni’s administration over how its cars are presented to consumers.
Last month Stellantis announced it would rename Alfa Romeo’s Milano SUV, which is also produced in Poland, after ministers in Rome claimed the “Italian-sounding” moniker was misleading.
Earlier this week, Italian police also seized more than 134 Fiat Topolino cars that were imported from Morocco because their doors featured a sticker of the tricolour flag.
Stellantis insisted it was “operating with complete and absolute transparency regarding the place of assembly of its products” and said the decision to remove the flag from its Fiat 600 SUVs was to “prevent any misunderstandings”.
The company added: “Stellantis is firmly convinced that it has always acted with complete propriety in this regard.”
In recent months, Ms Meloni’s government has repeatedly criticised Stellantis for manufacturing cars of historic Italian brands such as Fiat or Alfa Romeo in lower-cost countries.
Ministers have insisted that cars using Italian names or featuring the Italian flag must be made domestically. Otherwise they are in breach of so-called “made in Italy” laws passed in 2003.
For example, Adolfo Urso, Italy’s industry minister, said of Alfa Romeo’s Milano SUV: “A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland. This is forbidden by Italian law.
“This law stipulates you cannot give indications that mislead consumers ... a car called Milano must be produced in Italy.”
Stellantis, which is based in the Netherlands and was formed from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France-based PSA Group in 2021, claims the stickers symbolise “the entrepreneurial origin of the product”.
The latest incarnation of the Topolino was created and designed in Italy, the company added.
It made a similar argument regarding the Fiat 600 and said it had always clearly stated that the car, launched last year, was being assembled in Poland.
Stellantis has previously claimed it would have been too expensive to make the cars in Italy but, given Turin-based Fiat’s domestic history, that has angered Ms Meloni and her government.
“The [Fiat] group is a very important part of the country’s industrial history and it means one must have the courage to criticise choices made by the management and its owners if they are far from the Italian national interest,” she told the Italian parliament in January.
“If you want to sell a car on the global market as an Italian jewel, well, then, that car must be produced in Italy.”
She has also railed against the merger behind Stellantis’s formation, arguing it amounted to a “takeover by the French”.
Following the deal, the French government has retained a stake and a seat on the company’s board.
But Italy’s efforts to make an investment and gain representation have been rebuffed by John Elkann, head of the Agnelli family, which is the biggest investor in Stellantis.
Separately, car parts maker Dowlais – formerly known as GKN Automotive – slashed its sales guidance amid warnings of “volatility” in demand for electric car powertrains.
The company said it expected revenues for this year to be slightly below last year’s numbers due to the uncertain demand for its powertrain products.
