Tag Archives: Stellantis

Design

Stellantis Design Studio Brings Automotive Boldness to the High Seas with Windelo Catamarans

Stellantis Design Studio has built its reputation sculpting sheet metal into icons for the road. Now, it’s turning its attention to the open sea. In collaboration with French builder Windelo Catamarans and the naval architects at Barreau-Neuman, the design house has reimagined Windelo’s latest flagships—the Windelo 62 and Windelo 58. The result? Two vessels that merge the muscular stance of a performance car with the sophistication of sustainable, long-range cruising.

At first glance, the design language is familiar: bold shoulders, sleek surfacing, and a dynamic silhouette that looks like it could cut through air just as well as it does water. The hulls of the new Windelo 62 and 58 aren’t simply functional—they’re styled with the same proportion-driven eye Stellantis brings to a performance coupe. That means a vessel that’s not just seaworthy, but striking, with living spaces folded seamlessly into its streamlined form.

The 360 Horizon Cabin: Redefining the View

The centerpiece of this collaboration is the 360 Horizon Cabin concept, a floating-roof design that all but erases boundaries between crew, vessel, and horizon. A hidden glass frame creates uninterrupted views in every direction, while the open cockpit and bridge layout pull passengers into the seascape. Below deck, cabins are infused with the same sense of light and openness, with wider sightlines and better integration between levels.

Out back, a “floating wing” rear deck widens the stance, boosts access to the upper cabin, and floods aft cabins with light. On the bridge, the wide, floating instrument panel isn’t just functional—it’s a sculptural centerpiece, angled toward the helm for ergonomics while cleverly concealing the window frame from outside view. It feels every bit as driver-focused as the cockpit of a modern grand tourer.

Performance Meets Sustainability

Windelo has built its reputation on balancing performance with eco-conscious construction, and this new design doubles down. From lightweight composites to energy-efficient systems, sustainability isn’t a buzzword here—it’s baked into the DNA. Stellantis’s design language amplifies this mission, pairing everyday liveability with performance-driven intent.

“Translating automotive proportion into the marine environment was an inspiring challenge,” said Hugo Nightingale, creative director at Stellantis Design Studio. “The Windelo 62 and 58 capture the perfect synergy between our expertise in pushing design boundaries and Windelo’s commitment to performance and sustainability.”

Fast-Tracked by AI and Holographics

If the design feels cutting-edge, that’s because the process behind it was just as futuristic. Stellantis designers leaned on AI to churn through iterations, then used immersive holographic review tools to refine surfaces and spaces in real time. This accelerated workflow meant that not only the Windelo 62 and 58 took shape quickly, but two more siblings—the Windelo 63 and 59—were designed simultaneously to ensure a cohesive design language across the fleet.

“Working with Stellantis Design Studio has opened new perspectives and challenged the status quo,” said Christophe Barreau of Barreau-Neuman. “Their approach brought a fresh perspective to naval architecture.”

What happens when a global automotive design powerhouse steps off the tarmac and onto the deck? You get a catamaran that looks as bold slicing through the waves as any Stellantis concept car does pulling up to Pebble Beach. The Windelo 62 and 58 aren’t just sailboats—they’re a manifesto on how design can elevate every corner of mobility, whether it rolls on asphalt or rides the wind.

Source: Stellantis

News

Stellantis Opens Brazil’s First Car Dismantling Wonderland — And It’s Surprisingly Cool

Some car stories involve fire-breathing V12s. Others involve Nürburgring lap times, questionable hairstyles, and Hammond falling off something.
This one… involves taking cars apart. And before you nod off, stay with me — because Stellantis has just done something in Brazil that’s both clever and, dare I say, rather brilliant.

In Osasco, São Paulo, Stellantis has opened its very first Vehicle Dismantling Center. On the face of it, that sounds like a glorified scrapyard. The sort of place where your old hatchback goes to die alongside a mountain of twisted bumpers, faded hubcaps, and a smell that says “never open that barrel”.

But this isn’t your average breaker’s yard. Oh no. This is the automotive equivalent of a Michelin-starred kitchen — except instead of julienning carrots, they’re stripping down dead cars with surgical precision, reusing every last bolt, and making the planet a little happier in the process.

The scale is impressive: R$13 million invested, 150 jobs on the way, and the ability to strip down 8,000 vehicles a year. Cars come in as total write-offs or tired old veterans, get decontaminated (goodbye, dodgy fluids), and then pass along a dismantling line where technicians play mechanical triage. Healthy parts are cleaned with biodegradable products, tagged, and given a shiny new life — either sold in-store from a funky reused sales container, or online via Mercado Livre and Stellantis’ upcoming e-commerce platform.

Everything is logged, tracked, and made completely legal via Brazil’s vehicle authority, so you’re not buying a dodgy alternator from a bloke in a shed who swears it “came off a low-mileage Corolla.” Stellantis even issues dismantling certificates, listing up to 49 traceable parts per car.

And nothing is wasted. Oils, fuels, steel, copper, aluminium — all get recycled. Stellantis claims 100% of the materials are “correctly processed.” That’s not just marketing fluff; in a country where 2 million vehicles reach the end of their lives every year but only 1.5% are disposed of responsibly, this is an overdue gear change.

It’s part of their wider Circular Economy plan — a sort of automotive reincarnation cycle. There’s also a Vehicle Reconditioning Center in Betim, which breathes life back into used cars until they’re shiny, roadworthy, and fit to be sold like certified pre-owned gems. Plus, there’s the parts remanufacturing side of things, all wrapped up in Stellantis’ “4R” strategy: Remanufacture, Repair, Reuse, Recycle.

Yes, it’s not a new hypercar launch. But in a world running low on resources and running high on landfill, turning an old wreck into a source of usable, affordable parts makes a lot more sense than sending it off to rust quietly behind a fence.

So next time you total your car (hopefully not by trying to drift a Fiat Toro in a supermarket car park), it might just end up here — cleaned, catalogued, and reborn as someone else’s perfectly working spare part.

It’s car culture, just not as we usually celebrate it. Less smoke and noise, more brains and purpose. Clarkson might call it “worthy,” Hammond would probably want to buy a gearbox from it, and May… well, he’d probably want to work there.

Source: Stellantis

News

Scott Krugger to Lead Design for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram

In a strategic reshuffle aimed at sharpening the design DNA of its most iconic brands, Stellantis has announced the appointment of Scott Krugger as Head of North America Design. The newly created position places Krugger at the creative helm of legendary American marques including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, and Ram, as he reports directly to North America COO Antonio Filosa.

Krugger, a seasoned design executive who began his career with the company in 2001, brings more than two decades of brand-shaping experience. His most recent role saw him lead the exterior design for Dodge and Dodge//SRT passenger and utility vehicles in North America—vehicles known for their aggressive styling and performance-first ethos. He also previously oversaw design for Alfa Romeo, Jeep, and user experience development at Stellantis’ EMEA design studio, giving him a global design perspective rare in the industry.

The appointment is part of a larger transformation of Stellantis’ design leadership structure, which also includes the recent hiring of Gilles Vidal to head design for the company’s European brands. Both moves are key to Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles’ vision of a globally unified yet regionally agile design operation.

“With Scott’s immense design talent and proven leadership in North America and Gilles’ award-winning track record in Europe, we are opening a new chapter of creative excellence,” said Ralph Gilles, who continues to spearhead Stellantis’ global design strategy while working closely with regional heads to ensure brand authenticity and consumer resonance.

The company’s new design framework aims to strike a balance between global design consistency and regional customization—a necessity in today’s diverse and rapidly evolving auto markets. Under this model, Krugger will help steer the North American brands through a design renaissance that prioritizes bold innovation while honoring the heritage that defines each marque.

Krugger’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for Stellantis, as the company intensifies efforts to electrify its lineup and expand its reach in both traditional and emerging markets. With fresh leadership and a sharpened creative vision, Stellantis appears determined to make its next generation of vehicles as visually compelling as they are technologically advanced.

For fans of muscle cars, rugged off-roaders, and American luxury alike, the future just got a little more exciting.

Source: Stellantis