1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate Convertible 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Reid Bigland appointed CEO of Alfa Romeo, Maserati

There's been a big shakeup in Fiat Chrysler's leadership team, as head of US sales and FCA Canada CEO Reid Bigland will replace Harald Wester as the chief exec for Alfa Romeo and Maserati. Wester will retain his position as chief technical officer of FCA. Both men will hang onto their positions on FCA's Group Executive Council. The move is an interesting one considering the widely publicized issues at both Alfa and Maserati. Alfa Romeo's problems are almost too many to list. The brand has promised a full-scale return to the US market for more than a decade, but faced repeated delays. Its latest volume model, the Giulia, is being savaged by reviewers over quality issues, and the company has frequently pushed its upcoming CUV back. If that were the only problem, it'd be annoying, but according to Automotive News, Alfa's relaunch is also considerably over budget. Maserati is an entirely different can of worms. Alongside Alfa, it's been stung by a slow Chinese market. Profits are down, according to Automotive News, and it's been widely rumored that the company will delay its next sports car, the Alfieri, until 2018 – it was previously promised for this year. Meanwhile, two of its three other models, the Quattroporte and GranTurismo, are dangerously long in the tooth, and the Levante is still months away from US sales. Can Bigland sort these issues out? Maybe. As Sergio Marchionne said in his official statement, "[Bigland] has an extraordinary record of growing sales and market share in the US and Canada over the last 7 years at FCA, including leading the growth and positioning of the Ram and Dodge brands for part of that time."

Stellantis expects to hit emissions target without Tesla's help

Franco-Italian carmaker Stellantis expects to achieve its European carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions targets this year without environmental credits bought from Tesla, its CEO said in an interview published on Tuesday. Stellantis was formed through the merger of France's PSA and Italy's FCA, which spent about 2 billion euros ($2.40 billion) to buy European and U.S. CO2 credits from electric vehicle maker Tesla over the 2019-2021 period. "With the electrical technology that PSA brought to Stellantis, we will autonomously meet carbon dioxide emission regulations as early as this year," Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares said in the interview with French weekly Le Point. "Thus, we will not need to call on European CO2 credits and FCA will no longer have to pool with Tesla or anyone." California-based Tesla earns credits for exceeding emissions and fuel economy standards and sells them to other automakers that fall short. European regulations require all car manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions for private vehicles to an average of 95 grams per kilometer this year. A Stellantis spokesman said the company is in discussions with Tesla about the financial implications of the decision to stop the pooling agreement. "As a result of the combination of Groupe PSA and FCA, Stellantis will be in a position to achieve CO2 targets in Europe for 2021 without open passenger car pooling arrangements with other automakers," he added. Tesla's sales of environmental credits to rival automakers helped it to announce slightly better than expected first-quarter revenue this week. The next tightening of European regulations will soon be the subject of proposals from the European Commission. The 2030 target could be lowered to less than 43 grams/km. Related Video: Government/Legal Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Tesla Citroen Peugeot Emissions Stellantis

Alfa Romeo limits Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio NRING editions to 110 units

The 505-horsepower Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio and the 505-horsepower Giulia Quadrifoglio are two of the most exclusive, powerful, and attractive four-door vehicles on the market. In the past, they've both set records at Germany's Nurburgring, and Alfa has created limited-edition packages to honor the spirit of the legendary racetrack. The NRING-edition cars will be limited to 110 total examples. If this sounds familiar, it's because the idea is not new. In June of 2018, Alfa Romeo announced NRING packages for Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. At the time, we believed the special-editions would not be coming to America; turns out we were incorrect. The tweaks start with the paint, as the NRING cars are only available in matte Circuito Gray. As its association with motorsport and racing continues, carbon fiber has been applied to the mirror caps, the "V scudetto" front grille, the roof on the Giulia, and the side sills on the Stelvio. Red brake calipers with white scrip hide behind dark 19-inch wheels on the Giulia and 20-inch wheels on the Stelvio. The Stelvio also gets a dual-pane sunroof. Inside, Alfa Romeo added a carbon fiber steering wheel, a carbon fiber shifter bezel, a serial number badge on the passenger dash, and red and black leather with red contrast stitching on the seats. Light-up carbon fiber side sills are applied to the Giulia, and carbon fiber Sparco racing seats are optional on both cars. The NRING cars also come with the convenience package, the driver assistance dynamic package, and the premium alarm system. Unfortunately, there's no mention of the "Welcome Kit" the other markets got, which is a bummer. Who doesn't want racing gloves, a jacket, and a scale model? Alfa Romeo lists the 2019 Giulia Quadrifoglio NRING at $91,485 with destination, which is $15,895 more than the Giulia Quad's $75,590 starting price. The Stelvio NRING is $97,485, also up $15,895 from the $81,590 starting price. Only 55 examples of each car will be built.