European lobbyists ACEA, Stellantis, VW, others fined $495 million for acting as a cartel

Peugeot E-3008

ACEA, which lobbies for the European auto industry and publishes regular media reports on the benefits it brings, helped 15 automakers to form a cartel to control vehicle recycling, according to the European Commission. They raided the companies three years ago and found evidence of collusion from 2002 through 2017. The ACEA organized meetings among … Read more

Jeep Avenger 4xe is now in production

Jeep Avenger 4xe

Stellantis has started making the Jeep Avenger 4xe in its Poland plant, supplementing the battery-electric and e-Hybrid versions. The Jeep Avenger is a subcompact vehicle created for sales outside North America; the first variant was a battery-electric. It was attractive enough to win the European Car of the Year award for 2023 and to garner … Read more

EVs, STLA lose share in Europe for 2024

Peugeot E-3008

A last-minute burst of electric car sales brought their market share to 13.6% for the year, dropping their overall share from 15.7% in 2023. One reason was the rise of hybrid-electric vehicles, which gained by nearly 20 points, moving from 3.4 million to 4.1 million sales. Plug-in hybrids also suffered, dropping by a larger amount … Read more

Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani Collectors Edition Debuts at the LA Auto Show

The 2025 Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani Collector’s Edition

The new Fiat 500e has proven to be a popular option for prospective EV owners who are interested in a small, inexpensive and efficient city car. They are surprisingly comfortable and fun to drive – which is why I added one to my personal fleet alongside my Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my new 2025 … Read more

Recalls from Ford, Mercedes, BMW, and others

Fiat 124 Spider “Fiata”

Yesterday, Stellantis issued a cautionary notice on its 4xe Jeeps, which overshadowed a hefty number of recalls from other automakers. Ford, for example, had two recalls, one on 2024 Explorers whose battery cable may short-circuit, and one on 2024 Bronco Sports which can stall. The widest recall may have been on BMW/Mini/Rolls-Royce, with a panoply … Read more

Wagoneer safety, another “special” Fiat

Jeep Wagoneer

The insurance industry’s safety testing group, IIHS, reported that the Jeep Wagoneer had the highest possible rating (“good”) in their program, earning it a Top Safety Pick rating. Their tests take into account standard camera-and-radar pedestrian crash-avoidance technology, as well as both daytime and nighttime performance. In other news, Fiat announced a new special edition … Read more

STLA did well in Europe

Stellantis financials - earnings - dollars

Stellantis did wel lin Europe in the first quarter of 2024, with a 5.4% sales increase and market share rising from 18.3% to 19.2% for the quarter. Stellantis also has a 30% total share on commercial vans, and 14% on battery-electrics—despite its CEO’s frequent litany of complaints about electric cars.  Electric car sales rose by … Read more

Layoffs at Former Fiat

The former Fiat, now FCA Italy, confirmed a hefty number of layoffs, blaming electrification—which is appropriate for around 100 jobs at the Pratola Serra engine plant, but unlikely to be the root cause for laying off 850 people from the Cassino engine plant or 300 at Mirafiori. The news comes via Reuters days after rumors … Read more

New direction, product for Fiat

Fiat concepts

As Dodge prepares to launch its new Challengers and Chrysler continues to figure out its mission, Fiat has announced the launch of a new vehicle every year until 2027. Fiat and Dodge owner Stellantis announced that the new product was made possible by Stellantis’ new global platform, presumably meaning STLA Small, which is based on … Read more