FIAT News
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Earlier this week Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli mentioned how the proposed $10 billion deal with Fiat could be just what the company needs to bring it back from the brink of bankruptcy. While Chrysler would be gaining Fiat's vast global distribution network, as well as new technology to boost efficiency, Fiat would also be gaining things other than the 35% proposed stake in Chrysler. The Italian auto giant would be able to use Chrysler's Jeep and minivan lines to complete its lineup overseas, reports the Detroit Free Press. These models may be integral in whether or not a deal materializes...
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Report: Fiat and BMW working on joint small car family
Last year BMW and Fiat first started looking at cooperation over parts and platform sharing and possibly sales and distribution synergies, but with Fiat aligning itself with Chrysler earlier this year the scope of its workings with BMW have widened. Though exact details remain scarce, BMW and Fiat...
Kenneth Hall -
Report: Fiat and BMW working on new small car family
Last year BMW and Fiat first started looking at cooperation over parts and platform sharing and possibly sales and distribution synergies, but with Fiat aligning itself with Chrysler earlier this year the scope of its workings with BMW have widened. Though exact details remain scarce, BMW and Fiat...
Kenneth Hall -
Fiat and PSA Peugeot-Citroen deny merger rumors
Fiat Group, Chrysler and its parent company Cerberus Capital Management in January released a joint statement announcing they had signed a non-binding term sheet to establish a global strategic alliance. The alliance, a key element of Chrysler’s viability plan, would provide the American...
Kenneth Hall -
Spy shots: Fiat Grande Punto facelift
The third-generation Fiat Grande Punto has been on sale since 2005 but thanks to its Giugiaro-styled lines the car still looks fresh to this day in the crowded compact hatchback market. Despite this, Fiat is still planning to update the car with a facelift later this year although the nature of the...
Jeremy Weber -
Fiat boosts engine output with new MultiAir technology
Already a leader in advanced diesel engine technology, Fiat has added to its arsenal a new advancement for petrol engines the company claims will significantly boost power and torque, while cutting emissions. The new technology has been labeled it MultiAir and it will be debuting in the...
Jeremy Weber -
The Fiat-Chrysler partnership has been brewing since well before the economic meltdown and federal loan bonanza of late 2008, but it's still taking shape as the carmakers find ways to work to their mutual benefit. Today Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne reaffirmed his confidence that Fiat will be able to help Chrysler out of its hole. In fact, Marchionne thinks Fiat will not just help Chrysler out of the red, but add significant value to its operations. Technology, products and design are some of the ways Fiat will bolster Chrysler's business situation, he says. Far from the picture of the...
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Rinspeed shows off dual power mode E2 concept car
As carmakers strive to improve the fuel efficiency of their powertrains, more and more innovative and technical solutions are coming to light. Take Rinspeed’s latest E2 concept car based on the sporty Fiat 500 Abarth. Instead of opting for a complicated and expensive hybrid or electric...
Alex Kaufmann -
Europe’s carmakers show off four-cylinder engines with V8 performance
In Europe, where fuel prices are often more than double or triple what they are here in the U.S., customers typically favor compact, fuel efficient engines. While many Americans may scoff at the idea of driving a reasonably sized car with an engine not much bigger than that found on a motorbike, it...
Jeremy Weber -
Fiat updates the Grande Punto Abarth SS for 2009
Europe's love affair with - and America's envy of - hot hatches knows almost no bounds, with makers from all quadrants throwing out spiced-up versions of just about everything imaginable, from Skodas to Peugeots to Fiats. One of the latest to join the club is an updated version of the Fiat Grande...
Kenneth Hall -
Lancia adds ‘Executive’ flagship and sporty ‘Hardblack’ to Delta range
This year’s Geneva Motor Show will see the launch of two new Lancia Delta variants: a new range-topping version and a sports model with a powerful turbocharged engine. For those unfamiliar with Lancia, the brand is a division of Fiat Group that offers a range of distinctive hatches and...
Alex Kaufmann -
2009 Alfa Romeo 159 revealed ahead of Geneva Motor Show
A picture is worth a thousand words, or in the case of the Alfa Romeo 159, it's worth a long, loving stare. The sensual lines of one of the finest-looking sedans anywhere have been revealed in their 2009 model year form ahead of the unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Early last year...
Nelson Ireson -
The Fiat 500 minicar was first unveiled more than a year ago and since then we’ve seen the launch of the sporty Abarth model and even a couple of special edition models. What we are yet to come across is the upcoming Cabrio, which has been spotted by spy photographers almost completely undisguised ahead of its launch on the 16th of this month. The 500’s compact size and low cost means it’ll make do with a manual folding soft-top and will likely provide seating for only two passengers. Fiat’s styling director Roberto Giolito has previously stated that the car would...
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Fiat still in talks with BMW despite proposed alliance with Chrysler
Just as Chrysler and Nissan plan to keep their previous platform and product sharing deals now that the American carmaker is on the verge of an alliance with Fiat Group, the Italian giant reportedly plans to keep its own dealings with BMW alive as well. While there was speculation that the proposed...
Alex Kaufmann -
New IndyCar engine plans stirring global interest despite delay to 2012
Tough times and cutbacks, or even outright cancellation of programs, are mode throughout today's motorsports programs, and while the Indy Racing League (IRL) has announced it will delay application of its new engine package until 2012, the proposed format is already drawing interest from diverse...
Nelson Ireson -
Fiat and Chrysler deal may be completed by mid-February
Fiat and Chrysler first released a joint statement announcing they had signed a non-binding term sheet to establish a global strategic alliance just over two weeks ago but according to Fiat's CEO the deal could be signed and completed by as early as the middle of this month. The alliance, to be a...
James Martinez -
Report: Fiat and Chrysler alliance will see seven new models sold in U.S.
The proposed alliance between Chrysler and Fiat Group will reportedly see seven new vehicles introduced to the U.S. market, with most of the cars expected to be produced at idle Chrysler plants across North America. According to sources that have seen the product-sharing agreement, several of the...
Ralph Hanson -
Chrysler design chief hints at Fiat-infused North American portfolio
Following the announcement this week of a proposed acquisition of a 35% stake in Chrysler by Italy’s Fiat Group, Chrysler’s chief designer Ralph Gilles has given some insight into the thought processes going on behind locked doors at the two companies. Chrysler and Fiat execs are...
Jeremy Weber -
Today’s news of Fiat's decision to acquire up to 35% of Chrysler has taken the automotive world by storm. What might such an alliance portend for Chrysler? What could Fiat possibly derive from the union? And how might you, the car enthusiast, feel about the whole thing? History is always a good place to start when considering future developments, for situations and relationships tend to repeat through time. One example of a bad Italy-U.S. combination was the 1989-1991 collaborative effort known as the Chrysler TC by Maserati. Though Maserati was not purchased by Fiat until 1993, the...
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Chrysler's LaSorda denies sale of brands
One of the biggest criticisms for struggling Detroit carmakers General Motors and Chrysler is the number of brands they have under the one roof and the associated problem of selling models that often compete with one another in the same segments. In its efforts to secure its share of a federal...
Ralph Hanson -
Fiat To Launch 500-Based Abarth Coupe
Fiat, through its Abarth performance division, is reportedly working on a new sports coupe based on its 500 minicar to be launched sometime next year. The car will simply be called the Abarth Coupe and will join the existing Punto and 500 models in the Abarth lineup. Due to its humble 500...
Jeremy Weber -
Fiat CEO predicts only six carmakers will weather the economic storm
Mass consolidations and a number of major bankruptcies are inevitable says Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne as the auto industry weathers the global economic crisis and experiences one of the worst slump in sales in several decades. Marchionne goes so far as to predict that only six carmakers will...
Kenneth Hall -
Fiat may launch family of new cars under 'Topolino' name
Talk of the revival of the Topolino nameplate has been circulating for nearly a year, and in April Fiat took a positive step in the process of building a new B-segment car by buying a former Zastava plant in Serbia, and now new details reveal that the new car will be targeting newcomers like the...
Alex Kaufmann -
Spy shots: 2011 Fiat Panda test-mule
The European minicar segment has seen a number of new additions in the past 12 months, with cars like the second-generation Ford Ka and new Renault Twingo recently making their appearance. Competition is set to be rife with Toyota joining the ranks with its new iQ minicar and Volkswagen’s...
Alex Kaufmann