Mumbai, Oct. 23 -- Stellantis India plans to halve vehicle development time and increase localisation for selected Citroen and Jeep models as part of its FaSTLAne 2030 roadmap. The company will invest Rs. 40 bn over the next three years and launch 12 products across the two brands in India, including seven new models.
Stellantis India managing director and chief executive Shailesh Hazela said the group is working to reduce global product development time from 48 months to about 24 months. The company's engineering centre in India is among its four large technology centres worldwide and develops vehicles for both its Indian brands and global markets.
Stellantis operates a software and technology centre in Bengaluru and has a longstanding manufacturing partnership with Tata Motors Passenger Vehicle through a 50:50 joint venture. The companies recently agreed to expand their cooperation into advanced technology and product development. They plan to jointly develop vehicles for more than 50 global markets and manufacture them in India at Fiat India Automobiles.
Citroen's current localisation level in India is between 90 and 95 per cent, while Jeep's is about 70 to 75 per cent. Stellantis India is working towards localisation of more than 90 per cent across its products by strengthening local engineering capabilities and its domestic supply chain. The company said this would provide greater flexibility to match market pricing expectations.
Jeep currently sells the Compass, Wrangler, Meridian and Grand Cherokee in India, while Citroen's range comprises the C3, BasaltX, AircrossX and C5 Aircross. The planned Jeep additions include one SUV each in the B, C and D segments, along with a D-segment pickup. Citroen is set to receive a C-segment SUV, a D-segment MPV and an A-segment car.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.