In a meeting with Lula, Stellantis boss commits gaffe after microphone failure: ‘it must be of Asian origin, the battery’

“It must be of Asian origin, the battery.” This is how Antonio Filosa, global CEO of Stellantis, justified a malfunction of his microphone during a meeting with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and government ministers at the Planalto Palace on Wednesday (22). The executive was presenting projects and job creation figures at the time of the failure.

The speech, even if in jest, was a gaffe by Filosa, since the conglomerate he leads — and which controls brands such as Fiat, Jeep, Peugeot and Citroën — has several partners of Asian origin, such as Chinese automakers Dongfeng and Leapmotor (the latter controlled by Stellantis and which sells electrified cars in Brazil). The comment occurred at a time when relevant facts about Fiat’s 50 years in the country were presented.

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Watch the moment of the microphone failure and Filosa’s comment:

More pinpricks and compliments

After the speech, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin laughed at the comment, but Lula did not show any reaction. The head of Stellantis participated, earlier this week, in several events to celebrate Fiat’s 50 years of industrial activity in Brazil, along with other executives from the group’s top echelon. In the meeting with President Lula, Filosa presented, among other subjects, the investments of R$ 30 billion that the group will make in Brazil between the years 2025 and 2030 and the generation of 2,000 new jobs by the group: 1,500 vacancies in Betim (MG) and 500 in Porto Real (RJ).

Also during the presentation, the global CEO of Stellantis made a point of highlighting that the Betim industrial hub created an ecosystem of about 400 suppliers and that it did not assemble cars in CKD or SKD (semi-disassembled) regimes. It is worth remembering that the so-called “traditional automakers” are in the middle of a dispute with Chinese newcomers, especially BYD, which is taking advantage of an extension of tax exemption to continue importing semi-disassembled vehicles. Filosa took the opportunity to praise the president and the vice-president, thank them for their support to the national automotive industry and invited Lula to the launch of the Argo X, Fiat’s biggest novelty and which will hit the market soon.

Lula also celebrated, at the end of the meeting, the expectation that about 3 million new vehicles will be registered in Brazil in 2026 and said that he will work together with representatives of the automotive industry to increase the sector’s exports to countries in Latin America and Africa.