Fiat Chrysler doesn't make a lot of electric vehicles. Just the Fiat 500e and a handful of hybrids, really. But it's preparing to launch a whole slew of EVs in the coming years and is gearing up for their arrival with the establishment of a new battery plant at its home base in Turin.

FCA's new Battery Hub is being built within the historic Mirafiori complex where it currently builds the Maserati Levante, not far from the Grugliasco factory where it makes the Quattroporte and Ghibli. And the proximity to the Trident brand's facilities is no coincidence.

Maserati recently announced plans to make the successor to today's long-serving GranTurismo an electric vehicle. And FCA will also build the next-generation, all-electric Fiat 500 at the Mirafiori site as well. Both will source their power cells from the new Battery Hub – as will the bulk of the ten other electrified models FCA plans to roll out in the coming years.

With an initial investment of about 50 million euros, the new facility is set to begin cranking out batteries early next year, in time for the start of production of the new electric Cinquecento in the second quarter.

"The automotive industry is undergoing a period of profound change and one of the major trends is closely linked to electrification," said Pietro Gorlier, head of FCA's European operations. "With its new car battery assembly center at Mirafiori, FCA accelerates its drive to electrify, adding now another element to the 'ecosystem' that starts from supply chain and ends with customer support."

As it is, FCA's Turin operations – including Mirafiori and Grugliasco – stand as the transatlantic automaker's largest facility worldwide, with some 20,000 employees not only building Maseratis, but working in design, sales, parts, and financial services.