Atessa: at the Stellantis hub, all eyes are on the future of the Ducato

One billion in investment in the Atessa site, to strengthen its industrial mission as “Stellantis Pro One’s strategic European hub for large commercial vehicles and a leader in factory-fitted conversions”, as the company describes it. The challenge facing the historic Ducato factory – a model which this year celebrates 45 years in production – is twofold.

On the one hand, preparing to launch the Group’s new range of commercial vehicles online, which will be unveiled in Hanover in mid-September and will be available on the market from 2029. On the other hand, to effectively allocate the one billion investment announced by the Group’s senior management – between now and 2030 – in order to modernise production facilities and support the industrial effort required to respond to a market that is, in any case, undergoing major transformation. This applies to both vehicle configurations and powertrains. Furthermore, in Hanover, Stellantis Pro One will also unveil a world premiere of “Box-on-Wheels”, a new concept marking a strategic shift towards the provision of integrated logistics solutions. Also on display will be the latest innovations from Stellantis CustomFit, the vehicle customisation programme based in Atessa that combines in-house modifications with a global network of over 500 certified partners to ensure integration, quality and compliance with safety standards.

For the Abruzzo plant of the Group led by CEO Antonio Filosa, the summer shutdown lasted just two weeks; the factory reopened its doors last week, with the solidarity scheme having ended last month. All 4,200 employees are now working across three shifts, and a series of voluntary overtime weekends is scheduled. “The company,” says Amedeo Nanni of Fim Cisl, “is already carrying out a series of preparatory measures ahead of the actual investment, in anticipation of a major project in December to be carried out in the Sheet Metal Working department, involving work on machinery, robots and the automation of production processes.”

In the first half of the year, as shown in the quarterly report compiled by the CISL metalworkers’ union, production reached 94,030 units, 4 per cent down on the same period in 2025. This decline is in fact attributable to structural work carried out this time in the factory’s paint shop. However, the trade unions say that the 190,000-unit mark is still within reach this year. Atessa is one of Stellantis’s main production hubs in Italia, alongside Pomigliano, with its share of the Group’s total production having risen from around a third to almost half of the units manufactured in Italian factories.

Whilst the Group saw a sharp decline in the number of cars produced in Italia between 2024 and 2025 – with a recovery of around 30 per cent this year – the light commercial vehicle sector has held up much better. The Group’s commercial vehicles are manufactured at the Abruzzo plant, including the Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer, Citroën Jumper, Opel Movano/Vauxhall Movano and Toyota Proace Max.