Stellantis plans to hire several hundred more engineers in Europe and the US

Stellantis, the maker of Fiat, Peugeot, Jeep and Citroën cars, will hire several hundred additional engineers in Europe and the United States this year, its chief engineering and technology officer Ned Curic told Bloomberg News at the Paris Motor Show, in remarks published at the weekend.

Curic said the company had room to grow and was hiring, and that there was still plenty of room for Stellantis engineers in countries such as France, Italy and Germany. He said it was essential for the company that engineering stays in Europe.

Stellantis showed more than 60 vehicles from eight brands at the show, including nine concept cars. Chief executive Antonio Filosa, who took over last year, announced a plan in May to invest about €60 billion through 2030 and launch dozens of new models.

The plan contrasts with cuts at rivals, Bloomberg reported. Volkswagen, Europe’s largest carmaker, plans to reduce its global workforce by about 15%, and Renault said in April it would cut up to 20% of its global engineering staff to save costs.

Among the models shown in Paris was a low-cost, fully electric Citroën 2CV concept, to be developed with China’s Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology. Stellantis has also begun work with Leapmotor on a new electric Opel SUV. Curic said Stellantis was learning from the way its Chinese partner works and improving its own processes.