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Robert Kubica moves from Williams to Alfa Romeo F1 reserve

LONDON — Robert Kubica has joined Alfa Romeo as their 2020 reserve driver, the role the Pole carried out 14 years ago when he made his Formula One debut with the Swiss-based team then known as BMW Sauber. The deal announced on Wednesday also sees Polish oil company PKN ORLEN, who backed the 35-year-old's comeback last season at former champions Williams, become a co-title sponsor of the team in a multi-year partnership. Kubica's big break came in 2006 when he became Poland's first F1 racer, replacing Canada's 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve at BMW Sauber and going on to win with them at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix. The Pole, who suffered a near-fatal rally accident in 2011 that partially severed his right arm, scored tail-enders Williams' only point last year in a remarkable personal comeback clouded by the team's inability to provide a competitive car. He announced in September that he was leaving and has since been replaced by Canadian Nicholas Latifi, the team's 2019 reserve. "I'm starting a new chapter in my career by joining Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN. This is a team that has a special place in my heart and it'll be nice to see the familiar faces I still remember from Hinwil," said Kubica in a statement. "Time and circumstances are obviously different, but I am convinced that I will find the same determination and hunger to succeed." Kubica had also been linked to the Haas and Racing Point teams who had considered him for a role as a tester and simulator driver. Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo's race drivers this year are Finland's 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen and Italian Antonio Giovinazzi, an unchanged lineup from 2019. Team principal Frederic Vasseur welcomed Kubica, who before his accident raced for Renault and was close to becoming a Ferrari driver, back to the Hinwil factory. "He is a driver that needs no introduction: one of the most brilliant in his generation and one who displayed the true meaning of human determination in his fight to return to racing after his rallying accident," he said. "His feedback will be invaluable as we continue to push our team towards the front of the grid." Alfa Romeo finished last season in eighth place with 57 points. The team said PKN ORLEN branding will feature on the C39 car and all "trackside assets". Related Video:

Stellantis and LG launch joint venture for North American battery plant

Stellantis has struck a preliminary deal with battery maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) to produce battery cells and modules for North America, as the world's No. 4 automaker rolls out its 30 billion euro ($35 billion) electrification plan. Global automakers are investing billions of euros to accelerate a transition to low-emission mobility and prepare for a progressive phase-out of internal combustion engines. Stellantis and LGES's joint venture will produce battery cells and modules at a new facility with an annual capacity of 40 gigawatt hours (GWh), the two firms said on Monday. No financial details of the deal were provided. The plant is scheduled to start production by the first quarter of 2024, with groundbreaking expected in the second quarter of 2022, the companies said in their statement. Its location is under review and will be announced later. Stellantis, formed in January from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, has said it wants to secure more than 130 GWh of global battery capacity by 2025 and more than 260 GWh by 2030. The batteries produced under the deal will supply Stellantis' U.S., Canadian and Mexican assembly plants for installation in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, supporting its goal of e-vehicles making up more than 40% of its U.S. sales by 2030. The company, whose brands include Peugeot, Fiat, Opel and U.S. best-sellers Jeep and Ram, earlier this year announced it would invest more than 30 billion euros through 2025 on electrifying its vehicle lineup. Stellantis has said it would build three battery plants in Europe and two in North America, including at least one in the United States. Intesa Sanpaolo analyst Monica Bosio said the deal was positive, and a further step ahead in Stellantis' electrification process. It comes weeks after Stellantis and its partner TotalEnergies agreed to open up their battery cell joint venture ACC to Daimler, to expand their European sourcing of battery cells. Stellantis is also targeting more than 70% of sales in Europe to be of low-emission vehicles by 2030, and aims to make the total cost of owning an EV equal to that of a gasoline-powered model by 2026. Related video: Green Plants/Manufacturing Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall Electric Hybrid EV batteries LG

Fiat Centro Stile sells design sketches to support kids in Italy

Fiat's Centro Stile design studio in Europe has kicked off a project called stART Again to support the global charity Save the Children. The studio put 136 high-resolution sketches of Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep, and Lancia vehicles for download online at just ˆ20 a pop — about $22. The proceeds from all sales will be donated to a charity founded in England 101 years ago "to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts." Save the Children will use the funds to provide supplies, teaching materials, and support for studies for more than 100,000 children in the most disadvantaged areas of Italy who have been additionally harmed by the coronavirus and its effects. There are a heap of knockout drawings available. The selection at the Alfa Romeo store ranges from a 1958 Alfetta 158 racer to the coming Giulia GTA, classics in between including the immortal GTV 6 and the left-field 75 1.8 Turbo TCC racer. The Fiat marketplace contains wares from Abarth, Fiat, and Fiat Professional, with a massive emphasis on the new 500, but the hardcore 1972 Abarth 124 Spyder and oddball 900E van get slots in there (the 900E looks like a Volkswagen Vanagon, but the 900E came first). The Jeep shop is all business and big tires, save for the 1942 Willys MB, but someone needs to take the 1956 Jeep Forward Control sketch off the page and into reality. And the Lancia store has more to offer than the Stratos and Delta Integrale, an ominous Aurelia B20 GT and a Fulvia GT part of the five-model lineup. For some reason, Maserati got left out of the graphic bonanza, as did Ram, Dodge, and Chrysler, which is a shame. That still leaves 136 good reasons to click through and help the kiddies. Related Video: