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Stellantis will build four electric vehicles in Italy, say union reps

MILAN — Stellantis will produce four medium-segment electric vehicles, of different brands, at its Melfi plant in southern Italy from 2024, the UILM union said on Tuesday. Since Stellantis was formed at the beginning of this year through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, production in Italy has been under scrutiny for costing more than elsewhere in Europe. "Stellantis announced that Melfi would be the first plant in Italy to get new models, based on post-2022 business plan," UILM said in a statement after workers' representatives met with the carmaker at Italy's industry ministry in Rome. Future production at Melfi will be based on a single enhanced production line that will merge the two existing ones, the union said, adding the restructuring will leave production capacity at the site unchanged at around 400,000 units. UILM's head, Rocco Palombella, said unions had not received all the answers they wanted as Stellantis was still working on its new business plan. "But the positive element is that the company has not absolutely called for structural redundancies," he said after the meeting. Stellantis Chief Executive Carlos Tavares has said the group would present its business plan late this year or in early 2022. Stellantis, the world's fourth-largest carmaker, gave no details about what was discussed at the meeting. In an earlier statement the company said it was working "with determination and speed" to support the energy transition of all its Italian sites. Italy's Industry minister, Giancarlo Giorgetti, however, said in a separate statement after the meeting that Stellantis had yet to decide where it would build its third electric battery plant in Europe. Stellantis, which already has two battery factory projects in France and Germany, has said adding gigafactories in Europe and the United States would be decided this year. The company is holding talks on this with Rome, as Italy is one of its main production hubs in Europe. Related video: Green Plants/Manufacturing Alfa Romeo Fiat Jeep Citroen Opel Peugeot Stellantis

FCA withdraws its offer to merge with Renault

UPDATE: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles released a statement confirming that it has withdrawn its merger offer, saying "it has become clear that the political conditions in France do not currently exist for such a combination to proceed successfully." The full statement can be read below our original story, which continues below. Fiat Chrysler has withdrawn its $35 billion merger offer for Renault, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. A source said that FCA had informed Renault it had withdrawn the offer after Renault's board of directors failed to reach a decision on the merger during a meeting that ran late into the night Wednesday. Instead, the board granted the French government's request to postpone its vote. The government wanted time to persuade Renault's reticent alliance partner Nissan. Renault's board issued a press release that said simply that it was "unable to take a decision due to the request expressed by the representatives of the French State to postpone the vote to a later Council." WSJ reported that Nissan's two members on Renault's board were balking, while the rest of the board favored the merger. The French government wouldn't it back the deal unless Nissan agreed to maintain its role in the Renault-Nissan alliance, sources said. Nissan had received little advance warning of the merger proposal and was balking. Apparently the French government thought Nissan could be brought around if given more time. "We should take our time to make sure that things are done well," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told French television on Wednesday. When the French requested a delay and Renault's board granted it, FCA withdrew. The French state, which owns 15% of Renault, had also been seeking more influence over the merged company, firmer job guarantees and improved terms for Renault shareholders in return for blessing the $35 billion tie-up. The merger would have created the world's third-biggest automaker with combined sales of 8.7 million vehicles per year, and was intended to cut costs as the parties develop electric and autonomous vehicles. Read Fiat Chrysler Automobile's full statement below: FCA withdraws merger proposal to Groupe Renault June 5, 2019 , London - IMPORTANT NOTICE The Board of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. ("FCA") (NYSE: FCAU / MTA: FCA), meeting this evening under the Chairmanship of John Elkann, has resolved to withdraw with immediate effect its merger proposal made to Groupe Renault.

2017 Fiat 500 Abarth Quick Spin | Old dog masters old tricks

It's hard to believe, but the raucous little hatchback we know as the Fiat 500 Abarth is nearly a decade old. The 160-horsepower version we get here first appeared in Europe at the end of 2008, and while ours didn't arrive until the 2012 model year, it was mostly the same car. That's a really long time for a car to be on sale without any major changes or mechanical updates. So we spent some time with a 2017 model to see how it's holding up. Here's what we learned: It's still a lot of fun for a number of reasons, not least of which is the exhaust. This is by far the best sounding exhaust for the money. It growls, it pops, it's generally a riot. Sure it can drone a bit on long highway jaunts, and you might annoy your neighbors in the morning, but it's worth it. Other manufacturers could learn a thing or two about making their cars more exciting to hear. (I'm talking especially to you, Honda, because the Civic Si is too quiet). The turbo 1.4-liter engine will still nudge you back at full throttle and pull you through corners quickly. The boost comes on very smoothly, too, making it easy to work with. Just make sure you have the car in Sport mode. Boost is limited in Normal mode, so if you want to enjoy everything the car has to offer, hit that button the moment you fire up the Fiat. The seating position is the closest thing this side of a Smart ForTwo to feeling like a road-going motorized bar-stool. The very tall driving position and short, narrow body make for one of the most unique driving feelings on the market. It's not good, it's not bad, just different. And fortunately, you don't feel like the car is going to tip over. In fact, it feels pretty secure... ...most of the time. The short wheelbase does make the Abarth feel a tad nervous when driving through long, fast corners such as freeway ramps. It probably wouldn't bite you with the driving aids on, but you'll find yourself concentrating a little harder in some corners than in cars longer than a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. Steering is a bit of a mixed bag, too. It's the same electrically-assisted rack the car has used over the years, and it's still vague off-center and slow. Maybe this was on purpose to keep people from unsettling such a short little car. Hints of torque steer show up, as well, and the car does like to follow the contour of the road. On the upside, the steering is weighted well, and the car doesn't lean much and grips well.