1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Pirin Fanina on 2040-cars

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Stellantis earnings rise along with EV sales

AMSTERDAM — Automaker Stellantis on Wednesday reported its earnings grew in 2022 from a year earlier and said its push into electric vehicles led to a jump in sales even as it faces growing competition from an industrywide shift to more climate-friendly offerings. Stellantis, formed in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and FranceÂ’s PSA Peugeot, said net revenue of 179.6 billion euros ($191 billion) was up 18% from 2021, citing strong pricing and its mix of vehicles. It reported net profit of 16.8 billion euros, up 26% from 2021. Stellantis plans to convert all of its European sales and half of its U.S. sales to battery-electric vehicles by 2030. It said the strategy led to a 41% increase in battery EV sales in 2022, to 288,000 vehicles, compared with the year earlier. The company has “demonstrated the effectiveness of our electrification strategy in Europe,” CEO Carlos Tavares said in a statement. “We now have the technology, the products, the raw materials and the full battery ecosystem to lead that same transformative journey in North America, starting with our first fully electric Ram vehicles from 2023 and Jeep from 2024.” The automaker is competing in an increasingly crowded field for a share of the electric vehicle market. Companies are scrambling to roll out environmentally friendly models as they look to hit goals of cutting climate-changing emissions, driven by government pressure. The transformation has gotten a boost from a U.S. law that is rolling out big subsidies for clean technology like EVs but has European governments calling out the harm that they say the funding poses to homegrown industry across the Atlantic. Stellantis' Jeep brand will start selling two fully electric SUVs in North America and another one in Europe over the next two years. It says its Ram brand will roll out an electric pickup truck this year, joining a rush of EV competitors looking to claim a piece of the full-size truck market. The company plans to bring 25 battery-electric models to the U.S. by 2030. As part of that push, it has said it would build two EV battery factories in North America. A $2.5 billion joint venture with Samsung will bring one of those facilities to Indiana, which is expected to employ up to 1,400 workers. The other factory will be in Windsor, Ontario, a collaboration with South KoreaÂ’s LG Energy Solution that aims to create about 2,500 jobs. The EV push comes amid a slowdown in U.S.

Alfa sprints toward Geneva with two-door Giulia

Alfa Romeo is poised to add a two-door version of the Giulia to its lineup, according to a report from Motoring out of Australia. The coupe could be called the Giulia Sprint and be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show, the website says. The Sprint name has been used on a variety of sporty Alfas, like the 1965 Giulia Sprint GTA shown above, over the years. The move would broaden Alfa's lineup which currently stands at just the Giulia sedan and the hard-edged 4C sports car in the United States. The 2018 Stelvio SUV joins Alfa's portfolio this year. The company's five-year plan indicates two specialty vehicles will join its lineup in the coming years, though they're unspecified. An Alfa spokesman declined to comment to Autoblog on future product. The Giulia two-door would likely share powertrains with its sedan sibling, which offers a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 280 horsepower and a turbo 2.9-liter Ferrari-derived 505-hp V6. The coupe would take aim at the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe, BMW 4 Series, Cadillac ATS coupe, Audi A5, Infiniti Q60, and others. Related Video:

2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia and 2024 Stelvio will be $1,800 less expensive

A month after Alfa Romeo revealed the 2024 Giulia and Stelvio for our market, both are less expensive than at launch. All Giulia and Stelvio trims bar the Quadrifoglio have had their MSRPs cut by $1,800. The discount appears to be another move by Stellantis brands here to reposition themselves to achieve the kinds of success that has eluded them so far. Cars Direct picked up on the price cuts in Alfa Romeo order guides. When it asked the automaker what gives, an Alfa Romeo spokesperson replied, "The reduction in pricing is a lifecycle direction for Stelvio and Giulia to enhance market competitiveness." Read: We want to give German Three shoppers more reason to give us a better look. The coming model year of the sedan and SUV isn't on the Alfa Romeo site yet. Cars Direct says the entry-level Giulia Sprint will start at $44,075 after the $1,595 destination fee, the Stelvio Sprint will start at $46,370. The sedan hides a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine up front making 280 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque, all of that sent to the rear axle. Zero to 60 miles per hour takes 5.5 seconds, fuel economy comes in at 24 miles per gallon in the city, 33 mpg highway, 27 mpg combined, and Alfa provides a four-year/50,000-mile basic warranty. The BMW 330i is also powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, this one making 255 hp and 295 lb-ft. The stoplight dash takes 5.6 seconds, fuel economy is rated at 25 city, 34 highway, and 29 combined. Thanks to pruning the price, the 2024 Giulia starts off $720 less expensive than the 2023 330i that opens the bidding at $44,795 after the $995 destination fee. The problem is that once you start comparing like-for-like, it's not clear where you'll end up. For instance, the Giulia comes on 17-inch wheels, the BMW on 18-inch wheels. According to the configurator for the 2023 Giulia, upgrading to 18-inch wheels costs $1,725. The Giulia comes with black leather seats, the only alternate interior option a set of red leather seats for an additional $2,000. The BMW comes with Sensatec seats, but buyers have five choices in leather seat colors, four with contrasting stitching, each of which adds $1,500. Point being, if you upgraded the Alfa Romeo to 18-inch wheels and upgraded the BMW to leather, the sedans are only $495 apart.