1978 Jeep Cj Golden Eagle Tribute on 2040-cars

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For his last act, Marchionne will outline an EV/hybrid roadmap this week

MILAN/LONDON — Fiat Chrysler (FCA) boss Sergio Marchionne is expected to outline new plans for electric and hybrid cars in a strategy presentation on Friday, aiming to ensure the world's seventh-largest carmaker remains in the race in the absence of a merger. The 65-year-old will present FCA's strategy to 2022, his final contribution to the company he turned around and multiplied in value through 14 years of canny dealmaking. After failing to secure a tie-up he said was necessary to manage the costs of producing cleaner vehicles, Marchionne needs to show the group can keep churning out profits on its own, even as emissions rules tighten, SUV competition intensifies and worries around his succession abound. Marchionne had long refused to jump on the electrification bandwagon, saying he would only do so if selling battery-powered cars could be done at a profit. He even urged customers not to buy FCA's Fiat 500e, its only battery-powered model, because he was losing money on each sold. But Tesla's success and the need to comply with tougher emissions rules have forced Marchionne to commit to what he calls "most painful" spending. "FCA is way behind rivals in terms of hybrid and electric vehicles and they need to hit the accelerator to convince investors they can close that gap," said Andrea Pastorelli, a fund manager at 8a+ Investimenti. Germany's Volkswagen, Daimler, BMW and U.S. rivals GM and Ford have committed to spending billions of euros each in coming years to try produce profitable cars powered by cleaner fuels. FCA needs to present a clear roadmap, just like Volvo Cars, which ditched diesel from its best-selling XC60 SUV, launched a new electric brand and pledged to shift all brands to hybrid by 2019, a banking source close to FCA said, noting: "The tech divide determines winners and losers in the industry." Marchionne has already said half of the wider FCA fleet will incorporate some elements of electrification by 2022, while luxury marque Maserati will spearhead FCA's electrification drive by making all new models due after 2019 electric. But its plans remain vaguer and less advanced than most big rivals and some investors wonder about the capital required to make vehicles compliant, and what share of spending can go to electrification given FCA's numerous demands.

Jeep Wrangler-based Scrambler pickup will have open tops, longer frame

We'll probably have to wait until 2019 to see the Wrangler pickup fully revealed and on dealer lots, but it seems that the truck is already showing up in FCA's computer systems. Someone at Jeep Scrambler Forum did a little digging and found the truck's chassis code, "JT," listed with a number of parts. Among those parts were different tops, seemingly confirming that the Wrangler pickup will have a soft folding top and removable hardtops available, just like a normal Wrangler. These include the plain black soft top, a black hard top, or a body-color hard top. The hard tops are also listed as three-piece units like on a conventional Wrangler, so parts can be removed, or the entire top. The forum quotes sources as saying the pickup will be called the Jeep Scrambler. The company renewed the trademark on that model name in 2015. The forum discovered a few other mechanical details, too. The truck's code is listed under the diesel engine option, confirming that powertrain for the pickup, though no other engine or transmission info was found. The forum also found CAD models of the frame and axles. Jeep Scrambler Forum estimates the frame is about 33 inches longer than the upcoming Wrangler Unlimited four-door SUV. This isn't entirely surprising, as photos show that the Wrangler pickup prototypes are substantially longer than the four-door Unlimited models. And even AEV had to lengthen the Wrangler's frame to turn it into the Brute pickup. Finally, the forum noted that the axles are different from the current generation of Wrangler, and could possibly be stronger than normal for improved towing and payload. Related Video: Related Gallery 2019 Jeep Wrangler Pickup Spy Shots View 14 Photos News Source: Jeep Scrambler ForumImage Credit: Jeep Scrambler Forum Rumormill Jeep Truck Off-Road Vehicles jeep wrangler pickup

Stellantis reports $15B profit in first year of merger

FRANKFURT, Germany — Automaker Stellantis said Wednesday that it made 13.4 billion euros ($15.2 billion) in its first year after it was formed from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group. The earnings nearly tripled profits compared with its pre-merger existence as two separate companies, as the maker of Jeep, Opel and Peugeot vehicles exploited cost efficiencies from combining the businesses. The result compared to a combined 4.79 billion euros for the separate companies in 2020 before the merger, which took effect on Jan. 17, 2021. Revenue for the combined business rose 14%, to 152 billion euros. CEO Carlos Tavares said the results “prove that Stellantis is well positioned to deliver strong performance" and had overcome “intense headwinds” during the year. Automakers have struggled with shortages of key parts such as semiconductor electronic components and rising costs for raw materials as the global rebound from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic brings more demand. The company said the benefits of the merger were worth some 3.2 billion euros during the year. Mergers can lead to streamlined costs as companies combine functions and spread fixed costs over a larger revenue base. The company accelerated its rollout of battery-powered vehicles, with sales of low-emission vehicles reaching 388,000 — an increase of 160%. Stricter environmental regulations in Europe and China are pushing automakers to roll out more electric vehicles with longer range. Stellantis started production of a hydrogen fuel cell commercial van under its Opel brand in December. Stellantis' other brands include Chrysler, Citroen, DS, Fiat, Maserati, Ram and Vauxhall. Related video: Earnings/Financials Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Opel Peugeot Vauxhall