ACC production in Billy-Berclau: In addition to France, the company also wanted to produce batteries in Italy and Germany. Photo: ACC
Rome. The battery joint venture ACC has finally given up its plans to build gigafactories in Germany and Italy. The management of the company, in which Mercedes-Benz and TotalEnergies are involved alongside main investor Stellantis, has informed employee representatives that the projects in Kaiserslautern and Termoli, Italy, have been “definitely shelved,” the Italian metal workers’ union UILM said on Saturday.
ACC confirmed in its own statement that the requirements for restarting the projects, which have been dormant since May 2024, are unlikely to be met. A “constructive dialogue” has begun with the works councils in Germany and the unions in Italy about a possible discontinuation of the projects.
The background to the decision is the persistently weak demand for electric cars in Europe. Three factories were originally planned. While the first ACC plant in France is already producing, the consortium had already put the expansion plans for Germany and Italy on hold last year in view of the market situation.
The UILM union now called for “clear and coherent industrial decisions” to compensate for the failed plans. Stellantis had previously promised the production of gearboxes and engines in Termoli, but did not provide any operational details.
The cancellation follows a historic fall in the share price of Stellantis. The French-Italian carmaker’s shares fell 25.2 percent on Friday – the biggest daily loss in the company’s history. The group had previously recorded depreciation of around 22.2 billion euros and announced that it would significantly scale back its plans for the development of electric vehicles.