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Stellantis won't race to split electric vehicles from fossil fuel cars

MILAN - Stellantis is not considering splitting its electric vehicle (EV) business from its legacy combustion engine operation, its finance chief said on Thursday, as the carmaker presented above-expectation revenue data for the first quarter. Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer told analysts he did not see huge benefits in the kind of separations pursued by rivals such as France's Renault and U.S. Ford. "We need to manage the company and the assets we have through this transition," he said. "There are benefits to having the cash flow being generated by the internal combustion business for the investments we need to make." Palmer said the group, formed by a merger last year of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA, was not averse to considering adjusting its structure "but we aren't anticipating any big changes." Palmer's comments came after the world's fourth largest carmaker said its net revenue rose 12% to 41.5 billion euros ($44.1 billion) in the January-March period, as strong pricing and the type of vehicles sold helped offset the impact of the semiconductor shortage on volumes. That topped analyst expectations of 36.9 billion euros, according to a Reuters poll. Milan-listed shares were up 0.5% by 1415 GMT, in line with Italy's blue-chip index. The impact of the chip crunch was evident in the decline in shipment figures which fell 12% in the quarter to 1.374 million vehicles. It was a similar story for Germany's BMW which posted higher revenues on Thursday and a decline in car sales. Riding the Recovery Stellantis, whose brands also include Citroen, Jeep and Maserati, confirmed its 2022 forecasts for a double-digit adjusted operating income margin, after 11.8% last year, and a positive cash-flow despite supply and inflationary headwinds. Morgan Stanley analysts said after the results that Stellantis had better management than many peers and benefited from its significant exposure to a stronger U.S. economy and a European recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. They also said it was less affected by a slowing Chinese economy. Palmer said it was important for the group to maintain double-digit margins and keep delivering positive cash flows. "A 12% increase in revenue with a 12% decrease in volumes indicates a very strong performance on price and mix, which augurs well for our margin performance," he said. He said semiconductor supply problems were expected to ease this year with continued improvements in 2023.

Apocalypse Warlord 6x6 Ram 1500 TRX wears its name well

Florida-based Apocalypse specializes in building trucks that look like they're ready for, well, the apocalypse. One of its wildest and most powerful builds is a six-wheel-drive, Ram 1500 TRX-based monster called Warlord, and Barrett-Jackson is selling one of the few units built. Ram's hot-rodded TRX already stands out as one of the most impressive pickup trucks on the market; it's powered by the vaunted 6.2-liter, supercharged Hellcat V8 tuned to 702 horsepower and it features nearly a foot of ground clearance. Apocalypse builds on these solid foundations by adding a second set of driven rear wheels, 37-inch tires on all three axles, and a 750-horsepower evolution of the Hellcat V8. Enthusiast website Muscle Car & Trucks reports that there's also a custom-designed suspension system built with Bilstein components. The end result is a behemoth that's 294 inches long, 94 inches tall, and capable of towing 12,000 pounds. Visual modifications include 20-inch wheels, KC lights above the cab, and "WAR" lettering on both ends, where you'd expect to see "RAM." Inside, there's black and red leather and suede upholstery plus a long list of tech features shared with the standard, four-wheeled TRX. What's not included is a stepladder, which you may need in order to hop inside the cab, though power-operated side steps help reduce the size of the jump. If you want one, you're in luck: there is a Warlord looking for a new home at Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale 2022 sale, which runs between January 22 and 30. The truck is scheduled to cross the auction block on the 29th at 6 p.m. mountain time. It's offered with no reserve, so the highest bidder will take it home, but don't expect to score a bargain. Apocalypse charges $250,000 before options are factored in. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Ram with a Hellcat V8 coming? Could be, but let's review the evidence

While Fiat-Chrysler has gradually been stuffing bigger V8s into everything it can, one brand that hasn't received any SRT or Hellcat love is Ram. This, despite showing a Raptor-fighting TRX concept with a detuned engine in the fall of 2016. But according to Allpar, there may be a Ram 1500 coming in the near future with the fabled supercharged V8, and at full power. Interesting theory, but let's take a closer look. The two bits of evidence the site points out are (a) an anonymous inside source saying a vehicle is in development, and (b) a displayed time in Ram press photos. If you look closely, some of the Ram interiors show the time 7:07 on the infotainment display. This corresponds with the Hellcat engine's 707 horsepower. Allpar further speculates that the vehicle will be Rebel-based due to a preponderance of the number in Rebel interiors. This wouldn't be the first time FCA has hinted at a future model's power via infotainment time, either, as it did so with the Challenger Demon. View 6 Photos There are some holes in this theory, though. We went back and looked at the press photos of the interiors, and the 7:07 time shows up on Bighorn Rams, too. And not every single Rebel interior has the time. There's at least one that shows the time 8:29, which appears on various other Ram interior shots. Also, while FCA did manage to make a full-time all-wheel-drive system for the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk to stand up to the Hellcat's ferocious power, we doubt that drivetrain would be used in a Ram, since it's a much different application. The final nail in this theory's coffin might be that the head of Ram Trucks communication told us that the times in the images are a "complete coincidence" and that "this theory is all speculation." All things considered, we think the odds of a Hellcat-powered Ram reaching production soon, particularly an off-road version like Allpar suggests, is pretty iffy. We wouldn't rule out some sort of Hellcat-powered Ram completely. At the very least, putting a Hellcat V8 into a two-wheel-drive Ram for a street truck would make loads of sense. It would be less expensive to develop compared to a Raptor competitor, it wouldn't have any existing competition, and it could capitalize on the history of the Viper-powered Ram SRT-10 from the mid-2000s. And as we've seen, FCA has no problem stuffing absurdly powerful V8s into everything it can, from Charger to Durango to Grand Cherokee. So, don't count on a Hellcat-powered Ram yet.