1968 Citroen Ds20 on 2040-cars

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Stellantis and Toyota expand partnership with large commercial van

Stellantis said on Monday it would expand its partnership with Toyota Motor Europe (TME) with a new large commercial van, including an electric version. Stellantis will supply TME, a unit of Japan's Toyota Motor Corp, with the new vehicle for sale in Europe under the Toyota brand, it said. The van will be produced at Stellantis plants in Gliwice, Poland, and Atessa, Italy. "Planned for mid-2024, the new large-size commercial van marks TME's first entry into the large-size commercial vehicle segment," Stellantis added in a statement. The deal widens the partnership between the two companies and allows a better optimization of Stellantis' Atessa plant, which currently makes large vans sold under the Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat marques. "It represents an important addition and completes our light commercial line-up for Toyota's European customers," Stellantis said. Paris-listed shares in Stellantis were up 1.6% by 0941 GMT. Carmakers have increasingly been agreeing cross-manufacturing deals to reduce costs in vans, which due to a boom in parcel delivery are seeing large demand — and where electric vehicle versions are also seeing rising sales to carry out "last-mile" deliveries in city centers. Green Fiat Toyota Citroen Peugeot Minivan/Van Commercial Vehicles Electric

Stellantis says electrification is killing the affordable car

Stellantis-owned Citroen is worried that electrification is making it difficult for motorists to buy an affordable car by driving prices up. One of the company's top executives said this trend is "a real threat," and his comments were echoed by the group's chief manufacturing officer. "It's really a threat that the electrification has increased the price of the car so much that people can't afford cars anymore. It's a real threat, not only regarding Citroen, so we're increasingly conscious of that and are working on this," explained Arnaud Ribault, the head of Citroen's European division, in an interview with British magazine Autocar. Going hybrid (and especially electric) threatens to drive some buyers out of the new car market for several reasons. One is that the cost of the raw materials needed to build a hybrid or an electric car tends to be higher than the cost of the raw materials required to make a comparable gasoline- or diesel-powered model. For context, the Citroen C4 (a crossover with a fastback-like roof line; pictured) starts at 22,900 euros with a gasoline-burning three-cylinder engine and 35,300 euros with an electric powertrain, figures that represent about $23,900 and $36,800, respectively. That's a huge difference, even when the EV's longer list of standard features gets factored in. On our side of the pond, the 2022 Hyundai Kona carries a base price of $21,300 with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine between its fenders and $34,000 with a battery under its passenger compartment. Government incentives help narrow the gap, and the electric variant is better equipped than its gasoline-sipping counterpart, but these points don't matter to someone with a budget of $25,000, for example. Another issue, one that's more prevalent in Europe than in the United States, is that it's becoming increasingly expensive for companies to keep cheap gasoline-powered cars compliant with regulations that get stricter on a regular basis. Someone buying, say, an Audi A8 can absorb the cost of the extra equipment, but a buyer in the market for an entry-level model (like the tiny Citroen C1) very likely can't. This gives carmakers two basic options: take the financial hit and reduce a profit margin that's already wafer-thin, or pass the cost onto the buyer and watch sales plummet accordingly.

Come see all the cool cars in Geneva that we don't get in America

The Geneva Motor Show is usually the highlight of auto show season. There are always a ton of interesting debuts. This year alone, we saw new models from McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes-AMG and more. That doesn't count the ridiculous and tasteless stuff that comes out of Brabus or Mansory. Personally, one of the biggest reasons I enjoy going is to see all the cool stuff that we won't get in America. Watch the video for a brief walkaround of the show floor. Even the city streets offer unusual sights for Americans. Geneva is so close to France that there are Citroens, Peugeots and Renaults everywhere. Then there are cars like the Volkswagen Polo and Up! or a multitude of wagon variants of cars like the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 and A6. Even the exotics come out in droves. There was a Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer parked along a side street. There were two Lamborghini Aventadors parked outside our hotel. Just Geneva things. Design/Style Geneva Motor Show Isuzu Suzuki Citroen Peugeot Renault SEAT Skoda Truck Coupe Hatchback Wagon Performance Videos renault megane renault clio peugeot 508