Stellantis

Quick acceleration is often used as a selling point for high-performance cars, but can it actually be safer? The instant acceleration of an EV not only offers a more nimble driving experience but it should be a safety feature argues Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares.

Italian automaker Maserati is doubling down on its roots and letting the world know that its vehicles will continue to be 100% designed, developed, and manufactured in Italy. That said, some of those Maserati vehicles in the pipeline, particularly the 100% electric ones, continue to face development hurdles. Meanwhile, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares is in a battle with the Italian government over EV sales support.

EVs drivers in Italy are a rare breed. And Stellantis’s CEO Carlos Tarvares says the government needs to step in and do more, a lot more, to promote EVs in a country with only 4% EV adoption rate, reports Automotive News Europe. Italy has some of the oldest, most polluting cars in Europe, and is lagging way behind other European countries in EV adoption, with an incentive program that has been practically nonexistent.

At least one automaker will avoid cutting EV prices to compete with Tesla. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares took aim at Tesla, saying EV price cuts could lead to a “bloodbath,” and the brand is avoiding a race to the bottom.

The first Jeep and Dodge electric vehicles will hit the US later this year. Ahead of their official launches, Stellantis revealed the new STLA Large EV platform that will underpin the upcoming Jeep and Dodge EVs. The platform features up to 500 miles range and power “that will outperform any of the existing Hellcat V-8s.”

After dropping Tesla, global rental car giant SIXT says it will buy up to 250,000 vehicles from Stellantis for its fleets in North America and Europe.

Stellantis has announced that it plans to cut what will likely be thousands of jobs from its Jeep plants in Detroit and Toledo, Ohio, blaming California’s emissions regulations for putting the company at a competitive disadvantage.

Stellantis is getting into the battery swap game, announcing a partnership with US-based swap specialist Ample. Using Ample’s existing technology, Stellantis intends to deliver EVs with battery packs that can be swapped in five minutes, beginning with its 500e.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, the leader behind brands including Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Fiat, and several others, has a warning for other automakers. Tavares said EVs must be affordable but profitable, or they will be “in trouble very, very soon.”

In the race to build small, more affordable electric vehicles to stave off fierce Chinese competition, Stellantis announced this morning that it has signed a broad preliminary joint venture with Chinese EV battery giant CATL. The plan involves buying and developing LFP batteries for the company’s small and mid-sized EVs in Europe. As part of the long-term deal, Stellantis – the parent company of Jeep, Fiat, Citreön, and Peugeot, among many more – is planning to build a new gigafactory in Europe to manufacturer LPF batteries.

California-based EV maker Rivian (RIVN) announced Monday it’s bringing on Carlo Materazzo as vice president of logistics. Materazzo comes to Rivian with over 20 years of auto experience as the EV maker continues ramping production.

GM Ventures and Stellantis Ventures have joined a growing list of investors that have recently raised $33 million in additional funding for Niron Magnetics – a company developing proprietary Clean Earth Magnets based on Iron Nitride that function without rare earths or other critical materials used in today’s EVs.

It looks like Ram has taken a page from Toyota’s playbook on how to spin a hybrid into a “class-shattering battery electric vehicle” that gets “unlimited range”: just make stuff up. Ram, owned by Stellantis, insists that we not call its new Ramcharger 1500 pickup a hybrid when it in fact houses a 27-gallon gas tank between the battery and the rear axle. So yeah, it’s clearly a hybrid.

Once a fierce critic of the European Union’s push to restrict ICE vehicles, Stellantis is now reaping rewards from its shift in focus to EVs, with France taking the lead thanks to revised “green bonus” incentives for Europe-made cars while freezing out Chinese brands. Yesterday the company announced a 7% year-on-year sales uptick yesterday, with a 37% boost in EV sales in Europe, beating out Tesla.

Stellantis, the parent company behind Jeep, Ram, Dodge, and 11 others, is launching several new affordable EVs in 2024. The automaker aims to reduce prices on electric models to take on industry leaders like Tesla and incoming Chinese EV makers.

UAW has announced that it has come to a tentative agreement with Stellantis to end the six-week strike, including job gains from the reopening of a plant in Belvidere, Illinois and addition of a new battery plant in that location.

Soon after, UAW announced that workers at GM’s plant which makes the all-electric Cadillac Lyriq will go on strike.

One year after filing for bankruptcy with its Jeep joint venture in China, Stellantis has found a new partner in EV startup Leapmotor to utilize its existing technology ecosystem as part of a $1.6 billion joint venture that will expand availability of the Chinese EVs in new markets in Europe, possibly beyond.

Stellantis announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with hydrometallurgical metal recovery expert Orano, to establish a joint venture focused on recycling end-of-life EV batteries and production waste materials from its plants around the world.

Stellantis, parent company of Fiat, Ram, and Peugeot, announced its plans to overtake Ford as the global number-one seller of pickup trucks and vans within the next four years, and it’s hoping electrification will take it there. 

Jeep and Ram owner Stellantis looks to take on the incoming competition with its new Citroen e-C3 electric car. Starting at around $24,500 (23,300 euros), Stellantis calls the new EV “The first European affordable electric car.” An even cheaper version is due out in 2025.

Jeep’s first 100% electric SUV, the Jeep Avenger, is creating a buzz in Europe. The Avenger has received over 40,000 orders since launching, as momentum picks up into the second half of the year.