As Stellantis walks back its EV plans, diesel engines are set to be given a reboot, thanks to demand in Europe.
Customer demand is poised to see the European brands under the Stellantis umbrella reintroduce diesel engines.
Brands including Opel, Peugeot and Citroen are set to see diesel options return, while Alfa Romeo and DS will retain their current diesel engines.
In a new report from Reuters, the news agency found a number of diesel models returned to showrooms by the company, despite no official announcement of the return of the specific diesel models.
In a statement by Stellantis, the company said: “We have decided to keep diesel engines in our product portfolio – and in some cases – to increase our powertrain offering.”
The change affects the European market, where the uptake of electric vehicles from Stellantis brands has not met expectations.
The company has already begun massaging its powertrain line-up, adding a mild-hybrid petrol-powered version of the previously electric-only Fiat 500.
Outside Europe, plans for an electric Ram pick-up have been cancelled, with a range-extender model to take its place, while petrol V8s, which were replaced by downsized turbo six-cylinder engines, have also been revived.
Stellantis confirmed that existing diesel engines in the Alfa Romeo Tonale, Stelvio and Giulia, and DS 7 would continue, in line with customer demand for those variants.
Reuters also found that the DS 4, Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot 308 and Rifter, and Opel Combo have all had their diesel engine options reintroduced without any fanfare from Stellantis.
Sales data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) reveals that in 2025, diesel accounted for an 8.9 per cent market share in Europe.
It was overtaken by plug-in hybrids with a 9.4 per cent share, electric vehicles represented 17.4 per cent of the market while petrol and hybrid led on 26.6 and 34.5 per cent respectively.
Despite the reintroduction of diesel engines for the European market, the move is unlikely to see diesel engines return to Stellantis vehicles in Australia.
Similarly, the US market, and by extension the US brands that would benefit from diesel engines, including Jeep and Ram, are likely to stick with petrol engines as the basis of future powertrains.
While diesel vehicles accounted for 28.5 per cent of total vehicle sales in Australia in 2025, including commercial vehicles, the passenger car segment recorded a 6.6 per cent share of diesel power, while diesel accounted for 16.7 per cent of SUV sales, on the strength of large ute-based models.
Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
