Car giant Stellantis makes £11bn profit in first year of merger

Car maker Stellantis has said it made 13.4 billion euros (£11.1 billion) in its first year after it was formed from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group.

The earnings nearly tripled profits compared with its pre-merger existence as two separate companies, as the maker of Vauxhall, Citroen and Peugeot vehicles exploited cost efficiencies from combining the businesses.

The result compared with a combined 4.79 billion euros for the separate companies in 2020 before the merger, which took effect on January 17 2021.

Revenue for the combined business rose 14% to 152 billion euros (£126 billion).

Chief executive Carlos Tavares said the results “prove that Stellantis is well positioned to deliver strong performance” and had overcome “intense headwinds” during the year.

Car makers have struggled with shortages of key parts such as semiconductor electronic components and rising costs for raw materials as the global rebound from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic brings more demand.

The company said the benefits of the merger were worth 3.2 billion euros (£2.6 billion) during the year. Mergers can lead to streamlined costs as companies combine functions and spread fixed costs over a larger revenue base.

The company accelerated its rollout of battery-powered vehicles, with sales of low-emission vehicles reaching 388,000 — an increase of 160%.

Stricter environmental regulations in Europe and China are pushing firms to introduce more electric vehicles with longer range. Stellantis started production of a hydrogen fuel cell commercial van under its Opel brand in December.

Stellantis’s other brands include Chrysler, Jeep, Opel, Fiat, Maserati and Ram.