1971 Citroen D Super on 2040-cars

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Here's your chance to bid on a rare Chapron-bodied 1969 Citroen DS

Citroen's palatial DS has become a sought-after classic, but auction house Bonhams is preparing to sell one that makes the regular sedan look a little mundane. Up for grabs with no reserve is a rare 1969 DS 21 that was rebodied into a stately limousine by coachbuilder Chapron. Assigned chassis number 4637101, the DS 21 scheduled to cross the auction block is one of 27 Majesty models built by Paris-based Chapron and one of three equipped with directional headlights, which were a real novelty in the late 1960s. While the DS was positioned as Citroen's range-topping sedan from 1955 to 1975, the coachbuilder took luxury to the next level by giving the Majesty a more upright C-pillar that cleared up additional space for the passengers riding in the back, a more angular-looking rear end, and a more upmarket interior. Majesty models also featured specific trim inside and out (the chrome strips on the fenders and on the front doors were notably not fitted to the regular-production DS) and a handful of subtle Chapron emblems. Pricing varied from car to car, but the Majesty wasn't cheap. It was created largely for heads of state and other money-no-object dignitaries, it was built almost entirely by hand, and it was priced accordingly. Finished in Midnight Blue, the example offered by Bonhams was fully restored in the 2000s. But it has been stored since the current owner purchased it at Retromobile in 2009, so it needs a full tune-up — at the very least. Like every DS built, the Majesty was fitted with a hydropneumatic suspension system that (we say this from experience) doesn't like to sit for an extended period of time. Parts are readily available, and the system isn't nearly as daunting to work on as it sounds, so getting it back on the road should be easier than it sounds. Bonhams is offering this Majesty with no reserve, meaning the highest bidder will take it home. It expects the sedan to sell for anywhere between 50,000 and 100,000 Swiss francs, excluding auction-related fees, figures that represent about $50,200 and $100,300, respectively. If this looks like the project that you've been waiting for, mark your calendar for July 3 — that's when this car will cross the block in Gstaad, Switzerland. Collectors who would rather enjoy a bidding war from the comfort of their couch can register to bid online.

EV cost burden pushing automakers to their limits, says Stellantis' CEO Tavares

DETROIT — Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said external pressure on automakers to quickly shift to electric vehicles potentially threatens jobs and vehicle quality as producers struggle with EVs' higher costs. Governments and investors want car manufacturers to speed up the transition to electric vehicles, but the costs are "beyond the limits" of what the auto industry can sustain, Tavares said in an interview at the Reuters Next conference released Wednesday. "What has been decided is to impose on the automotive industry electrification that brings 50% additional costs against a conventional vehicle," he said. "There is no way we can transfer 50% of additional costs to the final consumer because most parts of the middle class will not be able to pay." Automakers could charge higher prices and sell fewer cars, or accept lower profit margins, Tavares said. Those paths both lead to cutbacks. Union leaders in Europe and North America have warned tens of thousands of jobs could be lost. Automakers need time for testing and ensuring that new technology will work, Tavares said. Pushing to speed that process up "is just going to be counter productive. It will lead to quality problems. It will lead to all sorts of problems," he said. Tavares said Stellantis is aiming to avoid cuts by boosting productivity at a pace far faster than industry norm. "Over the next five years we have to digest 10% productivity a year ... in an industry which is used to delivering 2 to 3% productivity" improvement, he said. "The future will tell us who is going to be able to digest this, and who will fail," Tavares said. "We are putting the industry on the limits." Electric vehicle costs are expected to fall, and analysts project that battery electric vehicles and combustion vehicles could reach cost parity during the second half of this decade. Like other automakers that earn profits from combustion vehicles, Stellantis is under pressure from both establishment automakers such as GM, Ford, VW and Hyundai, as well as start-ups such as Tesla and Rivian. The latter electric vehicle companies are far smaller in terms of vehicle sales and employment. But investors have given Tesla and Rivian higher market valuations than the owner of the highly profitable Jeep and Ram brands. That investor pressure is compounded by government policies aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union, California and other jurisdictions have set goals to end sales of combustion vehicles by 2035.

Fiat Chrysler CEO says final merger talks with Peugeot going well

BRUSSELS — Fiat Chrysler's chief executive Michael Manley said on Wednesday that merger talks with Peugeot owner PSA  to create the world's No. 4 carmaker are progressing well and he hopes to have a deal within 12-14 months. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of an industry meeting, he said he doesn't expect any major obstacles that could delay a final agreement. "Talks are progressing really well," Manley said about negotiations with the French carmaker ahead of a briefing by the European automotive association (ACEA), of which he is president. His comments come a month after the two carmakers agreed to a binding deal worth about $50 billion to combine forces in response to a slowdown in global demand and mounting costs of making cleaner vehicles amid tighter emissions regulations. Manley's timeline for completing the deal by early 2021 is in line with a forecast made by the companies in December. Fiat and Peugeot are now getting into the details of how the merger will work, including choosing which vehicle platforms — the technological underpinnings of a vehicle — will fit which products in a combined company. Because customers in different locations still prefer vastly different cars, there is room for multiple platforms in a combined group, Manley said. "That global platform is an elusive beast," he added. "This concept of a massive global platform in my mind is almost a myth, but that doesnÂ’t mean to say weÂ’re not going to recruit significant volume." Related Video: