FIAT News
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The Fiat 500 minicar only made its debut this month but there’s already talk of additional variants being developed including a new long wheelbase ‘Giardinetta’ version similar to Mini’s new Clubman. Already confirmed for production are the cabriolet soft-top and performance Abarth versions due by the middle of next year, but Fiat execs are mulling plans for both a three door station wagon and a 4WD SUV. This new rendering is a good indication as to what the wagon variant could look like and is based on a preview of the car that was shown on a video at the launching of...
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Fiat profits double in Q2Fiat has reported record profits for the second quarter, with net income doubling for the period compared with last year’s results. Profits topped €593 million for the quarter, up from €280 million for the period one year earlier. The jump in results can mostly be attributed to...
Ralph Hanson -
Spy Shots: Fiat’s Abarth Punto And 500 Hot HatchesSpy photographers have spotted the upcoming Abarth versions of the Fiat Punto and 500 minicar, the first of a range of sports oriented models from Fiat featuring the famous Scorpion Abarth branding. Previewed in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the new Punto Abarth that’s due...
Ralph Hanson -
Preview: Fiat 500 CabrioletFiat’s new 500 minicar was only unveiled on Wednesday but already attention has turned to the upcoming Cabrio and performance Abarth versions of the stylish subcompact. Pictured here is an artist’s impression of the convertible version that’s due to go on sale in the first half of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fiat's new ‘Cinquecento’ 500 arrivesLast night in Turin, Fiat unveiled its all new 500 minicar with more than 7,000 guests tuning up including thousands of dealers and international motoring journalists. The original 500 minicar was launched exactly fifty years ago, and the latest model is expected to live up to the original's...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fiat wants 500 to be ‘iPod’ of carsFiat’s new 500 will be making a big impact when it hits the streets, rewriting the rules for the low-cost minicar segment by offering distinctive styling and innovativeness in a package that’ll only set you back around €10,000. No wonder Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne commented that...
Siddarth Raja -
Fiat will launch several new models over the next couple of years, including a new B-segment car, a midsized crossover and a redesigned Panda hatch. The first of the new models will be a small hatch that’s rumored to revive the ‘Uno’ badge in Western markets. The Uno will utilize a shortened version of the Punto’s platform and share that model’s engine options to keep costs at a minimum. The car will measure just 3.7m in length and should be in showrooms by 2009, reports Just Auto. Fiat is also working on a twin-cylinder engine, labeled Multiair, which will be...
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Lancia to get new Aurelia flagship and Delta hatchLancia’s portfolio is set to expand with several hot models supposedly making a return. Names like Aurelia and Delta are currently being tossed around the rumor mill, and AutoExpress is reporting that the brand will return to the UK with a new flagship model based on Maserati’s new...
Ralph Hanson -
Fiat Considers Sporty Abarth 500 For U.S.Fiat’s upcoming 500 minicar may eventually be sold in the US with news that management is considering launching the sporty Abarth model Stateside by the end of the decade. A high-ranking official who spoke with Automotive News Europe revealed that Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne hopes to sell the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
More Ford PAG brands up for saleRecently it was revealed that BMW had considered buying Volvo from Ford’s Premier Auto Group, and had gone so far as to order in a set of the Swede carmaker’s latest financial reports. Now it is reported that Ford has been in talks with Fiat Group over a possible sale of Jaguar and Land...
James Martinez -
Fiat considers Bravo crossoverThe new Bravo is an important model in Fiat’s revamped lineup and is key to the Italian carmaker expanding into more diverse markets. We’ve previously reported about Fiat adding a wagon model to the Bravo range, but now there are rumors that a new crossover model is in the works, and...
Ralph Hanson -
Pininfarina design genius to lead Fiat and Maserati styleStarting in June, Lorenzo Ramaciotti will take on the responsibility for the future styling of all the brands of Fiat Group and Maserati. Directly reporting to Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, Ramaciotti will be in charge of the future direction of some of Fiat’s most important models including...
Kenneth Hall -
Speaking at a recent management awards ceremony in Italy, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed that he hoped to build Alfa Romeo models in China in a possible partnership with Chery Automobile. First reported by Italy’s Finanza & Mercati, Marchionne was quoted as saying “the idea is good and we will do it, but first we have to be sure the Chery plant produces real Alfas and this requires a great commitment on our side both in terms of quality and engineering.” Fears of quality issues in China’s auto industry is still of great concern, but Fiat has already had some...
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Fiat Rejects Bertone Rescue PlanStruggling Italian coachbuilder Bertone will have to scramble to come up with a new survival plan before investors meet this week after Fiat Group rejected earlier plans to help fund its rescue. Fiat’s CEO Sergio Marchionne said talks between the two over a possible joint-venture to build a...
Ralph Hanson -
Video: New Fiat 500Fiat is officially back. The company that GM paid $2 billion not to take over just two years ago has gone from strength to strength in the hyper-competitive European market. By introducing new products with sharp styling and improved reliability, the ‘new’ Fiat range has been selling...
Ralph Hanson -
Fiat finally presents the new 500These are the first official images of Fiat's cute 500, the Italian rival to popular minicars such as the MINI Cooper and Nissan Micra. The 500 was originally planned to hit the market in September but it’s now scheduled to be released on the 4th of July, and unlike the original "cinquecento"...
Alex Kaufmann -
Fiat considers new low-cost carThe list of carmakers preparing to launch new budget-based models is growing every month, and the latest manufacturer to join that list is Fiat whose chief Sergio Marchionne confirmed it was considering developing a low-cost car. Speaking with reporters at the Geneva Motor Show, Marchionne said...
Ralph Hanson -
Abarth Brand Revived With The Fiat Grande PuntoThe long-awaited Fiat Grande Punto Abarth will make its debut at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show alongside its rally-approved version–the Abarth S2000. This will be the first of a new range of sports oriented models from Fiat featuring the famous Abarth scorpion logo. The car on show in Geneva...
Alex Kaufmann -
Italian coachbuilder Bertone will unveil a new concept car wearing Fiat badges at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, continuing a tradition that has lasted for almost 80 years. The futuristic looking sports car will be based on Fiat’s new 100hp Panda, and uses aluminum for construction of the chassis and transparent plastic for some of its body-panels. This image, which turned up on Winding Road, shows the sporty two-seater also features contoured bucket-seats and a wrap-around windshield. Beneath the stylish body sits the same running gear found in the Fiat Panda, including the 1.4L 16v...
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Chery and Fiat in possible collaborationChina’s Chery Auto is already reported to be in a deal with DaimlerChrysler to build a new small car for export under the Dodge brand, as well as a previous deal with Italy’s Fiat to supply a range of engines, but now the company is reported to be at the negotiating table once again...
Alex Kaufmann -
Official launch of the Fiat BravoFiat’s remarkable turnaround has stunned industry insiders, who had all but written off the ailing Italian automaker. The Punto has been a big hit, but the real sign of Fiat’s return is the new Bravo, which was unveiled by CEO Sergio Marchionne today. Fiat has spent €350m on...
Ralph Hanson -
Fiat planning Bravo station wagonFiat will launch a station wagon version of its recently introduced Bravo hatch due halfway through the new car’s life-cycle. It will appear alongside a face-lifted Bravo sometime in 2010, reports Autovisie, while a performance oriented Abarth model to join the Punto and Panda Abarth is also...
James Martinez -
Fiat wants new Bravo to go globalItaly’s Fiat wants its new Bravo model to sell in more diverse markets than its Stilo predecessor, which failed to make a significant impact on the company’s bottom line. Reuters is reporting that Fiat exec Luca De Meo stated last week that the Bravo five-door hatchback would be sold in...
Ralph Hanson -
Fiat Considers Rescue Plan For BertoneItalian carmaker Fiat is rumored to be developing a rescue plan for struggling coachbuilder Bertone that would see the creation of an all new company. Fiat would enter into a €200 million contract with the new company to build a low-volume coupe convertible to be sold under the Lancia brand...
Alex Kaufmann