1970 Citroen Ds on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler CEO says final merger talks with Peugeot going well

BRUSSELS — Fiat Chrysler's chief executive Michael Manley said on Wednesday that merger talks with Peugeot owner PSA  to create the world's No. 4 carmaker are progressing well and he hopes to have a deal within 12-14 months. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of an industry meeting, he said he doesn't expect any major obstacles that could delay a final agreement. "Talks are progressing really well," Manley said about negotiations with the French carmaker ahead of a briefing by the European automotive association (ACEA), of which he is president. His comments come a month after the two carmakers agreed to a binding deal worth about $50 billion to combine forces in response to a slowdown in global demand and mounting costs of making cleaner vehicles amid tighter emissions regulations. Manley's timeline for completing the deal by early 2021 is in line with a forecast made by the companies in December. Fiat and Peugeot are now getting into the details of how the merger will work, including choosing which vehicle platforms — the technological underpinnings of a vehicle — will fit which products in a combined company. Because customers in different locations still prefer vastly different cars, there is room for multiple platforms in a combined group, Manley said. "That global platform is an elusive beast," he added. "This concept of a massive global platform in my mind is almost a myth, but that doesnÂ’t mean to say weÂ’re not going to recruit significant volume." Related Video:    

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

Watch some drunk German football fans cheer on a parallel parker

Europeans, as we know, take their football (our soccer) seriously - it isn't until a team wins that their fans can stop being so focused and have some serious fun. Exhibit A: after the German national team beat Argentina in Euro 2012, some chaps still full of cheer (and beer, presumably) came upon this woman trying to slot her tiny Citroën C2 into an equally tiny parking spot. Naturally, they decided she could use a cheer of her own. It is guaranteed this did not happen after the Germany-Italy game.
When people say they want their own theme music or cheering section or Mariachi band, we're pretty sure this is isn't at all what they mean. But it's funny for us. Check it out below.