Stellantis aims to overtake Ford to become global leader in light commercial vehicles (LCVs) by 2027, the company has said.
The multinational giant wants to boost its sales of vans and pick-up trucks from 1.6 million globally last year to around two million in 2027, which it said would be enough to overtake its key rival.
“If you want to be number one, you have beat Ford,” said Stellantis LCV boss Jean-Philippe Imparato at an event laying out the company's future strategy in the market segment.
As part of its van push, Stellantis has rebranded its commercial business unit Pro One. Unlike Ford with its Pro unit, Stellantis won’t break out financials, but it said the rename was to “highlight the importance of the unit” within the company.
Vans and pick-ups accounted for around a third of Stellantis's €180 billion (£156bn) revenue last year, it said.
Vans sold by its Citroën, Fiat, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhall brands gave it the number-one position in Europe last year, with a 31% market share, although Ford remained the top overall brand in the region.
Stellantis's main focus is on boosting its standing among customers of pick-ups in the US, where its Ram brand sits in third place behind Ford and Chevrolet (owned by General Motors).
It also wants to grow sales in South America, where it concentrates on small and medium pick-ups, such as the Fiat Toro.
Stellantis aims to boost its van revenue to almost €100bn (£87bn) by 2030 – double that of its 2021 figure.
It doesn’t disclose profits for its individual units, but vans have recently been big money-makers for automotive companies, with pick-ups earning even greater margins, particularly in North America. For example, Mercedes-Benz said its van unit earned margins of 13% in the first quarter of this year.
Add your comment