Stellantis warns Peugeot model launches will be delayed after battery-factory setbacks
AutomotiveBattery ManufacturingSupply Chain
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Stellantis posted a roughly $26 billion impairment after sharply scaling back North American EV programs and moving capacity back to internal-combustion vehicles, triggering a steep share-price drop. The move compounds short-term operational strain from constrained battery-module supply at a key plant and raises fresh questions about the use and durability of government incentives tied to EV production.
Porsche has moved battery module assembly in-house and begun series production of the Cayenne Electric at its Bratislava-area facility, introducing a 113 kWh pack that supports fast 800V charging. Simultaneously, Norway saw a dramatic, policy-driven collapse in January new-car registrations as dealers front-loaded purchases before a VAT change; electric models still dominated the tiny month.
Stellantis and Volkswagen have escalated public and private lobbying for targeted EU measures to protect car manufacturing and critical supply chains, especially batteries. Their push highlights shortfalls in Europe’s battery ecosystem, rising competition from China and non‑EU producers, and a brewing debate over local‑content rules that could reshape investment and procurement across the continent.
Recent technical and commercial moves by several automakers and startups indicate solid‑state cells are moving from laboratory curiosities toward small‑scale production and pilot vehicle deployments. These advances arrive amid competing near‑term improvements — structural, pack‑level designs and fast‑charge lithium‑ion chemistries — meaning early solid‑state adoption will be niche, premium‑focused and decided more by manufacturing and supply‑chain practicality than by cell chemistry alone.
Automakers are moving from conventional packs to cell-to-body (structural) battery architectures that cut weight, simplify assembly and improve thermal management — claims that underpin very high range and ultra-fast charging but require independent validation. Those architectural gains intersect with material advances (carbon‑fibre electrodes) and shifting global supply chains — notably Chinese scale and new cell chemistries — making policy choices, midstream capacity and testing regimes decisive for who captures value.
A sharp fall in vehicle manufacturing has pushed UK output to its weakest level since the mid‑20th century after a prolonged Jaguar Land Rover shutdown disrupted assembly lines and supply chains. The interruption has amplified existing sectoral pressures—investment uncertainty, supply constraints and reduced exports—raising near‑term risks for jobs and industrial capacity.
Valterra’s CEO says that an unexpectedly gradual shift to electric vehicles is sustaining demand for platinum and palladium used in catalytic converters, keeping markets in deficit. The company expects these supply shortfalls to persist in the coming years unless EV uptake accelerates or supply expands materially.
Tata Motors reported a quarterly net loss after ongoing operational fallout from a cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover reduced production and delayed shipments, with knock‑on effects across UK supply chains. The incident not only hit near‑term profitability but also magnified risks to smaller suppliers, exports and local labour markets, increasing pressure on management and policymakers to speed recovery and shore up resilience.