The company headquarters and assembly plant are located on the former site of Zastava Automobiles (1953–2008) – 70 miles south of Belgrade on the Lepenica river in the country's central Šumadija region.
By the early 2000s, automotive companies began opening new manufacturing plants in nearby Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia — representing brands including Audi, Mercedes Benz, Renault, and Suzuki.
[26] The new work included planting 1,000 native trees in the factory area and creating a bio-lake hosting several endangered species.
[28] In 2013 the plant employed 3,800 workers with an average age of 30,[13] and incorporates "World Class Manufacturing" standards at the silver level.
[25] The Fiat headquarters (building 18c) has a ground floor museum, a permanent exhibition highlighting the history of the site and Kragujevac — along with a training academy as well as corporate and manufacturing offices.
Workers demanded an hourly wage increase from 2 to 2,40 euros, paid overtime, an end to layoffs, a work reorganization, and compensation allowance for shifts that start or finish at night, from 10 PM to 5 AM, when the public transportation isn't operating.
[35] In May 2022, Fiat management announced that they intend to close and refurbish the plant in order to produce a new electric car beginning with 2024.
Until then, workers have been offered to either relocate to a Fiat plant abroad (Italy, Germany, Poland, Slovakia), where they can earn three times more, or to accept a layoff severance pay.