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Alfa Romeo takes Spider in-house, Mazda-Fiat roadster partnership not dead

It's officially off. Following a report in March of this year that the marriage of Mazda and Alfa Romeo to produce a MX-5-based Spider was in trouble, the Italians have confirmed that it will take development in-house. "As far as the Spider goes, the final version is of course no longer the two-seater FCA co-developed with Mazda but a derivative of Project Giorgio," Maserati and Alfa Romeo brand boss Harald Wester told Car. For those not in the know, Project Giorgio is Alfa's codename for the rear-drive platform that will underpin the next-generation Spider, not to mention the replacement for the 159 sedan and a few other products. All is not lost for the Japanese-Italian partnership, though. "The Far East import will probably find a new home with Fiat-Abarth," Wester told Car. Yes, you read that correctly, Mazda is still working with FCA, and the result will eventually end up with Abarth's scorpion badge. If anything, we're more excited over this news than the idea of an Alfa MX-5. But we want to know what you think – would you rather Alfa build a new Spider on the Miata's bones, or does an MX-5 Abarth sound like more fun? Have your say in Comments.

For his last act, Marchionne will outline an EV/hybrid roadmap this week

MILAN/LONDON — Fiat Chrysler (FCA) boss Sergio Marchionne is expected to outline new plans for electric and hybrid cars in a strategy presentation on Friday, aiming to ensure the world's seventh-largest carmaker remains in the race in the absence of a merger. The 65-year-old will present FCA's strategy to 2022, his final contribution to the company he turned around and multiplied in value through 14 years of canny dealmaking. After failing to secure a tie-up he said was necessary to manage the costs of producing cleaner vehicles, Marchionne needs to show the group can keep churning out profits on its own, even as emissions rules tighten, SUV competition intensifies and worries around his succession abound. Marchionne had long refused to jump on the electrification bandwagon, saying he would only do so if selling battery-powered cars could be done at a profit. He even urged customers not to buy FCA's Fiat 500e, its only battery-powered model, because he was losing money on each sold. But Tesla's success and the need to comply with tougher emissions rules have forced Marchionne to commit to what he calls "most painful" spending. "FCA is way behind rivals in terms of hybrid and electric vehicles and they need to hit the accelerator to convince investors they can close that gap," said Andrea Pastorelli, a fund manager at 8a+ Investimenti. Germany's Volkswagen, Daimler, BMW and U.S. rivals GM and Ford have committed to spending billions of euros each in coming years to try produce profitable cars powered by cleaner fuels. FCA needs to present a clear roadmap, just like Volvo Cars, which ditched diesel from its best-selling XC60 SUV, launched a new electric brand and pledged to shift all brands to hybrid by 2019, a banking source close to FCA said, noting: "The tech divide determines winners and losers in the industry." Marchionne has already said half of the wider FCA fleet will incorporate some elements of electrification by 2022, while luxury marque Maserati will spearhead FCA's electrification drive by making all new models due after 2019 electric. But its plans remain vaguer and less advanced than most big rivals and some investors wonder about the capital required to make vehicles compliant, and what share of spending can go to electrification given FCA's numerous demands.

Stellantis reveals STLA Large platform with EV and ICE support

Hot on the heels of a Jeep Wagoneer S teaser and photos of the prototype next-generation Dodge Charger (or Challenger), comes a reveal and details of what will likely underpin both of them: the STLA Large platform. It's one of multiple Stellantis flexible architectures that will be the basis of its upcoming electric cars, and apparently internal combustion ones, too. Stellantis says the STLA Large platform will be for D- and E-segment cars, crossovers and SUVs. In other words, it will be for midsize and large vehicles. For reference, lengths supported will be from 187.6 to 201.8 inches, and width will range from 74.7 to 79.9 inches. It will be highly flexible, too, with Stellantis claiming significant amounts of adjustability in overhangs, wheelbase, suspension placement and powertrain arrangement. The powertrain flexibility is quite impressive. Front-, rear- and all-wheel-drive layouts will be supported. Single- and dual-motor layouts will be on offer. Internal combustion will be available, too, either on its own or as a hybrid. Apparently engines can be fitted either longitudinally or transversely, too. Battery packs with between 85 and 118 kWh of capacity will be offered, with Stellantis claiming that sedan-style vehicles could have a range of up to 500 miles. The packs will also be available in 400- and 800-volt designs. Stellantis noted also that the platform can "easily accept future energy storage technologies when they reach production readiness." This seems to hint that the company is looking at different battery chemistries and maybe even solid-state batteries that could be added more easily in the future. Furthermore, the platform is designed to handle impressive output. Stellantis says that some models on the platform will have 0-to-62 mph times in the 2-second range. Limited-slip differentials for improved power delivery and wheel-end disconnects for reduced mechanical drag are also on the table for this platform. All of these details fit well with the information previously given for the concept Dodge Charger Daytona Banshee and Jeep Wagoneer S. The former was previewed with both battery voltage architectures and a wide range of electric powertrains with between 456 and 670 horsepower depending on specification and upgrades. And that's just for the 400-volt system; the 800-volt option wasn't detailed. We've also seen photos of the Charger chassis seemingly with provisions for gas engines, likely versions of the Hurricane I6.