Stellantis: France remains at the heart of the new STLA One platform

For Economy Minister Roland Lescure and Industry Minister Sébastien Martin, this satisfaction was not fake. And rightly so, it is not every day that a manufacturer, in this case Stellantis, announces that it has invested nearly a billion euros in France.

So the two ministers lined up outside the Mulhouse plant (68), greeting all the elected officials with great ease, and eventually came to shake hands with the manufacturer’s boss, Antonio Filosa, who barely masked his impatience at so many handshakes. “The Peugeot Lion will continue to roar on this site for a long time,” said Industry Minister Sébastien Martin.

But no matter what, the main message must be conveyed at all costs. The group insists on the French roots of the project. 500 million of the billion-euro investment has already been allocated to the launch of the new STLA One platform, which is presented as an important element of the FaSTLAne 2030 strategic plan.

Designed and developed in France by the group’s engineers in Poissy (78) and Sochaux-Belchamps (25), it will make it possible to produce around two million cars by 2035 (and one million in 2030). “I can confirm that this platform is 100% French engineering, a creation from a 100% French team and the Peugeot team,” assured Antonio Filosa.

Mulhouse: Only 125,000 vehicles produced in 2025

Then, 400 million euros will be allocated directly to the Mulhouse production facility and 100 million euros will support local suppliers. Goal: To restore the volume of the Alsatian plant, strengthen the group’s competitiveness against Chinese manufacturers and secure the industrial future of the plant.

Therefore, according to the new strategic plan, the first to benefit from this will be Peugeot, the leading brand of the group. If the future new 208 to be produced in Spain will be on this platform, Mulhouse is currently working on three Peugeot models that will be assembled there.

The site currently produces the 308 (in sedan and SW version), the 408 and a few more units of the soon-to-be-replaced DS7. In 2029, the new 308 and SW version will be confirmed here. Although there are doubts about the body type, as Alain Favey, the boss of the Peugeot brand, is talking about a new SUV in the C segment, the 408 will also be renewed.

The announcement that a third model will be added to Mulhouse makes the employees happy. Because the industrial site has experienced a sharp decline in activity in recent years. The plant produced only around 125,000 vehicles in 2025, compared to more than 300,000 four years ago, according to Stellantis.

STLA One platform: the cornerstone

Approximately 4,500 people currently work in the factory. If mechanical operations (and especially the forge) operate at full capacity, the assembly part suffers from chronic underutilization.

At the center of the project is the new STLA One platform. Stellantis estimates it will achieve 20% higher competitiveness than existing platforms and achieve cost parity with Chinese manufacturers producing in Europe. According to the manufacturer, 1 million vehicles should be produced in Europe in 2030 and 2 million vehicles worldwide in 2035. Because Chrysler in the USA also needs to benefit from this.

It will also be able to carry LFP battery chemistry to lower the access price for customers.

Dongfeng in Rennes, Peugeot in Mulhouse

But Mulhouse owes its salvation above all to its history with Peugeot. And faced with an excess production capacity of 800,000 units per year, the decision was made to renovate the Poissy plant (78) and reallocate it to parts manufacturing.

As for Rennes, a Citroën factory, the manufacturer therefore chose to share assembly lines with Dongfeng rather than close the plant. “We want to act without closing factories. That’s why we turned to partners Leapmotor and Dongfeng, who have strong ambitions in Europe. But these ambitions are linked to European regulations, especially Made In Europe.

When asked about possible public financial assistance, Stellantis did not directly mention support. But the manufacturer still welcomed many French initiatives, especially ecoscore and the role the French government plays in Europe’s discussions on auto industry policy.

According to the group, these measures help support local car production and the competitiveness of the European industry.