A 50:50 merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) and Peugeot S.A. (Groupe PSA) has been christened Stellantis and is now the fourth-largest automaker in the world, behind Volkswagen, Toyota and the Renault–Nissan alliance. Stellantis has been derived from the Latin word ‘stello’ which means ‘to brighten with stars’. The company says the name’s Latin origins pay tribute to the history of its founding companies while the reference to astronomy captures the spirit of optimism and energy.
The two companies began the process of settling on a new name soon after the Combination Agreement was announced and the senior management from both sides was closely involved, also supported by Publicis Group. The name Stellantis will be used at the Group level as a Corporate brand.
While the name has been settled upon, the two are yet to unveil a logo that will go on to become the corporate brand identity. The names and the logos of the Group’s two constituent brands – Fiat and Peugeot – will remain unchanged.
Subject to customary closing conditions and approval by both companies’ shareholders at their respective Extraordinary General Meetings, the merger project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021,
Also read: Anand Mahindra wants to launch Peugeot three-wheel scooter’s low-cost version in India, here’s why
The primary objective behind the merging of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot is to help both brands cope with slowing demand and share the cost of building cleaner cars and keep up with the tougher emissions regulations globally.
The umbrella will have brands like Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Opel, with a potential manufacturing capacity of 14 million, according to forecasters LMC Automotive.
They have yet to say precisely how they plan to tackle that potential excess, and which car platforms – or underlying vehicle structures will they focus on, only detailing that most production would be concentrated on two platforms.
