Overview
- The joint venture backed by Stellantis, Mercedes‑Benz and TotalEnergies confirmed the long‑paused projects are definitively shelved and opened consultations with German works councils and Italian unions on winding them down.
- Germany had pledged roughly €437 million for the Kaiserslautern site that was slated to create about 2,000 jobs, and federal and state authorities now plan to review funding terms, potential clawbacks and alternative uses for the land.
- ACC will keep Douvrin, France, as its primary hub, though reports cite high scrap rates and constrained output that have limited Stellantis to about 1,000 vehicles per month using ACC cells and led to delays of up to eight months.
- UILM in Italy and IG Metall in Germany condemned the cancellation and pressed for clear industrial alternatives and job protections in the affected regions.
- The move follows Stellantis’s multibillion‑euro write‑downs and a steep share‑price drop, alongside a strategy shift that includes offloading its Canadian battery JV stake for a symbolic $100 and sourcing lower‑cost LFP cells elsewhere.