Stellantis, the models that could change the fate of the group in 2025

Anno bisesto, anno funesto. A popular saying, but one that sums up Stellantis' 2024 to perfection, a year that will be remembered for the major drop in registrations, margins, but above all for the farewell of Carlos Tavares. And in addition to the crisis in the entire automotive market, one of the main causes of the crisis at Stellantis is linked to the delay of expected new models and the exit from the scene of cars with important volumes such as the Fiat 500. But 2025 seems to be starting off under good auspices, starting with the new C3, which was able to conquer the third step of the podium among the best-selling cars in Italy in November. And it is precisely on the basis of the French compact car, the Smart Car platform, that the Citroen C3 Aircross, the almost twin Opel Frontera and above all the Fiat Grande Panda will hit the road next year. All of them will be offered with hybrid or fully electric engines, the latter being essential to minimise the payment of Cafe fines related to carbon dioxide emissions. And as recently tested on the Opel Frontera, models based on the Smart car platform (renamed starting with the Grande Panda as the multienergy STLA Smart Platform) will once again offer what most European customers demand: cars characterised by good content but above all marketed at a fair price. And the year 2025 will also be the testing ground for assessing the real potential of the Alfa Romeo Junior, a model that started out 'uphill' due to the name change but was well received by customers thanks to the right mix of style, performance and motorisation on offer. Another test related to the Lancia Ypsilon, a model based on the CMP platform of Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa but characterised by a more personal line and greater aesthetic characterisation. For the only model in Lancia's range, this is a complex challenge, because it has to convince a clientele ready to spend up to almost 30 thousand euro for a compact hybrid. Figures decidedly different from the first generation, when around 15 thousand bought the previous Ypsilon. Models that could mark a rebound in registrations, thus giving new life to Stellantis accounts. And that's not all: the new Ypsilon started out with some youthful defects, which brought several cars back to the dealerships for software updates.

Moving on to the Stla Medium platform, three more DS-branded models will arrive in 2025, including the DS 8, a Citroen and the new Jeep Compass; in 2026 it will be the turn of the Lancia Gamma and another DS. Moving on to the Stla Large we have the Jeep Wagooner S, Charger Daytona and by the end of the year the Jeep Recon should be unveiled.

Three purely electric models that will have to prove to be competitive on the market, a situation that is not happening to date with the Wagooner S, which has already been described as "too expensive" by several analysts. Mission even more difficult for the Recon, a model inspired by the Wrangler in its shape and off-road capabilities but powered exclusively by lithium ion.

In 2025, according to Stellantis' announcement last summer, the first electric Alfa Romeo based on Stla Large, a Dodge and a second Alfa Romeo novelty will arrive. The brand.

2025 will also be the debut year of Fiat's future crossover based on the Smart Car platform; sister to the Citroen C3 Aircross and Opel Frontera, it will bring the concept of the 'compact family car' back into the range of the brand founded by Giovanni Agnelli after the 500L's exit from the scene in 2022. Not only that: it could become an heir to the Fiat Multipla, a model always accused of having an ungainly line but virtually unbeatable on the practicality front. In just four metres it could comfortably seat six people.