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FCA to Build Battery Assembly Plant in Italy

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV says it will open a €50 million ($56 million) plant next year at its Mirafiori complex in Turin, Italy, to make batteries from purchased cells.

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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV says it will open a €50 million ($56 million) plant next year at its Mirafiori complex in Turin, Italy, to make batteries from purchased cells.

The company’s Comau automation and robotics unit will partner in the so-called battery hub. The center will include training, prototyping, quality control and testing capabilities.

FCA says the facility will supply batteries for the array of electrified models the carmaker plans to begin rolling out next year. The first such vehicles will be plug-in versions of the Jeep Renegade and Jeep Compass small SUVs and an all-electric Fiat 500 minicar.

FCA announced a year ago that it would spend €5 billion between 2019 and 2021 to add 13 new or updated SUV/crossover models at its Melfi, Mirafiori and Pomigliano assembly plants in Italy. The effort is aimed at bolstering the capacity utilization of the three factories and to support the company’s plan to electrify 12 existing models over the next three years.

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