Stellantis has done a lot of the things meeded to (maybe) be one of the auto makers that are still around in fifteen years but this may not be one of them.
From TechCrunch, February 24:
Stellantis, the automaker that owns 14 brands including Chrysler, Jeep and Ram, and autonomous vehicle technology company Waymo are not only still working together, the companies are deepening the partnership, CEO Carlos Tavares told TechCrunch in a recent interview.
This “deepened” partnership will focus on commercial self-driving Ram delivery vans, a target that was first announced in 2020 and promptly faded from public view. Discussions on this “improved” deal have focused, in part, on a crux around driverless delivery: how does the package get from the vehicle to the customer?
“When you reach the destination, how do you take the parcel out of the van?” Tavares said in a wide-ranging interview. “This has been a point of discussion that doesn’t seem easy to solve and we are now upgrading our collaboration deal with them to take that into consideration.”
“At the same time, we understand their needs and there are a lot of things that we can do for them in terms of engineering,” he said, adding it is too soon to share details. “But I would say that the partnership with Waymo is getting deeper. And I think, more exciting.”
Tavares played coy on the important what, where and when details. But he did add that he expected to be able to share more “possibly by summer.”
A Waymo spokesperson confirmed that the company continues to look at ways to deepen its relationship with Stellantis, but didn’t share any other details or if progress had been made.
Tavares’ comments suggest the company has more than a passing interest in reviving a deal that appeared destined to fizzle out as so many other autonomous vehicle-OEM partnerships have in the past two years....
....MUCH MORE
Some of those right moves:
July 2022
"Stellantis warns of car market collapse if EVs don't get cheaper"
All is proceeding according to plan. You will own nothing and be happy.
In other words: "Hop on the bus, Gus," "Make a new plan, Stan...."(apologies to Paul Simon)Feb. 2023
Peugeot, Jeep, Dodge, Maserati-Maker Stellantis Earning Big Money (STLA)
Also Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler and a bunch of other marques.
They appear to be generating serious efficiencies from the 2021 merger. and additionally, sold 288,000 electric vehicles for the full year.May 2023
"Automaker Stellantis announces inauguration of lithium battery gigafactory in France" (STLA)
Stellantis seems to "get it."
"Go big or go home," aren't just words, it's the reality that automakers are going to have to face if they want to be among the ten or so survivors in the electric vehicle business.August 2023
"Stellantis unveils low-priced electric vehicles to rival Tesla" (STLA; TSLA)
Continuing our look at Tesla's competition. Stellantis is making the moves that must be made to be one of the 10 or 12 survivors of the EV wars.
Of all those, Stellantis' July 2022 warning about pricing was deep insight for a legacy manufacturer, a realization Tesla and the Chinese had already come to but something GM and Ford seemed to be unaware of.
