AMAZON’S ALEXA VOICE EXPERIENCE NOW AVAILABLE ON FCA’S NEW FIAT 500
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Amazon continue to strengthen their strategic engagement with the introduction of the Alexa voice experience embedded in the New Fiat 500, complemented by the new MyFiat Connected Car Skill. With Alexa Built-in, occupants can ask Alexa to play music, hear the news, check weather, control smart home devices, access tens of thousands of Alexa skills, and more. The integration, offered as part of FCA’s Uconnect™ Services offering, is first available to customers in Italy, with new models continuing to roll out through 2021 in Austria, France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
The launch of the Alexa on the New Fiat 500 represents the next step in the global collaboration between FCA and Amazon. FCA customers were initially introduced to Alexa through FCA’s custom Alexa Connected Car Skills, including MyJeep and MyAlfa, which allows customers with Alexa-enabled devices at home to easily ask Alexa to check the battery level of the car, lock/unlock doors, and more. The integration of Alexa on the Uconnect Services suite deepens the experience by bringing Alexa into the vehicle itself—delivering the ideal experience for customers.
The integration of the Alexa voice experience is part of FCA’s broader investment in developing current and future services for the connected car. With Alexa in the vehicle, customers can enjoy a seamless, personalized voice experience across all of their devices, both at home and on-the-go.
Luca Napolitano, Head of EMEA Fiat, Lancia and Abarth brands, commented: “The New 500 is the first FCA car “100% born electric” and, beyond being an iconic car since 1957, the third generation of Fiat 500 aims at being as well a benchmark in terms of technology for the next decade, combining a unique style with a state-of-the-art level of connectivity. The New 5oo is simple and intuitive with, cherry on the cake, the on board “virtual” assistant to respond to in-car commands. Simply saying “Hey Fiat”, it is able to communicate in real time with home automation systems, listen to the music and much more, in the end, staying connected and driving safely. To partner with Amazon and get Alexa on board was the most natural choice for Fiat.
Ned Curic, Vice President of Alexa Automotive at Amazon, commented: “The New Fiat 500 strikes an impressive balance of offering the latest in-cabin technology that drivers expect, while remaining an iconic city car. FCA customers already love using Alexa at home, and now they can take Alexa wherever they go—making it easier than ever to navigate, stay connected, and be entertained, while staying focused on the road ahead.”
How does the on-board Alexa service work?
Alexa is the intelligent cloud-based voice service that you can talk to on your connected New Fiat 500 using simple voice commands—just ask Alexa to play music, hear the news, check the weather, control smart home devices, and more. Alexa is always getting smarter, with new capabilities and features made available to customers all the time.
How does the MyFiat connected car skill work?
From the comfort of your home, use the MyFiat connected car skill on your Alexa device at home and the Uconnect Services suite to remotely control your New Fiat 500. Just by asking Alexa, you can remotely lock/unlock your doors, find out how much battery charge you have left, send destinations to your vehicle, search for Points of Interest, and more.
ARCHER TAPS FCA’S SCALE AND EXPERTISE TO ACCELERATE ELECTRIC VERTICAL TAKE OFF AND LANDING AIRCRAFT (EVTOL) PRODUCTION
Auburn Hills, Mich. - Archer and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement to enable Archer to benefit from access to FCA’s low-cost supply chain, advanced composite material capabilities, and engineering and design experience.
California-based Archer is creating the world’s first all-electric airline that moves people throughout the world's cities in a quick, safe, sustainable and cost-effective manner. The new partnership will help accelerate Archer’s timeline in becoming an industry leader with the resources and capabilities to capitalize on the new era of sustainable air mobility, a market that Morgan Stanley estimates will be $1.5 trillion by 2040.
Archer will manufacture high-volume, composite, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with the intent of starting production in 2023. FCA, the parent company of established automobile brands including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep® and Ram, has already collaborated on cockpit design elements of Archer’s first aircraft, which is expected to be unveiled in early 2021. The 100% electric aircraft will be capable of traveling distances of up to 60 miles at 150 mph. Through this announced collaboration, the companies will work together to significantly decrease the cost of production, enabling Archer to bring affordably priced service to customers via its ultra-quiet, high-performance eVTOL aircraft.
“We've been hyper-focused on a customer-first approach to vehicle design and aircraft operations,” said Brett Adcock, co-founder and co-CEO of Archer. “Now we are working with a seasoned, industry-leading automotive partner to leverage cost benefits and experience that will allow Archer to produce thousands of aircraft reliably and affordably every single year."
“Electrification within the transportation sector whether on roads or in the air is the future and with any new and rapidly developing technology, scale is important,” said Doug Ostermann, vice president and head of global business development of FCA. “Our partnership with Archer has mutual benefits and will enable innovative, environmentally friendly transportation solutions to be brought to market at an accelerated pace.
“We are excited to team up with one of the world's largest automotive companies on our mission of advancing the benefits of sustainable air mobility,” said Adam Goldstein, co-founder and co-CEO of Archer. “This is a first-of-its-kind deal for one of Detroit’s Big Three automakers in moving into the urban air mobility space. There is now a clear path for Archer to bring mass production to this industry, changing the way people travel in and around cities forever.”
STELLANTIS: BUILDING A WORLD LEADER IN SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
Amsterdam - Today marks the launch of Stellantis NV [STLA] (“Stellantis” or “the Company” or “Group”), a world leader for a new era of sustainable mobility dedicated to providing freedom of movement with distinctive, affordable and efficient transportation solutions uniquely positioned to capture the exciting opportunities of a global industry undergoing rapid and profound change.
Formed from the combination of two groups with strong track records and sound finances, Stellantis is a truly global company of 400,000 diverse, highly talented and experienced employees who design, develop, manufacture, distribute, and sell vehicles and mobility solutions around the world while remaining deeply rooted in the communities in which they live and work.
The 11-member Board of Directors is led by Chairman John Elkann. Carlos Tavares as Chief Executive Officer leads one of the most experienced and successful management teams in the industry whose diversity, experience and competitive spirit are amongst its key strengths. With a deep bench of executive talent relentlessly committed to improvement and innovation, Stellantis is well-positioned to continue its founding companies’ track record of value creation for all stakeholders guided by a common principle: challenge the status quo.
With a proud heritage stretching back 125 years, Stellantis is home to a full portfolio of storied brands that have graced the road and conquered the podium in the world of motorsport. Founded by visionaries who infused these marques with passion and a competitive spirit, the brands cover the full spectrum of market segments from luxury, premium and mainstream passenger vehicles to hard-charging pickup trucks, SUVs and light commercial vehicles, as well as dedicated mobility, finance and parts and service brands.
Stellantis already has a well-established presence in three regions – Europe, North America and Latin America – in addition to significant untapped potential in important markets such as China, Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and India. With industrial operations in more than 30 countries, the Company has the ability to efficiently meet and exceed consumer expectations and deliver vehicles and services of unparalleled quality in more than 130 markets.
Stellantis starts from a position of considerable strength with robust operating margins reflecting the Company’s leading positions in North America, Europe and Latin America. The Company expects to leverage its size and economies of scale as an enabler to invest in innovative mobility solutions for its customers, targeting annual synergies of more than €5 billion at a steady state. These synergy estimates will be achieved through the implementation of smart purchasing and investment strategies, optimizing powertrain and platform utilization, applying cutting-edge R&D and a continuous focus on manufacturing and tooling efficiencies. These synergy estimates are not based on any plant closures resulting from the transaction.
Nine Governance Committees will ensure an efficient operating structure from Day One, including company-wide performance & strategy, planning, regions, manufacturing, brand and styling.
Stellantis’ portfolio is uniquely suited to offer distinctive, sustainable mobility solutions to meet its customers’ evolving needs, as they embrace electrification, connectivity, autonomous driving and shared ownership. As the electrified market continues to grow, Stellantis is well positioned today with 29 electrified models available and plans to introduce ten additional vehicles by the end of this year.
The Company is strongly committed to playing an active part in contributing to the societies in which it operates, as it works towards achieving a long-term goal of carbon neutrality across all products, assembly plants and other facilities.
Marking the occasion John Elkann said: “It is no coincidence that Stellantis is born precisely when our world requires a new kind of automotive company that will champion clean and intelligent solutions to provide freedom of movement for all. Our global scale and reach provide us with the resources to invest in state-of-the-art technologies, distinctive excellence and unmatched choice for our customers. But it is the geographic and cultural diversity of Stellantis’ people that from Day One is our greatest competitive advantage. It is they, with their energy, their knowhow and their constant commitment who make Stellantis what it is today. And it is they who day-by-day will build an even greater company for this new era of mobility.” Commenting on the first day of Stellantis’ journey, Carlos Tavares said, “This is a great day. One year after we announced this project, Stellantis is born, notwithstanding the unprecedented societal and economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. I want to warmly thank all of the teams who made this possible and also thank the entire workforce who continued to move our operations forward during this exceptional year. This demonstrates the agility, creativity and adaptability of our company which aims to be great rather than big, determined to be much more than the sum of its parts. It is also a further signal of the new company’s determination to be a leading player in the automotive industry in this ever changing environment. Stellantis is dedicated to “pursuing greatness” and enhancing the well-being of its employees.”
The new company began trading yesterday, January 18, on Euronext (Paris) and the Borsa Italiana (Milan) and today on the New York Stock Exchange.
