Tag Archives: Stellantis

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The Holy Trinity of Italian Genius — Stellantis Heritage Unleashes Lancia, Abarth, and Alfa at Bologna’s Auto e Moto d’Epoca

If you’ve ever wondered what Italian passion looks like distilled into metal, chrome, and the occasional whiff of burnt oil, Stellantis Heritage just handed you the answer on a polished silver platter. This year’s Auto e Moto d’Epoca in Bologna (October 23–26) won’t just be another nostalgia trip through Europe’s most glamorous automotive archive. No — it’s a full-blooded celebration of Italy’s obsession with beauty, bravery, and speed.

At the centre of the show? Three legends from the Stellantis vault, each representing a different decade, a different dream, and one relentless national instinct — fare di più. Do more. Push harder. Build faster.

From the hallowed halls of the Heritage Hub in Turin and the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, emerge three machines that defined eras and defied reason:

  • the Lancia D25 (1954),
  • the Fiat-Abarth 750 Record (1956), and
  • the Alfa Romeo Scarabeo (1966).

Together, they’re not just cars. They’re rolling testaments to what happens when engineering meets espresso-fueled insanity.

The Mission: Vision, Velocity, Victory

Under the watchful eye of Roberto Giolito, head of Stellantis Heritage and designer of the Fiat Multipla (yes, that one), the brand’s historical wing isn’t just dusting off museum pieces. It’s telling stories — stories about how Italy built cars not merely to move, but to matter.

As Giolito puts it, these machines “aren’t signs of the past, but tangible proof of the Italian drive to innovate with style, courage, and imagination.” Translation: these are the greatest hits of an era when design sketches were drawn with cigarettes and conviction.

Lancia D25 (1954) — The Race That Never Was

If Enzo Ferrari had a rival worthy of his jealousy, it was Vittorio Jano — the genius behind the Lancia D25. Born from the ashes of the Carrera Panamericana-winning D24, this car was the ultimate 1950s racer that never got its chance to show off.

With a 3.75-litre V6 producing 305 hp and a top speed kissing 300 km/h, the D25 could’ve eaten early Ferraris for breakfast. It had the kind of obsessive engineering detail that would make modern chassis designers weep: transaxle rear end, inboard brakes, independent suspension, and a spaceframe chassis that used the engine as a structural member.

But fate — and Formula 1 — intervened. Lancia pulled out of sports car racing, and the D25 never got its day in the sun. Only one example survived, wearing its Pininfarina body like a tailored Italian suit that never went out to dinner. Now, in Bologna, it finally gets the spotlight it deserves — a mechanical opera in 12 cylinders (well, six, but you get the point).

Fiat-Abarth 750 Record (1956) — The Bullet That Beat Time

If Carlo Abarth were alive today, he’d be the kind of man who sets an alarm just to break it. The Fiat-Abarth 750 Record, designed by aerodynamicist and styling sorcerer Franco Scaglione, was a wind-cheating bullet that looked more UFO than automobile.

Its job? Simple: humiliate the stopwatch.

In 1956, at Monza, it smashed six endurance records — including the 24-hour run, covering 3,743 km at 155 km/h average speed. A 750cc engine. One driver. And a whole lot of audacity.

This wasn’t just speed; it was science dressed in aluminium. The Record’s teardrop shape influenced generations of Abarth and Fiat models, proving that performance and beauty could occupy the same slender space. Even Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., son of the U.S. President, flew to Italy just to sign an exclusive deal with Abarth after seeing it. Because when Italy does small, it still does spectacular.

Alfa Romeo Scarabeo (1966) — The Rebel Prototype

And then there’s the Scarabeo. Even by Alfa Romeo standards, this 1966 prototype was pure mischief. It looked like a spaceship, sounded like a race car, and entered the world by flipping its entire roof forward instead of opening doors.

Under its O.S.I.-built skin lived the beating heart of a Giulia GTA — a twin-cam 1.6-litre four-cylinder — mounted transversely in the middle of the car. Radical? Absolutely. Functional? Shockingly so. The tubular chassis even used side members to store fuel tanks, a layout later echoed by Alfa’s racing prototypes.

It debuted at the Paris Motor Show that same year and immediately stole hearts (and headlines). The version on display in Bologna is the second prototype — with doors this time — and it remains an exquisite survivor from a time when Alfa didn’t just build cars; it built ideas on wheels.

Beyond Nostalgia

Between the Heritage Hub in Turin and the Museum in Arese, Stellantis isn’t merely keeping its past alive — it’s turning memory into momentum. Across 15,000 square meters of history, you’ll find engines, legends, and the sort of stories that make you believe the phrase Made in Italy still means something in metal.

So, if you find yourself in Bologna this October, skip the tortellini (just for an hour) and make a pilgrimage to where Italy’s golden era still hums. Three cars, three decades, one truth:

No one does beauty at speed quite like the Italians.

Source: Stellantis

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Stellantis Turns Up the Heat: 10 New Cars, A 22% Order Surge & Europe in Its Grip

Picture this: a motorway full of fresh metal — but instead of whiplash-inducing supercars, it’s smart, strategic crossovers and SUVs quietly laying the groundwork for world domination. That’s the stage for Stellantis’s Q3 2025 performance, and what a show.

Three new stars in the line-up

In the third quarter the group rolled out not one, not two, but three new models: the Citroën C5 Aircross, the chic DS N°8, and the revamped Jeep Compass. These launches aren’t mere flavour-of-the-month gizmos — they form part of a bold product-renewal strategy that sees a total of 10 new models hitting showrooms this year. That’s a full speed-to-market cycle.

Commercial fireworks: orders up, big time

Luca Napolitano, Commercial Operations Officer at Stellantis, doesn’t mince his words: “Really pleased to underline the very positive trend of our orders’ income, mainly in the B2C segment, which surged by +22 % in September year-over-year.” That’s no minor uptick — one in five more orders than last year in the business-to-consumer realm. It suggests the brand-renewal strategy isn’t simply ticking boxes but actually helping to convert interest into purchase intent.

Europe bows to the pressure

On the sales front, things are heating up across the Continent. In Q3 Stellantis saw robust gains in models like the Citroën C3 and C3 Aircross, the FIAT Grande Panda and the Opel Frontera. These successes helped the group boost its passenger‐car sales by +4.4 percentage-points year-over-year, reaching a total of 422,000 units in that segment alone. Across passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, the sales number hit 549,000 units — resulting in a 15.4 % market share in Europe in the quarter. That’s enough to lock Stellantis in as the second-largest automotive group in Europe, well ahead of the next competitor.

What this all means

Firstly: scale. A 15.4 % share in a region as fiercely competed as Europe isn’t by accident. It reflects depth of brand, breadth of model offering, and momentum. Secondly: momentum. A 22 % jump in B2C orders is a strong signal that the product renewal is hitting the right note with consumers, not just fleet buyers. Thirdly: timing. Introducing three major new models in Q3 while the wider market is shifting means Stellantis is playing offense, not defence.

Risks & caveats

Of course, every headline has a footnote. The “+4.4 pp” gain for passenger cars is potent, but it depends on market conditions — if Europe’s automotive demand softens, sustaining that growth might prove harder. Moreover, new model launches come with costs: investment, marketing, supply chain strain. The group will need to ensure that the 7 remaining launches this year don’t all cluster into one quarter and that delivery, quality, and dealer support keep pace.

In true Top Gear-style parlance: Stellantis may not be burning rubber like a Lamborghini on launch day, but it’s quietly laying the tarmac, setting its sight on the apex of Europe’s auto market, and gunning for top spot. With three big launches already done and seven more to come, plus that 22 % order surge, the group is clearly driving with intent and on its terms.

Stay tuned — the pit-lane stays open, and the next ten models will reveal whether this is a sprint or a full‐blown Grand Prix.

Source: Stellantis

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Stellantis Fires Up the Hemi Once More: Muscle Memory Never Dies

Heritage is back on the menu, folks — and Stellantis is serving it up with a side of octane nostalgia. After a turbulent year of boardroom musical chairs, the automotive giant seems to have rediscovered the magic words that make American buyers weak in the knees: Hemi V-8.

Enter Tim Kuniskis, the recently reinstated Ram Trucks boss — the same man who practically bleeds Mopar blue. His first order of business? Put the 5.7-liter Hemi back where it belongs: under the hood of the Ram 1500. After a brief, one-year sabbatical, the burbling eight-cylinder is back, and—surprise, surprise—truck sales are roaring again. Turns out, torque and nostalgia still move metal.

But Stellantis isn’t stopping there. With whispers of the Hemi returning to the new Dodge Charger, the company is clearly intent on reminding everyone that muscle cars and trucks still matter — even in a world obsessed with kilowatts and carbon credits. And so, with momentum building and fans howling for more, Mopar’s rolling up its sleeves for a good old-fashioned SEMA spectacle.

The Purple Haze Persuasion

First up: a tantalising glimpse of what’s believed to be a Dodge Charger Scat Pack Sixpack, finished in a deliciously deep Purple Haze. And no, this isn’t the EV version — this one drinks dinosaur juice the old-school way. A blacked-out, bulging hood gives it the stance of a street brawler, while an illuminated badge and non-stock rims make it look ready to rumble down the Strip, legally or otherwise.

The Charger’s return to muscle form is more than a teaser — it’s a statement. Stellantis knows its audience. The loyalists never asked for silence or sustainability; they asked for something that makes their neighbours’ windows rattle at idle.

The Sublime (or Sub-Lime?) Street Truck

Next, we catch a glimpse of the 2026 Ram 1500 in an unmissable Sublime Green — a shade that looks one part retro throwback, one part radioactive. (Honestly, Stellantis, “Sub-Lime” would’ve been perfect. Missed opportunity.)

The truck wears the ‘Symbol of Protest’ badge proudly on its fender — Stellantis’ subtle wink that a V-8 beats within. That same fender also seems to be riding dangerously close to the tire, suggesting a lower, meaner stance. Could this finally be the street-spec Ram enthusiasts have begged for? One that’s more drag strip than dirt trail? Stellantis isn’t saying… yet.

Viva Las Vegas, Viva Mopar

We’ll have all the answers soon enough. Both vehicles — and plenty more Mopar-massaged metal — are set to debut at SEMA, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 4th to 8th. If these teasers are anything to go by, Stellantis is gearing up to remind the industry that muscle isn’t just alive — it’s having a midlife crisis in the best possible way.

Because no matter how many EVs the future holds, nothing says “America’s back” like a purple Charger and a green Ram rumbling their way into Vegas. And as far as we’re concerned, the louder, the better.

Source: Stellantis