1963 Lancia Other on 2040-cars

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Stellantis says its 2021 performance has been better than expected

MILAN — Stellantis softened up investors ahead of its electrification strategy event on Thursday by flagging that 2021 got off to a better-than-expected start despite a chip shortage that has hit automakers worldwide. Stellantis, which was formed in January from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, faces an investor community keen to hear how it plans to come up with a range of electrified vehicles (EVs) to rival Tesla. At its "EV Day 2021" kicking off at 1230 GMT, Stellantis will disclose significant investments in electrification technology and connected software as it aims to be an industry frontrunner, it said in a statement. In April, Chief Executive Carlos Tavares said it would offer low-emission versions — either battery or hybrid electric — of almost all of its European models by 2025, and they should make up 70% of European sales and 35% of U.S. sales by 2030. Stellantis, the world's fourth-biggest automaker, has 14 brands in its stable, including Jeep, Ram, Opel, Fiat, Peugeot and Maserati.   Stellantis EV Day coverage: Dodge will launch the 'world's first electric muscle car' in 2024 Fully electric Ram 1500 will begin production in 2024 Jeep will have 4xe plug-in hybrid models across the lineup by 2025 Stellantis teases mystery electric Chrysler concept Stellantis previews 4 electric platforms: Here's how they'll be used Fiat says all Abarth models to be electric from 2024 Opel Manta E will be the electric revival of the classic German coupe Stellantis says its 2021 performance has been better than expected   At a similar EV strategy event last week, French rival Renault announced that 90% of its main brand models would be all-electric by 2030, whereas previously it had included hybrids in its target. Germany's Volkswagen, the world's second-biggest automaker after Toyota, expects all-electric vehicles to make up 55% of its total sales in Europe by 2030, and more than 70% of sales at its Volkswagen brand. Stellantis said its margins on adjusted operating profits in the first half of 2021 were expected to exceed an annual target of between 5.5% and 7.5%, despite production losses due to a global shortage of semiconductor supplies. Stellantis shares listed in Milan were down 2.6% at 0920 GMT, underperforming the broader European car index. Bestinver analyst Marco Opipari said Thursday's news was positive but that the stock was suffering from profit taking as it had moved up about 20% since the end of April.

A presumably stolen Lancia Ypsilon prototype is pulled from a canal in France

Lancia is a long way from its heyday. The Italian automaker’s time in motorsport is far behind it, and its business efforts have been reduced to a single model sold only in Italy. ThatÂ’s changing, at least according to company officials, as the automaker is gearing up to release a few new vehicles in the coming years, starting with an updated electric Ypsilon. Though itÂ’s not due to be revealed for a few more months, a Ypsilon prototype recently made news after it was presumably stolen and crashed into a river in France. ? FUITE ! Voici la future Lancia Ypsilon dans des conditions tres particulieres. ?? Ce prototype sans camouflage a ete repeche a Montbeliard, non loin de lÂ’usine Stellantis, et selon lÂ’Est Republicain, il sÂ’agirait dÂ’un vol. Cependant, rien nÂ’a ete confirme.#Lancia #Ypsilon pic.twitter.com/mxNmIWJ9hL — Le Rendez-Vous AutoÂ’ (@lerdvauto) December 12, 2023 Officials havenÂ’t handed out many details but said that firefighters arrived on the scene to find the white hatchback submerged in a canal near Rue du Port, near the local Stellantis factory. No victims or other wreckage was found, and the team lifted the car out of the canal by crane. While a presumably stolen prototype is interesting on its own, the secondary story here is that this is likely the best look anyone outside of Lancia has had at the new car. Every image seen to date has been of a heavily camouflaged car with hard-to-discern lines and details. We can see the rear door handles in the C-pillar and unique design elements that set it apart from the Opel Corsa upon which it is based. Though Lancia likely wishes firefighters had been more discreet in pulling the car out of the water, the automaker has an exciting few years ahead of it. After the new Ypsilon, Lancia said it would deliver a compact SUV in 2026, followed by another hatchback in 2028. It has also expressed plans to expand outside of its home market, Italy, to other European countries. The automaker may also expand to other continents, but itÂ’s unlikely Americans will see a Lancia on our streets anytime soon.

Drive like a prince: Join us for a walk through Monaco's car collection

Small, crowded, and a royal pain in the trunk lid to drive into during rush hour, Monaco sounds like an improbable location for a huge car museum. And yet, this tiny city-state has been closely linked to car culture for over a century. It hosts two major racing events every year, many of its residents would qualify for a frequent shopper card if Rolls-Royce issued one, and Prince Rainier III began assembling a collection of cars in the late 1950s. He opened his collection to the public in 1993 and the museum quickly turned into a popular tourist attraction. The collection continued to grow after his death in April 2005; it moved to a new facility located right on Hercules Port in July 2022. Monaco being Monaco, you'd expect to walk into a room full of the latest, shiniest, and most powerful supercars ever to shred a tire. That's not the case: while there is no shortage of high-horsepower machines, the first cars you see after paying ˆ10 (approximately $11) to get in are pre-war models. In that era, the template for the car as we know it in 2023 hadn't been created, so an eclectic assortment of expensive and dauntingly experimental machines roamed whatever roads were available to them. One is the Leyat Helica, which was built in France in 1921 with a 1.2-liter air-cooled flat-twin sourced from the world of aviation. Fittingly, the two-cylinder spun a massive, plane-like propeller. Government vehicles get a special spot in the museum. They range from a Cadillac Series 6700 with an amusing blend of period-correct French-market yellow headlights and massive fins to a 2011 Lexus LS 600h with a custom-made transparent roof panel that was built by Belgian coachbuilder Carat Duchatelet for Prince Albert II's wedding. Here's where it all gets a little weird: you've got a 1952 Austin FX3, a Ghia-bodied 1959 Fiat 500 Jolly, a 1960 BMW Isetta, and a 1971 Lotus Seven. That has to be someone's idea of a perfect four-car garage.  One of the most significant cars in the collection lurks in the far corner of the main hall, which is located a level below the entrance. At first glance, it's a kitted-out Renault 4CV with auxiliary lights, a racing number on the front end, and a period-correct registration number issued in the Bouches-du-Rhone department of France. It doesn't look all that different than the later, unmodified 4CV parked right next to it. Here's what's special about it: this is one of the small handful of Type 1063 models built by Renault for competition.