The Stellantis Era Dawns: FCA is Dead, Brands Like Chrysler May Not Survive

MotorTrend

Another milestone in the tumultuous history of the company originally known as just Chrysler: On Saturday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group will merge to create Stellantis, the fourth-largest automaker in the world by volume.

It is the oldest, truly heritage, brands, that are most vulnerable: Chrysler and Dodge. Then there are the Italian brands: Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Maserati that have failed to meet lofty expectations in North America.

There will be repercussions. Stellantis will start life with seven FCA brands and another four from PSA. That seems unmanageable. Every merger creates duplication and results in the death of products, brands, positions, plants, and plans. PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares, who becomes CEO of Stellantis, has a history of turning brands and companies around with tough cost targets and the discipline to axe where necessary.

Read the article at MotorTrend.

The Age Of The Digital Car Key Is Finally Upon Us

Jalopnik

The idea of using your phone or smartwatch as a car key has been kicking around for a while, and some of the more expensive vehicles are already outfitted to let you do it. Up until recently, the necessary software wasn’t even prebuilt into devices, meaning you’d need a third-party app to lock and unlock your car.

That’s all changing though. At Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference last summer, it introduced a new Car Keys protocol that embedded the feature into iOS’ Wallet app, the same place your credit cards are stored. However, to date the company has partnered only with BMW to roll it out.

Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S21 range of smartphones, and, like Apple, it’s also baking digital key hardware and software right into its phones. Unlike Apple, the Korean tech giant has announced collaborations with Ford, Genesis and Audi, as well as BMW, to bring the feature to more makes and models “in the near future.”

Read the article at Jalopnik.

The Brain Drain: Engaging in Thoughtful Succession Planning

Fleets around the country are losing a lot of talented people who are founts of institutional knowledge - and that makes thoughtful succession planning more important than ever.

City of Cincinnati Fleet Manager Ruth Alfson, CAFM, Details 2020 Action Plans and Takeaways

By Donald Dunphy, Contributing Editor

So, how was your 2020?

For Ruth Alfson, CAFM, a veteran of the industry and past president of NAFA Fleet Management Association (2015 to 2017), the year came with new opportunities. Early in 2020, she was named fleet manager for the City of Cincinnati. Then the "coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)" pandemic hit. Many organizations faced operational shutdowns. As the hub of multiple essential services, the City of Cincinnati's fleet needed to keep going.

Fleet Management Weekly caught up with Ms. Alfson to see where operations stand right now, how the fleet persevered through multiple complications and concerns, and what was learned from it all. For Alfson, one of the biggest lessons was perhaps the least complicated: to be flexible.