1958 Alfa Romeo Spider on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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.

This modernized Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint looks great, sounds even better

No matter how good something may be, there's always room for improvement. A UK company called Alfaholics builds an overhauled version of the famous Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint that's supposed to be capable enough to hassle a modern Porsche 911 around the Nordschleife. It's difficult to spot any of the upgrades from the outside, but Charles Morgan shows off the updated performance in a new video from Carfection. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint is a memorable sports coupe that was made in the '60s and '70s, and it sports a gorgeous body from the pen of a then-17-year-old Giorgetto Giugiaro. Alfaholics takes this fantastic platform and adds modern suspension components, upgraded brakes, carbon fiber body panels, and a 240-horsepower engine. These tweaks bring the weight down to about 1,830 pounds and allow for a lap around the Nordschliefe in less than 8 minutes at the hands of a skilled driver. As opposed to just going for outright performance, Alfaholics tries to keep its tuned Giulia Sprint somewhat authentic to the original version. As Morgan shows in this video, the result of the company's work is a coupe with superb handling and an intoxicating exhaust note. Related Video:

Alfa Romeo abandoned the Spider to focus on crossovers

As much as enthusiasts like to forget or deny it, automakers are in the business of making money, and sometimes that means doing things that seem counter to a brand's image or history. Alfa Romeo, for example, is attempting to make a comeback in the US. The make has a long history of making sporty vehicles, so news that Alfa has ceased plans on some new cars in order to focus on crossovers should be disappointing, but far from surprising. The new Fiat 124 Spider, based on and build alongside the Mazda Miata, was originally supposed to be a new Alfa Romeo Spider. A while back, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne has said that as long as he's in charge, Alfas will be built in Italy. That seemed to be reasoning enough for the new car's switch to Fiat, but Automotive News is reporting that the company actually abandoned the new Spider in order to build SUVs. The Spider isn't the only vehicle that appears to be off the table. While the new BMW 3 Series-sized Giulia is set to hit dealers later this year, larger sedans meant to compete against the 5 Series and 6 Series have been axed. Alfa's first crossover, the Stelvio, is expected to debut later this year. The company has plans for a Giulia-based crossover as well. A lot of this seems counter to Alfa and FCA's five-year plan that was announced fewer than three years ago. Then, the 400,000 annual sales target worldwide by 2018 powered by Italian-designed and -built engines. In actuality, the company has struggled to get even the Giulia to market, delaying everything else in its wake. Related Video: