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Stellantis aims to eliminate separate inverter, charger to improve EV efficiency

Stellantis has announced that, in collaboration with French battery company Saft and French National Center for Scientific Research, has made significant progress in eliminating two major components of an electric vehicle powertrain: the on-board charger and the power inverter for the motor. The company claims that doing this will allow for better space use in vehicles, as well as improvements in efficiency, cost and reliability of components. As a quick primer, also explained in the below video, the on-board charger and power inverter are sort of translators to get the right current to different parts of the electric powertrain. The on-board charger takes AC power from the grid and converts it to DC to charge the batteries. Then when power goes from the batteries to the electric motor, the power inverter converts that DC power back to AC. These components aren't exactly small. Frequently you'll find them packaged somewhere under the hood. What Stellantis and its cohorts have developed, and have been using on a test vehicle since last summer, are small power inverter boards that can be mounted very closely to the battery packs. They can handle both conversion needs, for charging and discharging, instead of needing two separate devices. The most obvious perk to this is that you can do away with those traditional components and free up more space, either for making smaller vehicles without losing interior volume, or adding space to a vehicle that wouldn't have had it otherwise. There's the additional benefit of reduced weight, something that EVs struggle with. Stellantis also claims improvements in efficiency, reliability, and cost, however, it didn't go into detail as to how this setup would do that exactly. We'll try to get in touch with representatives from Stellantis in order to get more information. We're still a ways out from seeing this technology in production Stellantis vehicles. The company said it aims to apply it to vehicles by the end of the decade. Saft is also looking at using it on stationary battery systems as well. So maybe we'll see it on a 2029 Ram 1500 REV, but for now, we'll be living with traditional chargers and inverters. Related Video: Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat RAM Technology Electric

2023 Fiat Topolino unveiled as tiny, city-only electric runabout

Fiat took a trip to the heritage well to launch its own version of the quirky Citroen Ami unveiled in 2020. Called Topolino, the electric two-seater (it's not legally considered a car) shares its basic proportions with its French sibling but features a retro-inspired exterior design. The name wasn't chosen randomly: Topolino (which means "little mouse" in Italian) was the nickname given to the original 500 built between 1936 and 1955. The first-generation model's contribution to the project stops there. Designers instead drew inspiration from the second-generation 500 to differentiate the modern-day Topolino from the Citroen-branded model, and we'd argue the front end is even more retro than the new 500's. It's characterized by a pair of small, round lights, smaller turn signals, and a piece of trim shaped like a metal bumper. Thick ropes replace the doors while creating a visual link between the Topolino and the beach-friendly 500 Jolly and 600 Jolly built by Ghia, among other coachbuilders, from the 1950s to the 1970s. Fiat hasn't released photos of the back end yet, and it's keeping the interior under wraps for the time being. The seats look a lot like the Ami's, however, and we're expecting most of the interior changes will be trim-related. Similarly, the Italian brand isn't ready to publish technical specifications. For context, the 1,070-pound Ami measures 95 inches long, 55 inches wide, and 60 inches tall; it fits in the back of a Ford F-250 Super Duty equipped with the longer of the two available cargo boxes. Power comes from an electric motor that draws electricity from a 5.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack to make eight horsepower. Driving range checks in at about 45 miles, which underlines the model's positioning as a low-speed, city-only vehicle, and if you keep your foot down you'll eventually reach a top speed of 27.9 mph. These riding mower-like specifications place the Topolino in the quadricycle segment. Built in Morocco, the Fiat Topolino will go on sale in select markets in the coming months. Pricing hasn't been announced but it's of little interest to us, because nothing suggests this tiny EV will receive clearance to travel to the United States. Across the pond, it's reasonable to assume pricing will start in the vicinity of ˆ10,000 (about $10,700). Keep an eye out for it the next time you're on a Mediterranean island. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

Stellantis and Ferrari boss is pitted against his own mother in Agnelli inheritance drama

  MILAN, Italy — A court in Turin is set to rule in the coming weeks on an inheritance dispute dividing the Agnelli family, the founders of the Fiat car company and arguably the best known of Italy's business dynasties. The case stems from the estate of Gianni Agnelli, the celebrated Fiat boss who was a symbol of Italy's post-war economic boom and who died two decades ago. It pits Agnelli's daughter Margherita, who inherited 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion), against three of her eight children including her eldest, John Elkann, the chairman of Ferrari and carmaker Stellantis. In the dispute that has riven one of Italy's elite families, Margherita is fighting to overturn agreements she signed after her father's death in order to eventually benefit her five children from a second marriage, sources close to her say. Should the Turin court decide in her favor, Margherita, who is 67 and Gianni Agnelli's only surviving child, could stake a claim to half of her late mother's estate and a share in the Elkann family business. The center of the dispute The dispute has its origins in an inheritance deal known as the "Geneva pacts" that Margherita, an artist and philanthropist, signed in 2004 after the death of her father the previous year and agreed to when Fiat was on the brink of bankruptcy. Under the first pact, Margherita received property, works of art and other liquid assets from Gianni's estate and renounced any future influence in the Dicembre (December) company, a key part of the ownership structure of Exor, the Agnelli-family holding. The pacts cemented John Elkann's position as Gianni Agnelli's chosen successor and effectively took his mother Margherita out of the equation. John Elkann, 47, now leads Exor, which owns slices of prestigious businesses and brands including national newspapers and the soccer club Juventus. The second pact covered what would happen to the estate of Margherita's mother Marella, who died in 2019 aged 91. Marella passed her Dicembre stake to three of her grandchildren, John, his brother Lapo and sister Ginevra, from Margherita's first marriage to journalist Alain Elkann. Margherita wants the pacts to be rescinded to be able to give her children with second husband Serge De Pahlen, a Franco-Russian former Fiat executive, a share of their grandmother's estate, sources close to her say.

Stellantis wants to trim 3,500 hourly U.S. jobs, UAW says

WASHINGTON — Chrysler-parent Stellantis NV wants to cut approximately 3,500 hourly U.S. jobs and is offering voluntary exit packages, according to a United Auto Workers union letter made public Tuesday. The automaker is looking to reduce its hourly workforce offering incentive packages that include $50,000 payments for workers hired before 2007, UAW Local 1264 said in a letter dated Monday posted on its Facebook page. Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson declined to comment. A person briefed on the matter said the figure might be lower than the figure cited in the UAW letter. In late February, Stellantis indefinitely halted operations at an assembly plant in Illinois, citing rising costs of electric vehicle production. The action impacted about 1,350 workers at the Belvidere, Illinois, plant that built the Jeep Cherokee SUV and resulted in indefinite layoffs. The automaker has warned it may not resume operations as it considers other options. The UAW letter said openings created by workers leaving would be filled by workers on indefinite layoff. Stellantis said in February that about 40,000 U.S. hourly workers were eligible for profit sharing. Last week, UAW President Shawn Fain said Stellantis' decision to idle the Illinois plant was "a flat-out violation" of the union's contract with the UAW and is unacceptable. The UAW will enter talks with the Detroit Three before labor contracts expire in mid-September. Earlier this month, General Motors said about 5,000 salaried workers accepted buyouts to leave the automaker. GM CEO Mary Barra said February job cuts of a few hundred jobs and the 5,000 buyouts "provided approximately $1 billion towards" a $2 billion cost cutting target. Ford Motor Co recently announced significant job cuts in Spain, Germany and other parts of Europe and in August said it would cut a total of 3,000 salaried and contract jobs, mostly in North America and India. Hirings/Firings/Layoffs UAW/Unions Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Stellantis

Stellantis' ACC JV plans to start operations at Italian gigafactory in 2026

MILAN - ACC, a joint venture of Stellantis, Mercedes and TotalEnergies, said on Friday its planned Italian battery making plant was expected to start operations in 2026. The plan will involve an overall investment worth over 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) in Italy, including public funds, ACC said in a statement after meeting unions in Rome. Carmaker Stellantis has plans to develop three 'gigafactories' in Europe to serve its increased production of battery electric vehicles. They will be built in France, Germany and Italy, through ACC, with a capacity of 40 gigawatt hours (GWh) each by 2030. The Italian project will be set up in the southern city of Termoli, through the conversion of an existing Stellantis engine and gearbox plant, currently employing around 2,000 workers. It should start operations at the beginning of 2026, while it should reach full capacity in 2030 with at least 1,800 employees, ACC said in the statement. ($1 = 0.9377 euros)   Green Plants/Manufacturing Fiat Electric Future Vehicles

2023 Fiat 500e First Drive Review: A European preview

TURIN, Italy – AmericaÂ’s relationship with the Fiat 500 has been rocky at best. Skimming over the original, pre-war model, the second-generation 500 (the one with a rear-mounted engine) was briefly sold here with funky headlights that stuck out from the front end like a bugÂ’s eyes. Small and underpowered, though a tremendous amount of fun to drive in its own way, it didnÂ’t catch on and moseyed out of our market after a few short years. The third-generation 500 spearheaded FiatÂ’s return to the United States when it disembarked here in 2012. It sold as well as you can expect a European-flavored subcompact hatchback to sell in the Ford F-150Â’s bastion and bowed out in 2019, though itÂ’s still sold across the pond alongside its intended successor. That would be the fourth-generation 500, unveiled in 2020, which kept the retro design but went electric-only. Sales in the United States are scheduled to start in early 2024, meaning the cheeky hatchback will be about four years old by the time it turns a wheel on American pavement. Is it worth the wait? I traveled to FiatÂ’s home town of Turin in northern Italy to get a better idea of what makes this fun-sized EV buzz. ThereÂ’s one point I need to address right off the bat: what you see in our gallery isnÂ’t exactly what youÂ’ll get when the new 500 rolls into American showrooms with an “e” attached to the end of its name. Fiat hasnÂ’t detailed the American-market model yet, but itÂ’s reasonable to assume most of the changes will be found on the specifications sheet and on the list of standard and optional equipment. Fiat canÂ’t take a European-market car and ship it here unchanged, but IÂ’m not expecting significant updates to the exterior or interior design — nothing suggests it will morph into an outdoorsy four-door crossover. Speaking of design, itÂ’s been the 500Â’s main selling point since the last-generation model made its debut in 2007 so FiatÂ’s edits were pretty light. IÂ’d guess someone who isnÂ’t up to date with whatÂ’s happening on car planet might not realize that theyÂ’re looking at a new 500, and thatÂ’s intentional. Still unabashedly retro, the model stands out from its predecessor with a new-look front end that features two-piece LED headlights and a big “500” emblem, bright beltline trim and a more chiseled hatch.

Likely Fiat 500X replacement caught in new spy photos

Fiat is testing a new baby crossover that will likely be the replacement for the 500X crossover. The 500X never set the American market on fire despite its attractive styling and nimble handling, sadly, and suffice it to say that Fiat noticed. It's likely we won't see whatever this is come stateside, at least not in the near-term. Fiat has made it clear that its future in America is limited to the electric 500e in all of its (yet to be enumerated) forms. Those who want a baby Fiat crossover will have to settle for Jeep's more rugged interpretation of the same platform, the Renegade, which seems to sell well enough to justify its continued existence even in Europe, where they've made an even smaller one they're calling "Avenger." As you can see above, this prototype screams "500X;" The ride height and proportions are dead-on. It's expected to be sold with both ICE and EV powertrains initially, but if previous Fiat efforts are any indication (the current 500X went into production in 2007; the 500x in 2014), it could very well remain in circulation long enough to still be on the market when Europe's mandate for 100% electric new-vehicle sales kicks in in 2035. That means we're likely to see the petroleum-based models phased out over the course of its lifespan.  It might seem premature to dismiss this new model as a Europe-only venture considering that the car it is expected to replace (500X) was itself branded as an offshoot of the 500. Could we not see a 500Xe? Well, that train goes off the rails in the face of information provided by our spy photographer, who says this is likely to be sold as a revival of the long-departed Fiat 600 nameplate, rather than the 500. A rose by any other name might smell as sweet, but a model number starting with a "6" appears to be where Fiat has chosen to draw the line, at least for now.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

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.

6 cars that are eligible for import to the U.S. in 2023

For car enthusiasts, the most exciting part of ringing in a new year is watching the list of import-eligible cars grow. Federal regulations make bringing a late-model car from Europe or Asia mind-bogglingly difficult, but these barriers fall as soon as a vehicle turns 25. There's no need to slash through a jungle of red tape; simply ship your dream forbidden fruit over, pay import duties, and in most states you're good to park a fresh import car in your garage. Of course, you need to locate any car you're considering importing, whether it's on this list of cars you can import in 2023 or not. A quick search of the internet will show that there are a lot of places that specialize in sourcing cars to import into the United States, and while we don't have any firsthand experience with any of them, we can point out a few well-known import car dealers, including some at auction. Duncan Imports and Classics bills itself as "America's Largest JDM Dealer" and keeps a large inventory of vehicles that have already been brought into the States. The Import Guys boast options to ship and finance worldwide, Davey Japan claims to have exported over 50,000 vehicles from Japan, and Goonet Exchange says it's operated by "Japan's largest used car information site." Japanese site Be Forward lists a staggering 10,949 online reviews at the time of writing with an average score of around 4.5 out of 5 stars. If your new year's resolution is to buy a car from overseas, here are some of the highlights from 2023's crop of importable cars. Keep in mind that some of these import cars were introduced in 1997 but didn't enter production until 1998, while others made their debut late in the year. And without further ado, here is a list of six cars that are eligible for import to the U.S. in 2023 that are worth noting. Cars that are eligible to import into the U.S. in 2023 Alfa Romeo 166 Developed to replace the 164, the 166 stands out as Alfa Romeo's last true flagship sedan; it wasn't directly replaced. It shares its front-wheel-drive platform with the Lancia Kappa but the two cars look nothing alike. Alfa Romeo gave the big sedan a smooth, relatively elegant design that borrows several styling cues from the smaller 156.

Car designer Frank Stephenson wants to show you something ... smaller

Influential car designer Frank Stephenson has often thought small. Now he’s thinking smaller. Throughout the past three decades, he has shaped — literally — some of the most indelible designs in automotive history: the modern Mini, the Ferrari FXX track star, the Maserati Gran Sport, a range of stunning McLarens and down to the funky 21st-century version of the Fiat 500. Now heÂ’s turned his pen to fashioning watches. His Cosmos analog piece, made to mirror “a black hole in space” and detailed “with an orange pinstripe which simulates the supernova glow of a neutron star,” features a Japan-built quartz movement and was created in concert with the Time Concepts company. “ItÂ’s the age-old adage ‘car people are watch people,Â’ so it was a natural step for me to get creative with timepieces too,” Stephenson said in a statement. “The collection showcases the love I have for exceptional and emotionally charged design, just like what is required in designing world class cars.” While Stephenson, who is 64, may be best known publicly for his vision of “affordable style” with the Mini and the Fiat, his ethos also translated to the utilitarian. In the case of BMW in the mid-1990s, the company was hustling to market an SUV, and turned to him for inspiration. His team had six months to complete the project. The result was the high-end X5, which Stephenson sketched during a two-hour flight. In 2018, Stephenson established the independent design company, Frank Stephenson Design, based in London. Related video: Design/Style BMW Ferrari Fiat Maserati McLaren MINI Gadgets watch frank stephenson