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Stellantis wants to outfit cars with AI software to drive revenue

MILAN — Carmaker Stellantis announced a strategy Tuesday to embed AI-enabled software in 34 million vehicles across its 14 brands, hoping the tech upgrade will help it bring in 20 billion euros ($22.6 billion) in annual revenue by 2030. CEO Carlos Tavares heralded the move as part of a strategy that would transform the car company into a “sustainable mobility tech company,” with business growth coming from features and services tied to the internet. That includes using voice commands to activate navigation, make payments and order products online. The company is expanding existing partnerships with BMW on partially automated driving, iPhone manufacturer Foxconn on customized cockpits and Waymo to push their autonomous driving work into light commercial vehicle delivery fleets. StellantisÂ’ embrace of artificial intelligence and expansion of software-enabled vehicles is part of a broad transformation in the auto industry, with a race toward more fully electric and hybrid propulsion systems, more autonomous driving features and increased connectivity in automobiles. Ford and General Motors also are banking on dramatically increased revenue from similar online subscription services. But the automakers face immense competition for monthly consumer spending from movie and music streaming services, news outlets, Amazon Prime and others. Stellantis, which was formed from the combination of PSA Peugeot and FCA Fiat Chrysler, said the software would seamlessly integrate into customers' lives, with the capability of live updates providing upgraded services over time. New products will include the possibility to subscribe to automated driving features, purchase usage-based car insurance or even increase the power of the vehicle with a tune-up to add horsepower. As a baseline, Stellantis generates 400 million euros in revenue on software-generated services installed in 12 million vehicles. To meet the targets, Stellantis will expand its software engineering team of 1,000 to 4,500 in North America, Asia and Europe. More than 1,000 of the expanded team will be retrained in house. Stellantis also announced a new partnership with Foxconn to develop semiconductors to cover 80% of the companyÂ’s needs and simplify the supply chain. The first microchips from the partnership are targeted to be installed in vehicles in 2024.

Driving the 2019 Dodge Durango Pursuit | Bells and whistles, lights and sirens

Recently, we went to the FCA proving grounds in Chelsea, Mich., to test out the company's 2019 model-year lineup. There are a lot of cars to choose from, and only a limited time to drive them, so since we couldn't drive the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye (that drive is coming soon, though) naturally we gravitated to the flashiest, noisiest one: the 2019 Dodge Durango Pursuit police vehicle. This is the first time the Durango is being offered as a cop car, and there are a number of features that make it fit for service. All Durango Pursuit models feature all-wheel drive, and it's available with two different engines. The standard motor is the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, providing 293 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The tester we got to drive, though, was equipped with the 5.7-liter hemi V8, good for 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. It also has a load-leveling performance suspension, which really helped out when we tossed it around the handling course. It has 8.1 inches of ground clearance, which means it can get to scenes off the beaten path. As much as we loved driving it, we had the most fun just playing with the lights and sirens of the Durango Pursuit. Standing outside the vehicle, the sirens and horn are incredibly loud, enough to make bystanders jump in fright. Dodge did a good job with the sound deadening, though, and the sustained wail wasn't bothersome when chasing imaginary suspects around the test track. One feature we didn't get to test out, but important to police duty, was the special Uconnect system in the Durango Pursuit. More than just an infotainment system, the seven-inch display is equipped to integrate various law enforcement systems. Another cool detail about the car, its tri-zone climate system is ideal for K9 units, with the ability to set separate HVAC settings for the dogs in the back of the car. Check out the video above, and stay tuned for more videos to come from our time spent at FCA's Chelsea proving grounds. Related Video: Dodge Crossover SUV Police/Emergency Special and Limited Editions Videos FCA

Get a peek at the Dodge Demon in the new Fate of the Furious trailer

Will all of the news that comes out, Thursdays should now be referred to as Demon Days (no relation to the 2005 album by Gorillaz), at least until April. In addition to this morning's news on the Dodge Demon's Launch Assist and beefed-up components, the automaker released a trailer/commercial for The Fate of the Furious that shows a Dodge barrage and a few quick looks at the new car. The film, which opens days after the Demon's debut at the 2017 New York International Auto Show, is packed full of Dodge, SRT, and FCA products. While the few cars shown in the garage look superficially like Demons, they appear to just be standard Hellcats – the hood is wrong, and they are missing the fender flares. On the other hand, the ones in the trailer's chase scene appear to be the real deal, or at least made to look like it, with the big AirGrabber hood scoop and wide-body fender flares. We've seen a few of these cars already on the film's set, so this is no real surprise. The ad itself is a bit strange. The shots of the woman standing in front of the SRT lineup appear to be cut into footage from the film, so she's not actually talking to the cast in these scenes. That's why a narrow-body car bursts through the wall and becomes a wide-body Demon-like thing. Well, the Fast and Furious franchise was built on bad dialog and over the top car stunts, so par for the course? The film debuts on April 14, and expect the Demon around that time, too. Related Video: News Source: Dodge/YouTube TV/Movies Dodge Performance dodge demon dodge hellcat the fate of the furious