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Stellantis and LG launch joint venture for North American battery plant

Stellantis has struck a preliminary deal with battery maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) to produce battery cells and modules for North America, as the world's No. 4 automaker rolls out its 30 billion euro ($35 billion) electrification plan. Global automakers are investing billions of euros to accelerate a transition to low-emission mobility and prepare for a progressive phase-out of internal combustion engines. Stellantis and LGES's joint venture will produce battery cells and modules at a new facility with an annual capacity of 40 gigawatt hours (GWh), the two firms said on Monday. No financial details of the deal were provided. The plant is scheduled to start production by the first quarter of 2024, with groundbreaking expected in the second quarter of 2022, the companies said in their statement. Its location is under review and will be announced later. Stellantis, formed in January from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, has said it wants to secure more than 130 GWh of global battery capacity by 2025 and more than 260 GWh by 2030. The batteries produced under the deal will supply Stellantis' U.S., Canadian and Mexican assembly plants for installation in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, supporting its goal of e-vehicles making up more than 40% of its U.S. sales by 2030. The company, whose brands include Peugeot, Fiat, Opel and U.S. best-sellers Jeep and Ram, earlier this year announced it would invest more than 30 billion euros through 2025 on electrifying its vehicle lineup. Stellantis has said it would build three battery plants in Europe and two in North America, including at least one in the United States. Intesa Sanpaolo analyst Monica Bosio said the deal was positive, and a further step ahead in Stellantis' electrification process. It comes weeks after Stellantis and its partner TotalEnergies agreed to open up their battery cell joint venture ACC to Daimler, to expand their European sourcing of battery cells. Stellantis is also targeting more than 70% of sales in Europe to be of low-emission vehicles by 2030, and aims to make the total cost of owning an EV equal to that of a gasoline-powered model by 2026. Related video: Green Plants/Manufacturing Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall Electric Hybrid EV batteries LG

Maserati Grecale and Alfa Romeo Tonale delayed

MILAN — Maserati on Monday delayed the launch of its new Grecale SUV until the spring of 2022 from November this year due to a global chip shortage. The announcement by the luxury brand, part of Stellantis, comes as a shortage of semiconductors forces automakers around the world to slow or suspend production. Maserati said its decision stemmed from ongoing disruptions in the supply of parts. "In particular, due to a scarcity of semiconductors, production volumes would not adequately meet expected global demand," Maserati said in a statement. A global premiere for the Grecale, which will be produced in Cassino in central Italy, was initially scheduled for Nov. 16. Stellantis this month also confirmed it would present the Tonale, the new Alfa Romeo SUV, next March after it had been expected at the end of this year. Stellantis, formed this year though the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, has halted production at several plants, including in Europe and Canada, due to the chip shortage. It has forecast it will produce 1.4 million fewer vehicles this year. The FIM-CISL union has said the impact of a semiconductor shortage on Stellantis' Italian production this year will be worse and longer-lasting than the damage to output caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Related video:

2022 Maserati Grecale spy photos show new SUV behind Stellantis gates

Here’s our first good look at the upcoming Maserati Grecale. Maserati dropped a few shadowy and blurry images as a teaser a couple months ago, but they only provided a vague idea of what we should expect from the compact crossover. The blue camouflage theme is one consistency, and it seems the level of coverage on the car is similarly enveloping. It's deception following deception up front, as the hood features strange bulges, and the headlights look taped on. The only visible opening is a grated intake in the lower side bumper area. That said, we do have a better look at the proportions without blur or confusion. Rumors point to this crossover using the Alfa Romeo-developed Giorgio platform, despite reports of that platform not having much of a future at Stellantis. That means it should be similar in size to the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Seeing it parked nearby a camouflaged Jeep Compass, this approximation appears to ring true. It looks like itÂ’s a bit larger than the Jeep, which is as it should be, considering the Grecale should be one class larger. Those big, wide hips are visible from the front three-quarter angle, but theyÂ’re extra dramatic from the rear. We have a feeling that the Grecale is going to look much sportier than the Levante does, and hopefully more handsome, too. The big, quad exhaust poking out the back is another big hint in that direction. All the powertrain details are still shrouded in mystery, but the likely options are a base four-cylinder turbo and a boosted V6 as the upgrade. WeÂ’ll be especially interested to see if the car launches with a Trofeo model to compete with other high-powered compact models like the Porsche Macan Turbo, BMW X3 M and Mercedes-AMG GLC 63. From the shape we can see here, it looks like the Grecale will be a traditionally-shaped crossover, albeit one with a pretty severe angle to its rear window. ThereÂ’s a fairly large hood of a rear spoiler to hang over that window, but the dominating feature out back are the horizontally-stretching rear taillights. Everything else is covered in camo, so weÂ’ll need to wait for Maserati to reveal its secrets when itÂ’s good and ready. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.