1972 Citroen on 2040-cars

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Stellantis will enter joint venture with Samsung SDI for EV batteries

SEOUL — South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI Co Ltd and global automaker Stellantis NV have agreed to jointly produce electric vehicle (EV) batteries for the North American market, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Samsung SDI, an affiliate of South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics, already has EV battery plants in South Korea, China and Hungary, which supply customers such as BMW and Ford. "The two companies (Samsung SDI and Stellantis) have struck a MOU (memorandum of understanding) to produce EV batteries for North America," the person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The source spoke of condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The person said the location of the battery joint venture is under review and will be announced later. In July, Reuters reported that Samsung SDI may build a battery plant in the United States, citing a company source. South Korea's Yonhap news agency earlier reported the two companies plan to build a factory in the United States, citing industry sources. Samsung SDI and Stellantis did not have immediate comment when reached by Reuters. Stellantis on Monday struck a preliminary deal with battery maker South Korea's LG Energy Solution (LGES) to produce battery cells and modules for North America. Shares of Samsung SDI were up 2.6% as of 0300 GMT, versus a 0.6% rise in the KOSPI benchmark index. Related video: Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall

Russian company starts Citroen production at former Stellantis factory

MOSCOW — Russian company Automotive Technologies announced it had started assembling Citroen C5 Aircross models in batches at a plant south of Moscow formerly owned by Stellantis, with the cars set to be sold in dealerships from May. Reuters exclusively reported in February, citing customs data and two people familiar with the matter, that Automotive Technologies had imported at least 42 car kits from China for assembling Citroen models at the plant. Manufactured in China, the kits were produced by China's Dongfeng Motor Group, the data showed. Stellantis reiterated its response to Reuters in February, that it had concluded since Dec. 31, 2023, that it had "lost control of its entities in Russia." "On March 27, batch assembly of Citroen C5 Aircross crossovers started at the factory in Kaluga," Automotive Technologies said in a statement. "The cars will arrive in the salons of official Citroen dealers in May 2024, but it's possible to book a car as soon as April." The developments highlight the lack of control Western companies have over their brands after suspending Russian operations or leaving the country since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and demonstrate Moscow's increasing dependence on Beijing, particularly in the car industry. In February, Stellantis said it recognized a loss of 144 million euros ($155.75 million) from losing its Russian operations, including 87 million euros of cash and cash equivalents. Chinese trade data for 2023 shows that exports of cars to Russia were almost seven times higher than in 2022, with the value of those exports jumping by almost $10 billion. Dongfeng and Stellantis, the world's third-largest automaker by revenue, operate a commercial joint venture in China, through which Dongfeng can build and sell Stellantis cars in China.   Plants/Manufacturing Citroen Russia Stellantis

Almost 70 percent of FCA-PSA Groupe models to ride on two PSA platforms

With the merger between PSA Groupe and Fiat Chrysler having been officially announced this week, we still don't know where everything will settle once the process concludes. We covered the catalog of models herded by the combined company's 12 brands, all of which will remain for now. Profound changes must be afoot somewhere, though, else there'd be no reason for the tie-up. Automotive News has a report on one of the big moves, writing that "more than two-thirds of [PSA-FCA] production would be concentrated on just two platforms." Around 2.6 million cars built by the combined company would sit on PSA's Common Modular Platform, also known as the EMP1, for B-segment city cars, entry-level and mid-range C-segment sedans, and compact crossovers. Three million vehicles would ride on the EMP2 architecture intended for C- and D-segment cars and higher-end crossovers. Those figures account for around 5.6 of the 8.7 million vehicles the combined company expects to sell annually. AN didn't mention the Giorgio platform that's already spread throughout the FCA kingdom to support numerous current and future offerings like the next-gen Jeep Grand Cherokee, but did write that "larger Jeep models will continue to use FCA underpinnings." The body-on-frame chassis' under Ram trucks and the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator should hold pat. We'll wait for word on the fate of the Compact U.S. Wide platform carrying the Chrysler Voyager and Pacifica and Jeep Cherokee. Dodge products with questionable futures are anyone's guess; we've heard the Dodge Durango, still built on a Mercedes-derived platform it shares with the current Grand Cherokee, could go body-on-frame for the next generation, or die and have the Giorgio-based, three-row Jeep Grand Cherokee take its place. More mystery comes with the long-lived LA and LD platforms in the big sedan and coupe trio Chrysler and Dodge still milk quite successfully. And if there were ever a time for the Dodge Journey – last reported as a Giorgio recipient – to modernize or die, we don't know when that time is. Although FCA platforms have been designed with alternative powertrains in mind, AN says the PSA Groupe architectures "are more modern than FCA's equivalent platforms." After PSA acquired GM's Opel/Vauxhall division, the French company didn't waste time moving the Anglo-German products to in-house platforms, helping to put the formerly money-losing operations into the black in just 18 months.