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Giant car firm behind 14 brands including Fiat & Peugeot ‘faces closing factories' over EV targets, boss says

Giant car firm behind 14 brands including Fiat & Peugeot ‘faces closing factories' over EV targets, boss says

The Irish Sun9 hours ago
THE giant car firm behind 14 brands including Fiat and Peugeot may have to close factories over EV targets, its boss says.
European car manufacturers are having to sell more electric vehicles to cut CO2 emissions - or risk crippling penalties.
2
The giant car firm behind 14 brands including Fiat and Peugeot may have to close factories over EV targets
2
Stellantis may have shut some of its factories doors
Stellantis may have shut some of its factories doors due to the risk of hefty European Union fines for not complying with CO2 emission targets, the chief of the Franco-Italian automaker for Europe said on Tuesday.
The automaker industry has successfully lobbied for more time to comply, as fines will be based on 2025-2027 emissions rather than just in 2025.
Stellantis' Europe chief Jean-Philippe Imparato slammed the targets, saying they were still unreachable for automakers.
He then exposed his company to fines of up to 2.5 billion euros within "two-three years."
read more motors
Speaking at a conference in the lower house of parliament in Rome, he said that without significant changes in the regulatory situation by the end of this year, "we will have to make tough decisions."
Stellantis would therefore either have to double its electric vehicle sales, which is impossible, or cut the production of petrol and
diesel
vehicles, Imparato said.
"I have two solutions: either I push like hell (on electric) ... or I close down ICE (internal combustion engine vehicles). And therefore I close down factories," he said, at one point mentioning the Italian van-making plant of Atessa.
Meanwhile discussions
over the
future
of Maserati remain ongoing as
Stellantis
prepared to welcome its new CEO.
Most read in Motors
New CEO Antonio Filosa faces huge financial decisions as a result of President Trump's brutal trade tariffs.
Stellantis - which owns 14 brands across the globe - was
Two new Dodge Charger models
McKinsey was called in April this year to advise on struggling brands Maserati and Alfa Romeo, with both experiencing a dire 2024.
Last year, the number of Maserati units sold plunged from 26,600 to just 11,300.
Stellanis told
Trump's new legislation means tariffs of at least 25 percent on anything imported into the US.
Maserati has no new model launches scheduled as it waits for a new business plan, with the last one having been put on hold by Stellantis in 2024.
The plan is expected to be presented soon after Filosa starts his new role.
But as things stand, it is understood that all options remain on the table for the world-renowned Italian brand.
It came after the global firm pulled the plug on a £1.3billion investment in Maserati earlier this year.
What is Stellantis?
Stellantis is the company behind iconic motor brands such as Fiat, Vauxhall and Peugot.
The conglomerate, which is the second-largest maker of cars in Europe, owns 14 badges, including Chrysler, Citroen, Jeep and Maserati.
The company itself is the product of a merger between Fiat-Chrysler and France's PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen, in 2021.
But the motoring giant has encountered increasingly stuttering financial success.
And an initial manufacturing break at Stellantis has now been extended as bosses report a collapse in demand for electric cars.
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Irish trips among those affected as Ryanair cancels over 170 flights
Irish trips among those affected as Ryanair cancels over 170 flights

Irish Daily Mirror

time33 minutes ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Irish trips among those affected as Ryanair cancels over 170 flights

More than 30,000 passengers have had their travel plans disrupted after low-cost airline Ryanair said it was forced to cancel more than 170 flights because of French air traffic control strikes. The Irish carrier said the cancellations on Thursday and Friday will affect flights to and from France, and also flights over the country to destinations such as the UK, Greece, Spain and Ireland. Ryanair passengers can check the status of their flight on the Ryanair website. Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary renewed calls on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take 'urgent action' to reform European Union air traffic control (ATC) services in light of the disruption, which comes at the start of the European summer holidays. Mr O'Leary said: 'Once again, European families are held to ransom by French air traffic controllers going on strike. 'It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike. 'It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays.' Ryanair has long-campaigned for an overhaul of ATC services across Europe. It wants the EU to ensure ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of daily departures, as well as to protect overflights during national ATC strikes. 'These two splendid reforms would eliminate 90 per cent of all ATC delays and cancellations, and protect EU passengers from these repeated and avoidable ATC disruptions due to yet another French ATC strike,' Mr O'Leary added. Ryanair also said on Wednesday it had been hit by the recent conflict in the Middle East, and it cancelled more than 800 flights last month. It is among those to have cancelled and rerouted flights amid the conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as continued attacks in Gaza. Last week, flights were halted at Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as passengers were told to expect further delays and cancellations. Ryanair said it still operated more than 109,000 flights in June, indicating that fewer than 1 per cent of flights were affected. The business carried 19.9 million passengers in June, representing a 3 per cent increase on the same month last year. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week

Study finds inducements lead to gamblers spending more
Study finds inducements lead to gamblers spending more

RTÉ News​

timean hour ago

  • RTÉ News​

Study finds inducements lead to gamblers spending more

A new study has found that gambling companies encourage people to gamble more than they would otherwise, through special offers and inducements. The study, commissioned by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), the Department of Justice and undertaken by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) found that these offers encourage people to gamble more, even when poor odds on a bet are offered. Special offers or inducements, such as free bets and moneyback guarantees, are regularly used by gambling companies in their marketing campaigns. The study found that vulnerable people, such as those at higher risk of becoming problem gamblers, were most at risk of gambling more and losing more as a result of being offered inducements. As part of the study, 622 men under 40 were given money to place up to six realistic bets on the Euro 2024 football tournament. Half of the participants, who were randomly selected, were offered inducements, which led to them spending 10% more than those who were not offered inducements. The inducements also reduced the number of participants opting not to bet by nearly half. Inducement bets that were designed as "bad", showing odds far below market rates, were undertaken by participants in this group, who were three times more likely to spend money on "bad" bets. Participants were surveyed after the study on their knowledge and understanding of inducements. Even amongst regular betters, most did not know that there were restrictions on free bets and that they would not receive their stake back if they won a free bet. Inducements soon to be an offence Under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, inducements or encouragements to gamble further will soon be an offence and licensed operators will no longer be allowed to offer free bets. Multiple European countries have also begun to regulate inducements. "I very much welcome this research from the ESRI examining the impact of inducements to gamble on gambling behaviours. Having a clear evidence base is critically important to the GRAI as we commence our work in regulating the gambling industry," said Paul Quinn, GRAI Chairperson. "This study clearly indicates the damaging effect of certain practices around inducements. It underlines the importance of the provisions of the Gambling Regulation Act in limiting a person's exposure to inducements to gamble. "We look forward to working with Minister O'Callaghan in addressing the issue as we implement the new regulations," he added. GRAI CEO, Anne-Marie Caulfield said that the study highlighted a lack of public knowledge regarding inducements to bet. "The impact of these inducements go beyond simple marketing by betting companies," she said. "It is our responsibility to ensure that gambling operators do not encourage excessive or compulsive gambling behaviour, and that we protect vulnerable people in our society, such as children and young people and those more likely to experience gambling harm. "The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 sets out obligations for licensees in the way in which inducements can be offered, including a ban on targeted inducements, and the findings of this study affirm these measures," she added. Increase in online gambling ESRI Research Officer Diarmuid Ó Ceallaigh said that there had been "huge growth" in online gambling over the last decade. "There's a lot more risk associated around online gambling because of the fact that you just can't get away from it if you have a gambling problem," he said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland. "At least if it was a bookmakers, they have to close at night, whereas you just have 24/7 access to your phone with online gambling and it's more difficult to control it." Mr Ó Ceallaigh said the difference between these inducements and offers on other products is that gambling is highly addictive. "The fundamental difference between, say an offer on a gambling product and an offer on something like clothes, is that gambling is a highly addictive product and there's a high rate of problem gambling in Ireland," he said. "We showed in a report two years ago that one in 30 adults in Ireland suffer from problem gambling, so there's a fundamental difference there." Mr Ó Ceallaigh said that the implications of the study show that these offers pose a real risk of financial harm, particularly to vulnerable people. "There's certainly a case there for restrictions and regulation of inducements or offers to go beyond what's currently legislated", he added.

Ryanair cancels 170 flights on foot of French air traffic control strikes
Ryanair cancels 170 flights on foot of French air traffic control strikes

Irish Independent

timean hour ago

  • Irish Independent

Ryanair cancels 170 flights on foot of French air traffic control strikes

The cancellations include a handful of flights to and from Ireland; there are also a small number of cancellations by Air France and Aer Lingus. 'In addition to flights to/from France being cancelled, this strike will also affect all French overflights,' Ryanair said. "Even though it's French ATC that are striking, most disrupted passengers are not even flying to/from France but just overflying French airspace en route to their destination (e.g., UK – Greece, Spain – Ireland, etc).' Passengers affected should be contacted directly by the airline. Under EU Regulation 261/2014, passengers whose flights are cancelled should be offered the choice between a re-routing or a full refund within seven days. The airline has called on EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to take urgent action to reform EU ATC services. The strikes come as the busy summer holiday period ramps up, though Ryanair has long campaigned for an overhaul of ATC services across Europe. 'Once again European families are held to ransom by French Air Traffic Controllers going on strike,' said CEO Michael O'Leary. "It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike. "It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays.' Ryanair carried 19.9 million passengers in June, up 3pc on the same month last year.

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