Stellantis took a while to get things in motion, a little over a year from the day Groupe PSA and FCA signed a 50/50 merger agreement to the opening ceremony on the New York Stock Exchange. We all know logos also make things official, and the new Stellantis logo was flashy. Moving on to making a commitment to all-electric models and lineups, it took almost another year, but with the auto industry going green, it’s now or never. The automotive group already has plans on how to handle the late entry by learning from the mistakes of the competition in the electric vehicle market. This week is the first year anniversary of the merger, so let’s take a look at some of the milestones made.

Purpose

What good is a company with a purpose, without a clear objective? Stellantis claimed its purpose was to be “powered by our diversity, we lead the way the world moves”. It’s ironic, seeing as how the automotive groups prior to the merger and afterwards were still pushing back alternative fuel vehicles all year. It wasn’t until September that we finally got a good look at plans for Stellantis going electric. With planned investments of more than €30 billion through 2025, the top selling brands will be getting the most of the resources as the company shifts to become a sustainable mobility tech company.

Continued Success

Brands like Jeep, who continue to lead the automotive group in sales and already started the electrified movement with Jeep 4xe vehicles. The Jeep Wrangler 4xe took the world by storm, and within the first year of the merger, Jeep released five new vehicles – the Jeep® Commander, next-gen Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee L, Grand Wagoneer, Wagoneer SUV models. This makes up the majority of the 10 new models released by Stellantis in 2021. Striving to also be an automaker with a large focus on tech, many agreements and contracts took place as well.

2021 felt the shockwave of 2020 with the semiconductor chip shortage plaguing the auto industry. With most suppliers having shifted to consumer products and electronics during the COVID-19 quarantine lockdown, automakers were lost at sea. It took some elbow grease, but Stellantis formed a new partnership with Hon Hai Technology Group to produce semiconductor chips for the automotive group to get them back on track. Joining Stellantis is Foxconn, the world’s largest supplier of semiconductor chips, having formed an agreement earlier this.

As we saw at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show, Stellantis is amongst many automakers that are aiming to turn the modern automobile into a mobile living space. It may not happen for another ten years, but that’s plenty of time for automakers to catch up and produce the world’s first smart car. Connecting consumer, smartphone, and car is the new objective, and with smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Home, it’s becoming easier than ever. On that note, Stellantis entered into an agreement with Alexa to power their new STLA SmartCockpit that can take the consumer’s digital lifestyle and bring it on the road and into the cabin.

It’s Electric

The new electrification strategy for Stellantis is building on top of the current 33 electrified vehicles available now including fuel cell vans, with eight more battery-electric vehicles (BEVS) set for release within the next 18 months. Amazon has already ordered Ram ProMaster BEVs, and an all-electric Ram 1500 pickup truck is on the way by 2024. Also joining the release of EVs in 2024 is Dodge eMuscle. A year before that, Jeep is set to go all the way and release an electric Jeep SUV alongside a new all-electric Chrysler model.

It took some time, but the Stellantis automotive group has its feet firmly planted in the ground and a clear look at what comes next. Follow along with us on NowCar social media to learn about new concepts and the next new electric vehicle from Stellantis.

Photo Source/Copyright: Stellantis