Tag: fiat

Video: Jeep accidently shows off Fiat-based CUV *UPDATE

Filed under: Concept Cars, SUV, Videos, Jeep, Design/Style, Off-Road

Jeep shows off Fiat-based CUV – Click above to watch video after the jump

There have been plenty of murmurings about how Fiat’s partnership with Chrysler will impact the Jeep brand. Exactly how much platform sharing will occur between the Italian automaker and the Pentastar’s globe-roaming purveyor of SUVs has been a hot topic amongst the Jeep faithful for some time. Now it appears that a video posted on YouTube by user thejeepchannel has given the world its first glance at a new Fiat-based crossover set to wear the famous seven-slot grille. In the video, a Jeep intern learns a bit about the company’s design process, all while hovering around a clay model of one very CUV-looking creation.

Chrysler has made no qualms about the fact that it will produce an SUV on the C-Evo platform, and has even made noise about which of the company’s manufacturing facilities will build the vehicle.

Our guess is that the clay model in the video is none other than that very high-rider. Judging by the clay, the CUV will wear a host of typical Jeep design cues, including squared-off fender arches and overhangs. Follow the jump to see for yourself.

*Update: Chrysler has released the following statement concerning the vehicle in the video:

“While we certainly appreciate the interest, the clay model and sketches in the YouTube video represent past design studies, not the future of Jeep design. This and similar videos are targeted toward college students and the youth market in general, to build excitement about the Jeep brand, and to provide a glimpse into some of the processes we go through to create iconic Jeep vehicles.”

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Jeep accidently shows off Fiat-based CUV *UPDATE

Video: Jeep accidently shows off Fiat-based CUV *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Fiat wants to sell 50,000 500s in the U.S. through 165 dealers

Filed under: Car Buying, LA Auto Show, Budget, Hatchback, Chrysler, Fiat

Fiat 500

Fiat 500 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Chrysler is set to debut its American-spec Fiat 500 at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show with the first examples being sold near the end of 2010. During the 2011 calendar year, Chrysler hopes to sell 50,000 of the Mini Cooper fighters, including the 500 Cabrio, which goes on sale sometime in 2011.

Built in Toluca, Mexico, the 500 will be sold through a network of 165 dealers across the United States, mostly in cities that have the largest small car markets. Will Chrysler be able to move 50,000 of the new Fiats? That’s mildly ambitious, since the Mini brand only moves about 50,000 Coopers annually. Still, consider our fingers crossed.

Gallery: Fiat 500

[Source: Associated Press via Google]

Report: Fiat wants to sell 50,000 500s in the U.S. through 165 dealers originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: VW wants to buy Alfa Romeo, Fiat unwilling to part

Filed under: Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials, Alfa Romeo, Fiat

According to Automotive News Europe, Volkswagen is keen on continuing its hungry, hungry hippo march through the automotive world. The report says that the German manufacturing giant has its eye on snapping up Alfa Romeo, even though parent-company Fiat has no intention of turning the brand loose.

The news comes courtesy of two unnamed, high-ranking VW officials who claim that the company has developed a serious taste for Italian as of late. Meanwhile, a similarly shadowy figure in the upper echelons of the Fiat kingdom says that Fiat won’t sell Alfa Romeo to the Germans.

While the two companies appear to be drawing lines in the sand, Fiat has said that it wants Alfa Romeo to become a world-class luxury manufacturer. That includes selling upwards of 500,000 units per year by 2014 – nearly five times what the company managed to move in 2009.

So why does VW want Alfa Romeo? Nabbing the brand would be an easy way to help the carmaker in its quest to take down Toyota as the world’s number one automaker. Dipping into the Alfa Romeo stable would also give VW access to a wealth of new front-engine, front-wheel-drive chassis options as well.

[Source: Automotive News Europe]

Report: VW wants to buy Alfa Romeo, Fiat unwilling to part originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler chooses 600 dealerships for possible Fiat franchises

Filed under: Car Buying, Chrysler, Fiat

Fiat 500

Fiat 500 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Chrysler Group is only a few months away from bringing the Fiat brand back to the United States, starting with the launch of the too-cute 500 later this year. The automaker will be holding a Fiat Experience event in Detroit at the end of August, and around 600 dealers from around the country have been invited to attend.

These 600 dealers are located in cities where Chrysler is planning to have Fiat franchises – a total of 119 different markets around the country. The Fiat Experience program will give dealers a detailed overview of Chrysler’s exact plans for the brand in the U.S., and dealers will be allowed to submit proposals for snagging a Fiat franchise through mid-September.

No, not all of these 600 dealers will be approved for Fiat franchises, and Chrysler will be announcing its final list of Fiat locations in the fourth quarter of 2010. Hit the jump to see the current list of market considerations to find out if a Fiat dealer might be heading to a city near you.

Gallery: Fiat 500

[Source: Chrysler]

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Chrysler chooses 600 dealerships for possible Fiat franchises originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fiat hits the matte with new 500 BlackJack edition

Filed under: Hatchback, Fiat, UK

Fiat 500 Blackjack

Fiat 500 BlackJack – Click above for high-res image

Over the years since its introduction, the Fiat 500 has had no shortage of special editions. But if the fashion-forward Diesel edition wasn’t your cup of tea and the Pepto-painted Pink edition didn’t tickle your fancy, the Italian automaker has another special in store. And this one’s decidedly more sinister.

Called the BlackJack, the special 500 is decked out in matte black with gloss black accents, offset by a splash of red at the center of the black wheels and red brake calipers on the 1.4-liter model. UK buyers can choose between that or the more frugal 1.2-liter engine, both fitted with a stop/start system, with total production limited to just 200 units. And though no details were revealed on interior colors, you can bet it’ll be just as black as the exterior.

The question is, when the Fiat 500 finally makes it Stateside, is this how you’d want yours? Follow the jump for the full press release and share your impressions in the comments section below.

[Source: Fiat]

Continue reading Fiat hits the matte with new 500 BlackJack edition

Fiat hits the matte with new 500 BlackJack edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fiat 500C Sardinia by Romeo Ferraris is an ode to Italy’s Emerald Coast

Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Europe, Fiat

Fiat 500C Sardinia by Romeo Ferraris – Click above for high-res image gallery

When you think of Italian cars, some of the images that come to mind might be of graceful cabrios gliding along picturesque coastlines. Thing is, short of exotica from Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini or Pagani, the only Italian convertibles currently on offer are the Alfa Spider and Fiat 500C. As gorgeous as it is, the Alfa is on its way out, leaving the Fiat to fend for itself in the meantime. Romeo Ferraris apparently thought the sprightly 500C could use a little jazzing up, so it’s released this limited-edition special.

The 500C Sardinia, as it’s called, will be limited to just 50 examples. Paying homage to Italy’s Emerald Coast, it’s decked out in green paint with gold accents and sand-colored cloth roof. The interior is likewise trimmed in the light beige, the leather covers everything short of the dashboard, which gains an innovative cork treatment, and the emerald green floormats to match the exterior. Unfortunately, unlike some of Romeo Ferraris’ more extreme performance conversions, the Sardinia’s are largely limited to a dual-tip exhaust and 16-inch split-spoke alloys. Have a closer look in the gallery below.

Gallery: Fiat 500C Sardinia by Romeo Ferraris

[Source: OmniAuto.it]

Fiat 500C Sardinia by Romeo Ferraris is an ode to Italy’s Emerald Coast originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Fiat 500 Abarth Speedster in the works

Filed under: Budget, Performance, Europe, Hatchback

Fiat 500 Abarth Essesse – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve been hearing about the supposed introduction of the Fiat 500 to American shores for so long that the car may grow stale before the first one touches soil on our side of the Atlantic. Chrysler and its parent company, Fiat, seem to have grown keen to that very possibility, so to stir the pot somewhat, the two have gotten together and released a few scant details about a performance version that’s also headed our direction.

As we’ve already heard, the 500 Abarth will pack around 134 horsepower from a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine with a 0-60 run of around 7.6 seconds. If you’re thinking that those numbers aren’t exactly devilish, fear not – the Abarth-tuned cars will also pack reworked suspensions to help them carve up tarmac like a turkey dinner.

That’s cool and all, but the biggest news is that Fiat is actually mulling an Abarth Speedster – a unique new model that is rumored to borrow heavily from the 1959 Zagato Abarth 750. Expect a shorter roofline as well as a folding soft top if the car comes to fruition. No one knows exactly which engine Fiat would snug down into the little topless wonder, but rumor has it that a 163-horsepower version of the same 1.4-liter four-pot is a definite possibility. Sounds good to us.

Gallery: Fiat 500 Abarth Esseesse

[Source: Inside Line]

Report: Fiat 500 Abarth Speedster in the works originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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