Stellantis and Nissan are reportedly considering the acquisition of selected Marelli assets, as the KKR-controlled supplier continues its Chapter 11 process in the United States after filing in June 2025 to restructure its debt and ensure operational continuity. According to reports, the two automakers are looking at different parts of the group’s industrial perimeter. Stellantis is said to be particularly interested in the suspension division, which has operations in Italy and other countries, while Nissan is reportedly focusing on some Japanese assets linked to interiors and cabins.
Stellantis and Nissan could move for Marelli assets amid supplier restructuring
Marelli was created in 2019 through the integration of Calsonic Kansei and Magneti Marelli, a deal that brought together Japan’s component expertise with one of the historic names of the Italian automotive supply chain. The group operates in lighting, electronics, interiors, suspension and thermal management, acting as a direct supplier in the industrial plans of several global automakers. The restructuring process, launched with support from a large majority of creditors and new liquidity to keep operations running, has inevitably opened the door to possible targeted sales of individual divisions.
For Nissan, which has deep historical ties with Japan’s component industry, securing assets considered strategic for its own supply chain could represent a form of industrial protection during a phase of competitive relaunch. For Stellantis, acquiring the suspension division would follow a logic of direct control over critical supplies, reducing dependence on a restructuring process whose outcome remains uncertain and fitting into a broader strategy to contain complexity and costs across the European supply chain.
The dynamic reflects a trend that is becoming increasingly clear across the sector. Major automakers are once again looking selectively at component suppliers, especially when supply continuity comes under pressure for financial or geopolitical reasons. In a context shaped by tariffs, the electric transition and pressure on margins, leaving the management of essential components entirely to the market creates risks that some groups would rather avoid.
The talks are reportedly still at an exploratory stage, and neither Stellantis nor Marelli has commented. The supplier’s restructuring path remains open, and the sale of specific assets could become one of its tools, while also reshaping supply relationships with some of the group’s main customers.
