Urso, the Minister of Italian Enterprises and "Made in Italy", confirmed yesterday (17th) that the Chinese auto giant Dongfeng Motor Group is in preliminary negotiations with the Italian government on the production of cars in Italy.
According to Italy's "24-hour Sun" and Ansa News Agency, on Tuesday (16th), Qian Xie, head of Dongfeng Motor's European business, said during the brand launch conference in Italy that Dongfeng is evaluating the establishment of a factory with an annual output of 100,000 vehicles in Italy.
Qian Xie said that Italy is one of the largest car markets in Europe, and for a Chinese automaker, being able to produce locally means supplying the rest of Europe. According to the company, Dongfeng Motor is currently in contact with the Italian government in the hope of establishing and deepening a relationship of trust.
In response to the news of the construction of production capacity in Italy, Dongfeng Group told China Fund News on the 17th that it was "false news".
However, Urso, the minister of Italian enterprises and "Made in Italy", confirmed on the 17th when participating in the forum of the Italian Business Confederation that the Italian government is in contact with multinational car manufacturers, and Dongfeng Motor is also one of them.
Ansha
Urso has said several times in recent days that Italy needs to attract more automakers, not just Stellantis, so it is open to Chinese companies as well.
Urso said it was unusual for Italy to be the only major European power with only one car manufacturer.
According to the report, the Italian government will provide Dongfeng Motor Group with some production base options in the coming weeks.
But the plan could exacerbate already strained relations between the Italian government and the Stellantis Group.
Last week, Stellantis CEO Tavares warned that he would make an "unpopular decision" if someone brought a Chinese competitor to Italy and grabbed market share.
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