Fiat is part of the Stellantis Group. It has not yet been announced which will be the first brand from the automotive conglomerate to have a flex hybrid. But, even if the Italian company is not the pioneer, it will also have national electrified models in its line – even if this happens from 2026 onwards.
Chevrolet, on the other hand, insisted a lot on the national electric car speech. Now, it shows signs that it will also have a flex hybrid – but it is lagging behind in the development of the technology, compared to its two main competitors.
The fact is that, whether with electric vehicles or hybrids, all of these automakers have already fallen behind in the race for electrification. The new Chinese brands arrived the other day, but they gained space in this segment in a way that surprised the market and scared traditional manufacturers.
Over the past year, BYD and GWM have been decisive in bringing electrified vehicles to a share of almost 10% of the market, a very relevant number. The two brands showed that Brazilians do want electric and hybrid cars. And, as long as they are offered with market fit, they have the potential to be much more than niche products.
For traditional automakers, the important thing now is to recover losses and speed up the launch of their electrified products. The question is: will they have the technology to, at competitive prices, compete with the Asian companies not only in the hybrid segment, but mainly in the electric segment?
After all, do any of the traditional automakers really plan to have a 100% domestic battery-powered car, or at least an imported one suitable for the market like the Dolphin and Ora 03? These questions need to be answered quickly, as the market is growing at a frightening speed month after month. And the protagonists are new players: those from the Chinese team.
