Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
On December 18th, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA announced that the merger will indeed happen. In other words, what started out as negotiations in May 2019 has evolved into the world’s fourth-largest automaker.
Buried deep inside the press release, FCA and PSA acknowledged that platform-related savings are in the pipeline. Approximately two-thirds of run-rate volumes will be made possible by two platforms, but neither automaker said which platforms. What we do know, however, is that approximately six million vehicles will be manufactured every year on the small and compact-/mid-sized vehicle architectures. These said, care to guess who makes them?
“Industry sources” told Automotive News Europe that Fiat Chrysler and PSA are referring to the CMP and EMP2 modular toolkits. “Ram pickups and larger Jeep models will continue to use FCA underpinnings,” which is pretty understandable given that the French automotive group doesn’t have too much experience at making body-on-frame workhorses and utility vehicles.
Otherwise said, the 500e in the featured photo and gallery could be one of the final Fiats with in-house developed platforms. Transitioning to the CMP makes plenty of sense for both parties for obvious reasons. On the one hand, Fiat doesn’t need to invest that much money in designing a vehicle architecture from scratch. And on the other, more business will be good for Groupe PSA.
The French automaker owns Opel and the Vauxhall brands since 2017, and as opposed to General Motors, the beancounters at PSA managed to turn both brands to profit after almost two decades of losses. Even the Insignia mid-sized sedan and station wagon will switch to a French platform in 2022, and so will the body style. More to the point, the Insignia will morph into a crossover.
So how large will Fiats running PSA platforms be? The EMP2 is larger than the CMP and e-CMP, and the models with the largest footprint include the Peugeot 5008 seven-seat crossover and 508 station wagon. The EMP2 is also available as a plug-in hybrid with either e-AWD or front-wheel drive.
“Industry sources” told Automotive News Europe that Fiat Chrysler and PSA are referring to the CMP and EMP2 modular toolkits. “Ram pickups and larger Jeep models will continue to use FCA underpinnings,” which is pretty understandable given that the French automotive group doesn’t have too much experience at making body-on-frame workhorses and utility vehicles.
Otherwise said, the 500e in the featured photo and gallery could be one of the final Fiats with in-house developed platforms. Transitioning to the CMP makes plenty of sense for both parties for obvious reasons. On the one hand, Fiat doesn’t need to invest that much money in designing a vehicle architecture from scratch. And on the other, more business will be good for Groupe PSA.
The French automaker owns Opel and the Vauxhall brands since 2017, and as opposed to General Motors, the beancounters at PSA managed to turn both brands to profit after almost two decades of losses. Even the Insignia mid-sized sedan and station wagon will switch to a French platform in 2022, and so will the body style. More to the point, the Insignia will morph into a crossover.
So how large will Fiats running PSA platforms be? The EMP2 is larger than the CMP and e-CMP, and the models with the largest footprint include the Peugeot 5008 seven-seat crossover and 508 station wagon. The EMP2 is also available as a plug-in hybrid with either e-AWD or front-wheel drive.
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