Auto blog

Stellantis wants to trim 3,500 hourly U.S. jobs, UAW says

WASHINGTON — Chrysler-parent Stellantis NV wants to cut approximately 3,500 hourly U.S. jobs and is offering voluntary exit packages, according to a United Auto Workers union letter made public Tuesday. The automaker is looking to reduce its hourly workforce offering incentive packages that include $50,000 payments for workers hired before 2007, UAW Local 1264 said in a letter dated Monday posted on its Facebook page. Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson declined to comment. A person briefed on the matter said the figure might be lower than the figure cited in the UAW letter. In late February, Stellantis indefinitely halted operations at an assembly plant in Illinois, citing rising costs of electric vehicle production. The action impacted about 1,350 workers at the Belvidere, Illinois, plant that built the Jeep Cherokee SUV and resulted in indefinite layoffs. The automaker has warned it may not resume operations as it considers other options. The UAW letter said openings created by workers leaving would be filled by workers on indefinite layoff. Stellantis said in February that about 40,000 U.S. hourly workers were eligible for profit sharing. Last week, UAW President Shawn Fain said Stellantis' decision to idle the Illinois plant was "a flat-out violation" of the union's contract with the UAW and is unacceptable. The UAW will enter talks with the Detroit Three before labor contracts expire in mid-September. Earlier this month, General Motors said about 5,000 salaried workers accepted buyouts to leave the automaker. GM CEO Mary Barra said February job cuts of a few hundred jobs and the 5,000 buyouts "provided approximately $1 billion towards" a $2 billion cost cutting target. Ford Motor Co recently announced significant job cuts in Spain, Germany and other parts of Europe and in August said it would cut a total of 3,000 salaried and contract jobs, mostly in North America and India. Hirings/Firings/Layoffs UAW/Unions Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Stellantis

Maserati to show GranCabrio MC in Paris

Maserati sure seems to be milking the GranTurismo franchise for all its worth these days. In addition to plenty of limited editions and sport models for both the coupe and convertible, Maserati recently launched the MC version of the hardtop. Now, ahead of its debut at the Paris Motor Show, the Modenese automaker has dropped details on its latest iteration of the GT platform, the GranCabrio MC.
Visually, the droptop's most noticeable change is its new face, which has been lifted directly off the MC Stradale coupe. This means the car is a full 48 millimeters longer than the standard and Sport versions of the GranCabrio, but we like the decidedly more aggressive look to that big ol' schnoz. The large rear spoiler has also been reworked for the MC, providing even more downforce to keep that large body firmly glued to the road.
Maserati has not released powertrain details, but we assume that the GranCabrio MC uses the same 4.7-liter Ferrari-sourced V8 as the MC coupe, good for 444 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Dealer sues Maserati for fabricating sales numbers

A Maserati dealer with stores in New York, New Jersey, and Florida is suing Maserati North America for allegedly requesting that they inflate sales or receive lower incentives. The plaintiff in this case refused to participate and claims that it unfairly lost profits as a result, according to Automotive News. The lawsuit hinges on a request from FCA that its dealers move vehicles into their test-drive fleet, a practice called punching them. Most stores keep at least one example of each model in their demonstrator fleet. While they don't immediately go to a customer, a punched vehicle appears as a sale for an automaker at the end of the month. This case alleges that Maserati North America told its dealers in September 2014 to punch 2015 Ghiblis, even though the sedans hadn't been delivered yet. As a result, the Italian automaker was able to post an additional 105 sales for the month. Furthermore, the stores purportedly received additional bonuses when they later sold these models to customers, and there was possibly another request to claim vehicles as demonstrators in December 2014, Automotive News reports. Amid rapidly growing global demand, Maserati increased Ghibli and Quattroporte production to 900 cars per week in mid-2014. However, the company had to reverse course in 2015 and cut back shifts at its Grugliasco factory. The launch of the upcoming Levante crossover is expected to bring another boost.