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Fiat increases stake in Chrysler to 25%

Filed under: Chrysler, Fiat

Chrysler and Fiat logos

Fiat is seriously commited to rebuilding Chrysler, and to that end it’s increased its stake in the Michigan-based automaker by an additional five percent.

The reshuffled ownership breakdown still leaves the United Auto Workers as the largest shareholder at 63.5%, with Fiat’s stake now up to 25%, the U.S. Treasury Department retaining 9.2% and the Canadian government 2.3%.

The increased stake came with government approval as Chrysler meets certain performance parameters, in this case the production of the Fully Integrated Robotized Engine (FIRE) at its plant in Dundee, Michigan.

Fiat will have the opportunity to increase its stake by another five percent when it demonstrates growth in overseas markets, and again with the production of a 40 mpg vehicle in the United States. At that point Fiat will have had the opportunity to increase its stake to a maximum of 35%. Details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Chrysler]

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Fiat increases stake in Chrysler to 25% originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit Preview: Fiat 500, Chrysler 200 to get Mopar treatment

Filed under: Aftermarket, Detroit Auto Show, Chrysler, Fiat

Moparized 2012 Fiat 500

Mopar gets frisky with Chrysler’s newest vehicles – Click above for high-res image gallery

Chrysler loves to show off its Mopar-accessorized vehicles, and the 2011 Detroit Auto Show provides the perfect stage to reveal some new ones. Two vehicles slated to make an appearance are the 2011 Chrysler 200 Super S and 2012 Fiat 500.

The Chrysler 200 Super S is dropped three inches and sports a black and tungsten paint scheme. The bodywork gets updated with a slew of parts including lower chin and rear decklid spoilers. Riding on a set of 19-inch wheels, the 200 Super S gets a major shot in the style department… for better of for worse.

Mopar is also turning to its new Italian cousin, the 2012 Fiat 500, and offering styling treatments in the same vein as the 200 Super S. Chrome trim sets off the blacked-out exterior while the black and blue leather interior features various carbon fiber accents. Underneath the skin sits a Mopar strut tower brace to add a bit of stiffness.

Be sure to hop the jump and read the full press release for even more Mopar goodies making an appearance in Detroit.

Gallery: Mopar for the Chrysler 200 and Fiat 500

Moparized Chrysler 200 Moparized Fiat 500

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Detroit Preview: Fiat 500, Chrysler 200 to get Mopar treatment

Detroit Preview: Fiat 500, Chrysler 200 to get Mopar treatment originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fiat to increase Chrysler stake to 51% ahead of IPO?

Filed under: Chrysler, Earnings/Financials, Fiat

According to Automotive News, Fiat may be looking to increase its stake in Chrysler from 20 percent to 51 percent before the Pentastar goes public. If true, that would mean that Fiat intends to repay Chrysler’s federal loans before their 2013 due date. Doing so would allow the Italian automaker to sink its teeth into its American property by an additional 16 percent.

Sergio Marchionne, who serves as the CEO of both Fiat and Chrysler, said that while he doesn’t know for certain whether he would move to have Fiat take over a larger portion of Chrysler, it is a possibility. The executive said that such a move would provide plenty of benefits for both automakers.

Fiat itself has been undergoing fairly substantial changes outside of its tie-up with Chrysler. The company just split into two different operations, with its automotive efforts flying under one banner and its industrial work sailing under another.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Fiat to increase Chrysler stake to 51% ahead of IPO? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Stock volatility expected to greet Fiat company split on Monday

Filed under: Europe, Earnings/Financials, Fiat

According to Bloomberg, Monday will be an interesting day for Fiat. January 3, 2011 marks the day that investors will be able to assign value to the stocks of the newly split company. Fiat Industrial SpA, which includes Iveco trucks and CNH Global NV (Case, New Holland), has officially separated from the company’s automotive arm. Early estimates seem to indicate that the truck and tractor section of Fiat will likely open at €9.40 per share ($12.59 USD), while Fiat automotive is expected to start trading at €6.65 ($8.92). If true, that means that the two companies will begin trading at roughly 7.1 percent more than what the old unified Fiat saw at the close of trading on Wednesday.

The split marks the largest change in the 111-year history of Fiat, and investors who currently own stock in Fiat SpA will also receive equivalent shares in Fiat Industrial SpA. Regardless of how the two stocks open, analysts expect to see plenty of fluctuations in prices for the first day or two as investors try to get a handle on the change.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Report: Stock volatility expected to greet Fiat company split on Monday originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 01 Jan 2011 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Dodge Journey to be rebadged a Fiat in Europe

Filed under: Crossover, Dodge, Fiat

2011 Dodge Journey

2011 Dodge Journey – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Dodge Journey has been given a much-needed makeover for 2011, with a new V6 and a significantly improved interior. That’s good news for Dodge dealers here in the States, but according to Autoweek it isn’t such a great deal for Dodge dealerships overseas.

That’s because the Journey will no longer be sold with the Ram badge, as Sergio Marchionne and company have reportedly decided it would fare better as a Fiat-branded crossover. The CUV will reportedly be given the Freemont moniker, and it will be the first Chrysler-based vehicle to be given a Fiat engine – a diesel in this case. The 2.0-liter oilburner is capable of 170 horsepower – 30 more than the VW-sourced diesel currently employed in the Journey overseas.

The move to sell the Journey as a Fiat may also make sense given Fiat’s massive 5,000 store retail network. If Fiat dealers can surpass the meager sales of the Journey, it could help Chrysler increase output at the Toluca, Mexico plant where the CUV is built along side the Fiat 500. AW claims the Freemont will be unveiled in Geneva, with sales beginning in June 2011.

Gallery: 2011 Dodge Journey: Quick Spin

2011 Dodge Journey

[Source: Auto Week]

Report: Dodge Journey to be rebadged a Fiat in Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Fiat’s new DCT porting over to Chrysler models by 2013

Filed under: Technology, Chrysler, Fiat

Fiat DCT cutaway

What did we tell you? It’s all about synergy, people. Automakers around the world are aligning themselves into a constricting cadre of corporate groups, all in the aim of sharing resources. So when Fiat, for example, has a winner on its hands – be it a new platform, a new transmission or anything in between – you know it’ll only be a matter of time before it finds its way to Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills. Likely in Sergio Marchionne’s hand luggage.

The latest from Fiat Powertrain Technologies is its TCT dual-clutch transmission. Lighter than most units at 179 pounds, versatile enough to be mated to a broad range of engines, and packing six speeds and two dry clutches, the gearbox has been in development for over five years now since the split with General Motors.

The transmission was made available initially on the Alfa Romeo MiTo, but will – according to Inside Line – soon find its way into a broad range of vehicles from Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, and yes, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge, too. IL says we should expect the gearbox to proliferate into all manner of Chrysler and Fiat products by 2013.

[Source: Inside Line]

Report: Fiat’s new DCT porting over to Chrysler models by 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Fifth Gear checks out the two-cylinder Fiat 500 TwinAir

Filed under: Budget, Videos, Hatchback, Fiat, UK

Fiat 500 TwinAir on Fifth Gear – Click above to watch the video after the jump

The more cylinders, the better. Right? That’s exactly the kind of conventional wisdom that’s being turned on its head with the green revolution. Everything from hatchbacks to muscle sedans are dropping pistons like clumsy engine-plant workers these days. But what about the TwinAir engine on the Fiat 500? Have the Italians taken things too far?

That’s what the crew over at Fifth Gear have set about figuring out. The other British car show took the latest Cinquecento – all two cylinders of it – out for video review. So how did it fare? Follow the jump to watch the segment for yourself and find out.

Continue reading Video: Fifth Gear checks out the two-cylinder Fiat 500 TwinAir

Video: Fifth Gear checks out the two-cylinder Fiat 500 TwinAir originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fiat 500 art cars created in Miami at Exhibitalia

Filed under: Etc., Hatchback, Fiat, Design/Style

Fiat Exhibitalia art car

Fiat 500 Art Basel art cars – click above for high-res image gallery

We wouldn’t have taken something like the Art Basel festival in Miami Beach as a typical showcase for automobiles, but after Tesla rolled out its art car and Maybach spearheaded its sculpture initiative there, Fiat became the third automaker to strut its stuff at the festival among the 2,000 artists from around the world.

Fiat’s display took place at the four-day Exhibitalia event, where several renowned artists and two student teams from the University of Miami used its tiny 500 as their “inspiration and canvas” in the creation of their works. Some created pieces inspired by the Cinquecento, some used body panels, and one even used the entire vehicle, transforming it into an art car on par with anything BMW could throw at it. Check it out in the gallery below and the press release after the jump.

Gallery: Fiat 500 art cars at Exhibitalia

[Source: Fiat]

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Fiat 500 art cars created in Miami at Exhibitalia originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 18 Dec 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fiat 500 Bicolore debuts at Bologna Motor Show

Just days ago, Fiat rolled out one of several upcoming special edition 500 models. The new 500 Bicolore, pictured above, made its debut at the Bologna Motor Show. Details are limited, but as its name implies, the Bicolore model features a two-tone paint scheme in candy-apple red and white. Fiat finishes off the changes to the Bicolore by fitting it with unique alloy wheels and trimming the interior with some chrome accents.

Fiat describes the Bicolore as “an unprecedented combination that recalls the retro world of ’50s American cars and pop art.” The automaker continues, calling the special edition 500 a model “that celebrates the car’s more eco-friendly and sporty spirits.” The Bicolore is powered by one of Fiat’s most fuel efficient engines available: the turbocharged two-cylinder 0.9-liter TwinAir, which cranks out 85 horsepower.

The Bicolore is just one of several special edition 500 models that Fiat plans to launch in the coming months, so stay tuned for more.

[Source: Fiat]

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Fiat 500 Bicolore debuts at Bologna Motor Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 11 Dec 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Ford’s Sync lose ground to Fiat’s Blue & Me?

Filed under: Technology, Ford, Fiat

It recognizes hundreds of voice commands. It will interface with your Bluetooth-enabled smart phone. It was co-developed with Microsoft. Sounds like Ford’s popular SYNC tech, right? Sure does, but it also smacks of Fiat’s Blue & Me system that has been in production in Europe since 2007. The technology will be available stateside when the tiny Fiat 500 goes on sale early in 2011. The cost? $500 in a base 500, and the system is standard on uplevel Sport and Lounge models.

Like the Fiat 500 itself, Blue & Me certainly sound compelling, but it’s one small niche product in a sea of cars, trucks and crossovers. Perhaps more significant is the fact that Fiat’s infotainment tech could be available in Chrysler products as early as 2012. And while B&M apparently doesn’t do everything as well as SYNC, it also carries some advantages of its own. For instance, 500 Sport and Lounge buyers can shell out an extra $400 for an optional Tom Tom navigation system that interfaces with the voice command system. Fiat also enables drivers to download their driving habits to a USB stick and load it to a website called Eco:Ville. The site will process the data and give drivers tips for more efficient driving.

So will Blue & Me become as popular as SYNC? Who knows, but at the very least it’s nice to see that competition for Ford’s system is on the way.

Gallery: LA 2010: 2011 Fiat 500

2011 Fiat 500

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Will Ford’s Sync lose ground to Fiat’s Blue & Me? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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