Gorgeous Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio on 2040-cars

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Stellantis announces ‘Circular Economy’ business to drive revenue, decarbonization

Stellantis has already announced its plans to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2038. Today, the automaker has announced a new business unit to help it reach that goal while generating 2 billion euros per year in revenue by 2030. The “Circular Economy” business will help make revenue less dependent on finite, rare and ecologically problematic materials. The Circular Economy model features what Stellantis calls a “4R” strategy, comprising remanufacturing, repair, reuse and recycling. The goal is to make materials last as long as they can, reducing reliance on the acquisition of those precious new materials in the future by returning them to the business loop when theyÂ’ve reached the end of their first life. Through these processes, Stellantis says it can save up to 80% raw material and 50% energy compared to manufacturing a new part. Remanufacturing, or “reman” in Stellantis shorthand, means dismantling, cleaning and rebuilding parts to OEM spec. Nearly 12,000 remanufactured parts are available for customers to purchase. Some remanufacturing is done in-house, and some with partners and through joint ventures. Repair is pretty obvious — fixing parts to put back into vehicles. This also consists of reconditioning, to make a vehicle feel like new. Stellantis boasts 21 “e-repair” centers for repairing electric vehicle batteries.  Reuse refers to parts still in good condition from end-of-life vehicles sold as-is. Stellantis says it has 4.5 million multi-brand parts in inventory. These are sold in 155 countries through the B-Parts e-commerce platform. Reuse also refers second-life options, such as using batteries outside of automotive purposes. Recycling involves dismantling parts and scraps back into raw material form that is then looped back into the manufacturing process. Stellantis says it has collected 1 million parts for recycling in the past six months. Recycling doesnÂ’t get counted in that aforementioned 2 billion euros of revenue, but it does save the company money on acquisition of raw materials. As for batteries, specifically, Stellantis expects this recycling business to ramp up after 2030, when the packs currently in service begin to reach the end of their lifecycle. Stellantis will use its new “SUSTAINera” label to denote parts that are offered as part of its Circular Economy business.

US-spec 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia details revealed

Maurice the Bowler from The Simpsons said, "Better than the act, better than the memory, is the anticipation!" He wasn't talking about the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, but he could have been. Recently delayed another six months by parent company Fiat, we're going to do a whole lot more anticipating since the sedan might not make it here until the actual 2017 calendar year. That's a shame to think about because the top-of-the-Giulia line is a thing of beauty, so we'll enjoy it at the LA Auto Show while we have it. Built on the new Giorgio architecture developed in conjunction with Ferrari, its standard elements are a 2.9-liter, twin-turbo V6 with 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. That power number is the largest Alfa Romeo has ever let loose from a production car factory, and that torque is available from 2,500 to 5,000 rpm. The fireworks are sent to the rear wheels through a short throw six-speed manual transmission and carbon fiber driveshaft, and 19-inch wheels can convert those explosions into a 3.8-second run from 0-60 miles per hour and a top speed of 191 mph. The Giulia Quadrifoglio gets its grunt massaged by tech like an active front splitter controlled by two electronic actuators, a carbon fiber rear spoiler, torque-vectoring limited-slip differential, and adaptive damping. Brembo four-pot calipers all around hugging iron rotors come stock, you'll find carbon ceramics on the options list providing six-piston Brembos in front and four-piston Brembos in back. The carbon fiber hood and roof, and extensive aluminum bits like the doors and fenders go easy on the scales and help provide a "near 50/50 weight distribution." Cylinder deactivation will help you go easy on the gas, if not the throttle. After the top-dog Giulia gets here its less powerful minions will follow, all of them motivated by a 276-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. All-wheel-drives comes after launch, too. Interior options will be lengthy and detailed, with a mix of materials, colors, and stitching. For the hardest of the hardcore, Sparco racing seats can be had for the Quadrifoglio. You can read about all of this and much more in the press release below, here's the number you'll want to know now: "around $70,000," the US MSRP we're now being warned about. Because beauty is not cheap, especially when it's quick.

This modernized Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint looks great, sounds even better

No matter how good something may be, there's always room for improvement. A UK company called Alfaholics builds an overhauled version of the famous Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint that's supposed to be capable enough to hassle a modern Porsche 911 around the Nordschleife. It's difficult to spot any of the upgrades from the outside, but Charles Morgan shows off the updated performance in a new video from Carfection. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint is a memorable sports coupe that was made in the '60s and '70s, and it sports a gorgeous body from the pen of a then-17-year-old Giorgetto Giugiaro. Alfaholics takes this fantastic platform and adds modern suspension components, upgraded brakes, carbon fiber body panels, and a 240-horsepower engine. These tweaks bring the weight down to about 1,830 pounds and allow for a lap around the Nordschliefe in less than 8 minutes at the hands of a skilled driver. As opposed to just going for outright performance, Alfaholics tries to keep its tuned Giulia Sprint somewhat authentic to the original version. As Morgan shows in this video, the result of the company's work is a coupe with superb handling and an intoxicating exhaust note. Related Video: