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Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, the leader behind brands including Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Fiat, and several others, has a warning for other automakers. Tavares said EVs must be affordable but profitable, or they will be “in trouble very, very soon.”

To attract middle-class shoppers, lower EV prices are needed. “You can only solve this if you reduce cost,” Tavares said at the Goldman Sach conference, adding, “and this is something we are reasonably good at.”

Tavares pointed to cheaper EVs, including the upcoming Citroen e-C3, starting at around $25,000 (23,300 euros). Stellantis said the new Citroen EV is the “first European affordable electric car.”

The new EV rides on a version of Stellantis‘ “Smart Car” platform, used in India to enable low prices.

According to Automotive News, Tavares said Stellantis’ electrified vehicles are “in the black, both in the US and Europe.” The automaker’s leader said EV margins are nearing those of ICE vehicles.

In Europe, Tavares said the brand is “fighting head-on” with Tesla for EV sales in Europe. Natalie Knight, Stellantis CFO, said the automaker overtook Tesla for second in European EV sales.

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All-new Citroen electric e-C3 (Source: Stellantis)

Tavares said the recent deal with Leapmotor will help them deliver profitable EVs in Europe. He said that by working with Leapmotor, Stellantis is “starting with a sourcing point which is 30 percent more cost competitive than anything you can figure out in the Western world.”

The brand’s leader explained, “The guys who are not able to make money with EVs are going to be in trouble very, very soon.”

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Jeep Avenger, the brand’s first EV in Europe (Source: Stellantis)

Stellantis is closing the gap faster in Europe “because we started sooner,” Tavares said. The brand will kick off its EV offensive with several new electric models coming from Ram, Jeep, and Fiat.

Stellantis to launch affordable EVs (and pricier models)

Under its Dare Forward 2030 plant, the company aims for 100% of European sales to be electric by 2030. In the US, Stellantis expects about 50% EV sales share.

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Fiat’s new 2024 500e (source: Stellantis)

Fiat will kick things with the new Fiat 500e early next year. The new electric car will be one of the most affordable EVs on the market, with starting prices under $33,000. It will also be the lightest passenger EV on the market with up to 149 miles range.

The electric model is already a top-selling EV in Europe as Stellantis looks to make its mark in the US.

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All-electric 2025 RAM 1500 REV (Source: RAM)

Ram’s first electric pickup, the Ram 1500 REV, will begin rolling out in late 2024. It will compete with Ford’s F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, and recently launched Tesla Cybertruck. Ram is also launching its ProMaster electric commercial van.

The company has yet to reveal prices for the upcoming EV truck, but it’s expected to be well over the $61K Tesla Cybertruck starting price.

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2024 electric Jeep Recon (Source: Stellantis)

Jeep, another Stellantis brand, is launching its first EVs in the US next year. The Jeep Recon and Wagoneer are poised to lead the brand into a new era.

The Jeep Recon is inspired by the brand’s legendary Wrangler as a “rugged and fully capable electric SUV.” The Recon includes options like removable doors and windows to give the true Wrangler feel.

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Jeep Wagoneer S (Source: Stellantis)

Jeep’s next EV will be an electric version of its premium Wagoneer model. The Jeep Wagoneer S features long-range capabilities with roughly 600 hp. According to Jeep, the premium EV can travel from NYC to Toronto on a full battery (~490 mi, according to Google Maps).

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U.S. Steel shares rally as Trump approves Nippon takeover with unique government ‘golden share’

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U.S. Steel shares rally as Trump approves Nippon takeover with unique government 'golden share'

U.S. President Donald Trump walks as workers react at U.S. Steel Corporation–Irvin Works in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, U.S., May 30, 2025.

Leah Millis | Reuters

U.S. Steel shares jumped on Monday after President Donald Trump approved its controversial merger with Japan’s Nippon Steel.

U.S. Steel shares were last up about 5% in premarket trading.

Trump issued an executive order on Friday that allowed U.S. Steel and Nippon to finalize their merger so long as they signed a national security agreement with the U.S. government. The companies said they signed the agreement with the government, completing the final hurdle for the deal.

U.S. Steel said the national security agreement includes a golden share for the U.S .government, without specifying what powers the government would wield with its share. Trump said on Thursday that the golden share gives the U.S. president “total control.”

Typically, golden shares allow the holder veto power over important decisions the company makes. Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick told CNBC in May that the golden share will give the U.S. government control of several board seats and ensure production levels aren’t cut.

Trump has avoided calling the transaction a merger, describing the deal instead as a “partnership.” U.S. Steel confirmed in a regulatory filing Monday that the company will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Steel North America.

“All regulatory approvals required for the completion of the Transaction have been received,” U.S. Steel said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday. “The Transaction remains subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, and is expected to be completed promptly.”

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Israel vows Iran will ‘pay the price’ as attacks continue for a fourth day

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Israel vows Iran will 'pay the price' as attacks continue for a fourth day

Trails of Iranian ballistic missiles light up the night sky as seen from Gaza City during renewed missile strikes launched by Iran in retaliation against Israel on June 15, 2025.

Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images

Tehran will “pay the price” for its fresh missile onslaught against Israel, the Jewish state’s defense minister warned Monday, as markets braced for a fourth day of ramped-up conflict between the regional powers.

Fire exchanges have continued since Israel’s Friday attack against Iran, with Iranian media reporting Tehran’s latest strikes hit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, home to a major refinery. CNBC has reached out to operator Bazan for comment on the state of operations at the Haifa plant, amid reports of damage to Israel’s energy infrastructure.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said overnight it deployed “innovative methods” that “disrupted the enemy’s multi-layered defense systems, to the point that the Zionist air defense systems engaged in targeting each other,” according to a statement obtained by NBC News.

Israel has widely depended on its highly efficient Iron Dome missile defense system to fend off attacks throughout regional conflicts — but even it can be overwhelmed if a large number of projectiles are fired.

Tankers depicted in the Strait of Hormuz — a strategically important waterway which separates Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

Why Iran won’t block the Hormuz Strait oil artery even as war with Israel looms

The fresh hostilities are front-of-mind for investors, who have been weighing the odds of further escalation in the conflict and spillover into the broader oil-rich Middle East, amid concerns over crude supplies and the key shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Oil prices retained the gains of recent days and at 09:19 a.m. London time, Ice Brent futures with August delivery were trading at $73.81 per barrel, down 0.57% from the previous trading session. The Nymex WTI contract with July expiry was at $72.7 per barrel, 0.38% lower.

Elsewhere, however, markets showed initial signs of shrugging off the latest hostilities early on Monday.

Spot prices for key safe-haven asset gold retreated early morning, down 0.42% to $3,417.83 per ounce after nearly notching a two-year-high earlier in the session, with U.S. gold futures also down 0.65% to $ 3,430.5

Tel Aviv share indices pointed higher, with the blue-chip TA-35 up 0.99% and the wider TA-125 up 1.33%.

European stock markets opened higher Monday, meanwhile, and U.S. stock futures were also in the green.

Luis Costa, global head of EM sovereign credit at Citigroup Global Markets, signaled the muted reaction could be, in part, attributed to hopes of a brisk resolution to the conflict.

“So markets are obviously, you know, bearing in mind all potential scenarios. There are obviously potentially very bad scenarios in this story,” he told CNBC’s “Europe Early Edition” on Monday. “But there is still a way out in terms of, you know, a faster resolution and bringing Iran to the table, or a short continuation here, of a very surgical and intense strike by the Israeli army.”

U.S. response in focus

As of Monday morning, Israel’s national emergency service Magen David Adom reported four dead and 87 injured following rocket strikes at four sites in “central Israel,” reporting collapsed buildings, fire and people trapped under debris.

Accusing Tehran of targeting civilians in Israel to prevent the Israel Defense Forces from “continuing the attack that is collapsing its capabilities,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, a close longtime ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a Google-translated social media update that “the residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon.”

The IDF on Sunday said it had in turn “completed a wide-scale wave of strikes on numerous weapon production sites belonging to the Quds Force, the IRGC and the Iranian military, in Tehran.”

CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.

The U.S.’ response is now in focus, given its close support and arms provision to Israel, the unexpected cancellation of Washington’s latest nuclear deal talks with Iran, and President Donald Trump’s historically hard-hitting stance against Tehran during his first term.

Trump, who has been pushing Iran for a deal over its nuclear program, has weighed in on the conflict, opposing an Israeli proposal to kill Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to NBC News.

Discussions about the conflict are expected to take place during the ongoing meeting of the G7, encapsulating Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S., along with the European Union.

CNBC’s Katrina Bishop contributed to this report.

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Tesla on ‘self-driving’ gets stuck on train track and hit by train

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Tesla on 'self-driving' gets stuck on train track and hit by train

A Tesla Model 3 got stuck on a train track and was hit, albeit slightly, by a train in Sinking Spring, PA. The driver claimed it was in “self-driving mode.”

According to the fire alerts in Berks County, a Tesla Model 3 drove around a train track barrier near South Hull Street and Columbia Avenue and got stuck in the tracks.

The driver was able to exit the vehicle, but a train hit the car, reportedly snapping off the side mirror.

The fire commissioner ordered to stop all train traffic as the emergency services worked to get the Model 3 off the tracks using a crane.

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Spitlers Garage & Towing, performed the recovery and shared a few pictures on Facebook:

The Tesla driver reportedly claimed that the vehicle was in “self-driving mode” leading up to getting stuck on the train tracks.

Tesla claims that all its vehicles built since 2016 will be capable of unsupervised self-driving with software updates; however, this has yet to occur.

Instead, Tesla has been selling a “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) package for up to $15,000 that requires the driver to constantly supervise the vehicle, with the driver remaining responsible for the car at all times.

Electrek’s Take

There have been instances of Tesla drivers engaging in reckless behavior and then attributing it to the Full Self-Driving (FSD) features.

I’m not saying it’s the case here, but it’s a possibility.

On the other side, I’ve seen FSD try to navigate around construction barriers. It’s possible that it tried to do that in this case, here and then got caught on the tracks.

We would need more data.

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