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Stellantis not looking for further mergers, including with Renault

MILAN — Stellantis Chairman John Elkann on Monday denied the carmaker was hatching merger plans, responding to press speculation about a possible French-led tie-up with rival Renault. Elkann said that the Peugeot owner, the world's third largest carmaker by sales, was focused on the execution of its long-term business plan. "There is no plan under consideration regarding merger operations with other manufacturers," said Elkann, who also heads Exor, the Agnelli family holding company that is the largest single shareholder in Stellantis. After abandoning the Russian market, at the time its second largest after France, and reducing the scope of its global cooperation with Nissan, Renault has been seen as a potential M&A target. Speculation intensified after an electric vehicle market slowdown forced it last week to cancel IPO plans for its EV and software unit Ampere. Its market cap remains stubbornly low at little over 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) despite a financial recovery over the past few years. Stellantis, the product of a 2021 merger between France's PSA and Fiat Chrysler and one of the most profitable groups in the industry, has a market cap of more than 85 billion euros when unlisted shares are factored in. It has a 14 brand portfolio also including Citroen, Jeep, Opel and Alfa Romeo. NEWSPAPER REPORT Italian daily Il Messaggero had said on Sunday that the French government, which is Renault's largest shareholder and also has a stake in Stellantis, was studying plans for a merger between the two groups. A spokeswoman for Renault said on Monday the group did not comment on rumors. France's Finance Ministry had declined to comment on Sunday. Stellantis has crossed swords with the Italian government, which has accused it of acting against the national interest on occasions. Industry Minister Adolfo Urso last week raised the prospect of the Italian government taking a stake in Stellantis to help to balance the French influence. Renault shares pared gains after Elkann's comments to stand 1.2% higher by 1220 GMT, having initially risen more than 4%. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, a Portuguese-national, last week said in an interview with Bloomberg that the group was "ready for any kind of consolidation" and that its job was to make sure that it would be "one of the winners". Analysts, however, question the rationale of a Stellantis-Renault merger, which would also expand the group's excess capacity in Europe.

Ferrari is debuting a new car Thursday

In a social media blast across its Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts, Ferrari released a seven-second teaser for a new car that is set to debut Feb. 28. A few subtle details hint at what it might be. Accompanying the short teaser clip were two short sentences: "Tomorrow, the Prancing Horse family welcomes a new member," it says. "Make room for new thrills." The clip flashes several up-close parts of the car including a grille, an air intake, a steering wheel with paddle shifters, a drive mode selector, a tachometer, and the top of an engine. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The engine is the most revealing part of the clip. It appears to be the V8 from the 488 Pista, which separates itself visually with carbon fiber covers, rather than the red covers seen in other Ferraris. If it is indeed that V8, it could potentially align with the report that Ferrari would be debuting a hybrid V8 supercar this year. This would just be sooner than we were expecting it. A secondary intriguing part of the video is the gear selector. The clips shows the normal modes seen on other Ferraris, including Wet, Sport, Race, CT off, and Esc off. But there's a sixth blurry white spot, which could be absolutely nothing, or it could indicate another type of driving mode. What would be important enough to add a driving mode? Maybe a hybrid? All we can do is speculate, but thankfully, only for a day more. Check back for the full reveal and full information on Feb. 28. Related Video: News Source: Ferrari Auto News Ferrari Coupe Performance Supercars supercar ferrari 488 pista

Meet the man whose house is designed around his car

It's been a couple of years since we last heard about Holger Schubert and his award-winning office/garage, but it looks like the city of Los Angeles, thankfully, did not force him to tear down the bridge that gives his Ferrari 512 BBi arguably the nicest parking spot in California. Petrolicious is back again with another well-done video, which finally introduces us to Schubert as well as his lust-worthy Ferrari.
As for the structure, it is half garage and half work space with an office, couch, bookshelf and television, and one hell of a view. There is a ramp that raises to allow the Ferrari to roll backward out of the garage before starting up on the aforementioned bridge that sits 16-feet above the ground. The car itself is an equally admirable piece of art, with a wedge-like shape and its reserved dark gray hue. If you're not the jealous type, scroll down to meet Schubert and his incredible Ferrari.