Forte 2016 Antenna 437408 on 2040-parts.com

Alfa Romeo will reportedly become standalone company

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne plans to turn Alfa Romeo into a standalone company, Automotive News Europe reports. Marchionne is expected to announce wide-ranging plans for the brand on May 6 which will see Alfa Romeo become a stand-alone legal entity within Fiat-Chrysler, with a publicly disclosed profit and loss statement. Alfa Romeo is currently part of Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A., which also contains Lancia, Fiat Professional trucks and vans and the Abarth performance brand.

Nissan recruits Champions League football stars

NISSAN has gone football mad ahead of the new European season, recruiting as brand ambassadors two of the finest talents to grace the 2014-15 Champions League. The Japanese firm is sponsoring the competition this year, and has secured the services of Brazil's captain of Paris Saint-Germain Thiago Silva and the Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andrés Iniesta, who himself has won three Champions League titles. Dubbed Nissan's new 'Engineers of Excitement', the firm says in a press release that the players “will help the Japanese car manufacturer in its campaign to introduce new innovations to enhance the football fan experience.” They will feature in a series of TV adverts focusing on how innovation is key, both on and off the field, to creating excitement for football fans and drivers.

Who’s Where: Andreas Deufel, Design Director, Great Wall Motors

Since the start of the year, Andreas Deufel has officially been Director of Design at Great Wall Motors (GWM) in China. In his role, he is responsible for GWM's three design studios, all in Bao Ding, yet he still maintains his position as Design Director at TJ Innova Auto and Design & Engineering (TJI), where he is also responsible for three studios. Deufel's appointment to the position as Design Director at GWM was anything but conventional.