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Stellantis wants to outfit cars with AI software to drive revenue

MILAN — Carmaker Stellantis announced a strategy Tuesday to embed AI-enabled software in 34 million vehicles across its 14 brands, hoping the tech upgrade will help it bring in 20 billion euros ($22.6 billion) in annual revenue by 2030. CEO Carlos Tavares heralded the move as part of a strategy that would transform the car company into a “sustainable mobility tech company,” with business growth coming from features and services tied to the internet. That includes using voice commands to activate navigation, make payments and order products online. The company is expanding existing partnerships with BMW on partially automated driving, iPhone manufacturer Foxconn on customized cockpits and Waymo to push their autonomous driving work into light commercial vehicle delivery fleets. StellantisÂ’ embrace of artificial intelligence and expansion of software-enabled vehicles is part of a broad transformation in the auto industry, with a race toward more fully electric and hybrid propulsion systems, more autonomous driving features and increased connectivity in automobiles. Ford and General Motors also are banking on dramatically increased revenue from similar online subscription services. But the automakers face immense competition for monthly consumer spending from movie and music streaming services, news outlets, Amazon Prime and others. Stellantis, which was formed from the combination of PSA Peugeot and FCA Fiat Chrysler, said the software would seamlessly integrate into customers' lives, with the capability of live updates providing upgraded services over time. New products will include the possibility to subscribe to automated driving features, purchase usage-based car insurance or even increase the power of the vehicle with a tune-up to add horsepower. As a baseline, Stellantis generates 400 million euros in revenue on software-generated services installed in 12 million vehicles. To meet the targets, Stellantis will expand its software engineering team of 1,000 to 4,500 in North America, Asia and Europe. More than 1,000 of the expanded team will be retrained in house. Stellantis also announced a new partnership with Foxconn to develop semiconductors to cover 80% of the companyÂ’s needs and simplify the supply chain. The first microchips from the partnership are targeted to be installed in vehicles in 2024.

Alfa Romeo celebrates Quadrifoglio's 100th anniversary

This year, Alfa Romeo celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Quadrifoglio becoming part of Alfa Romeo lore. In 1923, team racing driver and eternal second-place finisher Ugo Sivocci painted a four-leaf clover inside a white square on his RL "Corsa" single-seater developed to win the Targa Florio. Sivocci won the race, giving Alfa Romeo its first international victory. A few months later, Sivocci went to Monza to test the P1 for the Grand Prix of Europe. He hadn't painted a four-leaf clover on the #17 P1 he drove, and he died during practice. True, correlation is not causation, but it's hard to find a more superstitious bunch than racing teams drivers. The Italians retired #17 from racing vehicles, and from 1924 every Alfa Romeo featured a Quadrifoglio on the bodywork inside of a triangle instead of a square. The missing point represented the loss of Sivocci. Since then, those green leaves have identified Alfas among the sea of other red Italian single seaters from competitors like Ferrari and Maserati. Of course, sometimes the cars didn't need such help, the lines on models like the TZ and P33 iconic enough to forgo further distinction. The Milanese added Quadrifoglio versions of production cars in the 1960s, but didn't make it part of official production names until the 1980s. Following that, the branding expanded into two clovers, a Quadrifoglio Oro (gold) denoting luxury versions, a Quadrifoglio Verde for sporty variants. Then came even wider use as the single letter "Q" for features like the Q2 locking differential and Q4 all-wheel drive. Centro Stile Alfa Romeo tweaked the logo, the graphic to appear at brand events that will kick off on the official centenary June 25. That's been dubbed "Quadrifoglio Day," host to a "Backstage" conference and parade open to all of Alfa Romeo clubs.    This year is also the 60th anniversary of Alfa Romeo's Autodelta racing division. Equivalent to an AMG or M division for the Italians, predating both German versions, the famous Alfa Romeo racing cars like the 1965 Giulia Sprint GTA and the 1975 33 TT 12 sports car racer emerged from the Autodelta workshops. These celebrations will come first, on March 5, punctuated by a conference at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, Milan. Related video:

Alfa Romeo's supercar is nearly sold out (but not yet approved)

Alfa Romeo's on-again, off-again supercar is taking shape. It hasn't been approved for production yet, let alone unveiled, but a recent report suggests that enthusiasts who want to add the model to their collection need to reach out to one of the firm's dealers as quickly as possible. Company boss Jean-Philippe Imparato told British magazine Autocar that several collectors have already put a deposit down on the car. There's no word yet on how many examples will be built, assuming the limited-edition model receives the proverbial green light for production, but the CEO suggested that demand will exceed supply. "It will be sold-out before I unveil the car," he told the publication. It's too early to tell what kind of supercar is in the pipeline. Allegedly called 6C, a name that seemingly confirms a six-cylinder engine, the model could feature a heritage-inspired design. "We are working on something that I could put aside the 8C in the museum of Arese, being proud of our contribution to the history of Alfa Romeo. That is what we want," Imparato clarified. He added that development work is ongoing. One of the numerous points that's up in the air is which six-cylinder the car will use. It's reasonably safe to assume that the engine will have a V configuration; Alfa Romeo doesn't have a straight-six engine in its arsenal. Although many of its sister companies do, it's not a layout that has historically been associated with the storied Italian brand while the V6 has been part of its heritage for decades. Using the 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 found in several recent additions to the Maserati range is likely more complicated than it might sound; Autoblog learned that Maserati isn't open to sharing the twin-turbocharged six-cylinder with another company, even one under the same umbrella. That leaves us with the 2.9-liter V6 that powers the Giulia Quadrifoglio, among other models, as the most likely candidate, but nothing is official at this stage. Stellantis executives will decide whether to approve the supercar in April 2023, according to Autocar. We're guessing that if deposits have already been taken and the car is nearly sold-out, there's a good chance that the model will see the light at the end of a production line. Haven't we already seen Alfa's supercar? If the idea of an Alfa Romeo supercar rings a bell, it's likely because coachbuilder Zagato unveiled a one-of-a-kind, Giulia-based model called Giulia SWB Zagato in December 2022.