Stellantis Brings Back Diesel BlueHDi as EV Limits Show

Since December 2024, Stellantis has been reintroducing the BlueHDi 100 hp diesel engine on around fifteen models in Europe — including the Peugeot Rifter, the Opel Combo and the Citroën Berlingo — after having bet almost everything on electric between 2022 and 2024. The group is absorbing €22 billion in exceptional charges linked to this failed pivot and is executing a strategic rebalancing under the leadership of Antonio Filosa, who replaced Carlos Tavares at the end of 2024.

"In some cases, we are even expanding our diesel engine range" — Stellantis spokesperson, as quoted by Journalauto.com

A Step Backward That Won't Say Its Name

Between 2022 and 2024, Stellantis had gradually purged diesel from its catalogs. The logic seemed relentless: the Volkswagen scandal of 2015 had tarnished diesel's image, Euro standards were tightening, and electric seemed poised to sweep everything. Except the market didn't follow the planned timeline.

According to ACEA, diesel accounts for 7.7% of registrations in Europe in 2025. That's little, very little. But electric, supposed to take over en masse, is plateauing at 19.5%. Far from the projections that justified axing diesel so hastily. In this context, the European Commission also softened the conditions for banning combustion engines planned for 2035, opening up a margin of maneuver that Stellantis is quick to exploit.

The decision to reintroduce the BlueHDi 100 hp is therefore not a nostalgic whim. It's a response to demand that hasn't disappeared, particularly among professionals and high-mileage drivers who look first at total cost of ownership.

Which Models Are Affected?

The list is long. On the light commercial and multi-purpose vehicle side, diesel returns on the Citroën Berlingo, the Peugeot Rifter, the Opel Combo, the Fiat Professional Qubo L, the Citroën SpaceTourer, the Peugeot Traveller, the Opel Vivaro and the Fiat Professional Ulysse. These are precisely the vehicles where electric struggles most to convince: tradespeople, delivery drivers, and large families want range without stress, and not necessarily a home charger.

Compacts aren't left out either. The Peugeot 308, the Opel Astra and the DS N°4 also get diesel versions back in the catalog. The group further confirms it is keeping diesel on the DS 7, the Alfa Romeo Tonale, the Giulia and the Stelvio.

€22 Billion: The Price of a Failed Pivot

The numbers hurt. Stellantis announced €22 billion in exceptional charges linked to its strategic repositioning toward electric, which caused its stock to drop by 25%. This isn't an accounting footnote — it's an admission that the all-in electric strategy was miscalibrated, too fast, too rigid in the face of a market that didn't follow.

The group is not renouncing electric, however. A spokesperson was careful to state that Stellantis "remains fully committed to electrification" and still plans to launch around thirty new electric or hybrid models between 2025 and 2026. But the simultaneous announcement of diesel's return on fifteen models says everything about the realism that has replaced ideology.

Should You Still Buy a Diesel in 2026?

That's the real question buyers are asking. On paper, diesel has strong arguments: low consumption, great range, favorable diesel price, universal refueling network. In the real world, these advantages remain very concrete for anyone driving more than 20,000 km per year, or living in the countryside without easy access to a charger.

The BlueHDi 100 hp, with its modest power level but generous torque (a diesel characteristic), is tailor-made for professional and family uses where you load, tow, and drive far.