2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Sport Awd on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo takes Spider in-house, Mazda-Fiat roadster partnership not dead

It's officially off. Following a report in March of this year that the marriage of Mazda and Alfa Romeo to produce a MX-5-based Spider was in trouble, the Italians have confirmed that it will take development in-house. "As far as the Spider goes, the final version is of course no longer the two-seater FCA co-developed with Mazda but a derivative of Project Giorgio," Maserati and Alfa Romeo brand boss Harald Wester told Car. For those not in the know, Project Giorgio is Alfa's codename for the rear-drive platform that will underpin the next-generation Spider, not to mention the replacement for the 159 sedan and a few other products. All is not lost for the Japanese-Italian partnership, though. "The Far East import will probably find a new home with Fiat-Abarth," Wester told Car. Yes, you read that correctly, Mazda is still working with FCA, and the result will eventually end up with Abarth's scorpion badge. If anything, we're more excited over this news than the idea of an Alfa MX-5. But we want to know what you think – would you rather Alfa build a new Spider on the Miata's bones, or does an MX-5 Abarth sound like more fun? Have your say in Comments.

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.

Alfa Romeo's Super Bowl commercial is about dreams and reinvention [UPDATE]

Update 2: Alfa Romeo keeps rolling out the Super Bowl ads. The post has been changed to include the third ad and information about it. Update: Alfa Romeo had not one, but two new Super Bowl commercials, and this post has been edited to include the second one. Alfa Romeo's Super Bowl commercial talks about the things we've dreamed of since we were kids, like riding on dragons and flying cars. It also covers the various life lessons many of us learn, including how to be true to oneself. All the while, images of childhood, growing up, and vintage Alfa Romeos are spliced together. It covers some heartwarming ground, but it's all a bit broad and borderline vague. The idea seems to be that Alfa as a company has learned the same lessons we do growing up, and that it all pays off with its new models. The second ad is much better, and is all about Alfa's strengths: driving enjoyment, passion, and other cliched Italian automotive characteristics. It shows a new Giulia Quadrifoglio cruising some gorgeous mountain roads, and the driver talking about being one with the vehicle and loving the experience. The bit about letting something go if you love it was cheesy, but this was a commercial that really showed what Alfa Romeo is all about, and we liked it. Check it out above. Alfa's third Super Bowl ad of the night continues what the second one started. This one focuses on the most powerful Giulia's beauty, and, well, power. It's apparently both breath-taking and breath-giving. Check out the commercial above. Related Video: Image Credit: Alfa Romeo / YouTube Alfa Romeo Super Bowl Commercials Videos super bowl li