Showing posts with label Fiat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiat. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Rumors: Chrysler to Kill Dodge Caliber in Late November
It’s been a bumpy road for the Chrysler Group's Dodge Caliber compact crossover that was introduced in 2006 as a replacement to the Neon, under the supervision of Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler, which then controlled the U.S. automaker.
But the end appears to be near as the usually well informed on Chrysler Group matters Allpar site is reporting that production of the Caliber will end on November 23, 2011, according to "documentation recently sent to dealers".
Read more »
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Fiat Abarth Girls Dance it Off on Camera
Leave it to the Fiat Group to turn a vehicle presentation into a girls gone wild part – not that we are complaining, mind you…
We don’t have any information regarding the clip that popped up on Youtube other than a vague description that says "FIAT girls dancing at FIAT Grande Punto ABARTH S2000 LIVE!", so if you happen to know more, just leave us a comment below.
And if you're looking for something a bit more spicier from the Italians, you may want to check out this video from the Fiat Group presentation at the 2006 Poland Auto Motor Show.
Read more »
Will the Jeep-based SUV Turn Maserati into the New Porsche?
[The above photo is an independent rendering, not the actual Maserati SUV Concept]Sources from within the company confirmed today that the Italian company will indeed launch a Jeep Grand Cherokee-based SUV concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. What’s more, the same insiders said that the luxury SUV will be manufactured not at Modena, like all other sports cars bearing the trident badge, but at Chrysler’s Jefferson North plant in Detroit.
Read more »
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Fiat 500 by Gucci Series Coming to NY Fashion Week
A stylish car associated with one of the most exclusive names in fashion needs the appropriate introduction. And that’s why Fiat chose to launch the 500 by Gucci edition of its subcompact car in the US at next month’s New York fashion week. Read more »
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Fiat May Miss 500’s North America Sales Target in 2011 Due to Delays in Store Openings
Fiat’s 500 sales in North America will likely fall short of the initial target of 50,000 units in 2011, because of the delays in opening new stores. Currently, the brand has opened 100 out of the 130 stores planned for the US this year.
The Italian company chose to open new stores instead of using the existing Chrysler dealer network, in order to differentiate its niche product. However, the original plan, which called for most delaers to be operational by February, failed since at that time only about a dozen were ready.
Read more »
Monday, August 15, 2011
Germany's Luxury Brands Unaffected by Global Economy Slump
The auto industry hasn’t escaped the drama affecting the stock markets due to the US credit rating downgrade and the problems in the Eurozone. This month has been the worst ever since November 2008 for the Euro Stoxx Automobile and Parts Index as it lost €35 billion ($50 billion) or about 19%, of its value.
However, despite the slowing global economy, it is luxury carmakers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi rather than mass-market brands, like Fiat and Renault, that can withstand its effects better.
Read more »
Rumors: Fiat to Expand 500 Range with New Models Including Crossover
Banking on the success of its new 500 hatch, Fiat plans to enhance the small car's range with a variety of new models within the next two years according to Autoweek.
The first new addition to arrive in North America is the Abarth, the sportiest version of Fiat’s city car that's already available in Europe. The Abarth 500 is powered by a highly-tuned 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder delivering 180HP and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque.
Read more »
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Fail or Win? Lady Drives Fiat Cinquecento with the Handbrake On
While we could understand if someone forgot to release a broken or a loose handbrake that allows the rear wheels to turn around with some difficulty, how can you drive a car on the road with the rear wheels completely locked down and not take any notice?
And that's exactly what we have in this video starring a lady behind the wheel of a green Fiat Cinquecento (which was the 500's predecessor in the Italian brand's range).
Not only did she forget the handbrake on, but she doesn't even pay attention to the young men trying to inform her about the brake. Follow the jump for the video.
Read more »
Friday, August 5, 2011
Zagato Disavows Scagliarini 504cze, Threatens With Legal Action
Yesterday, we published the news about a limited-production Fiat 500 by American design house Scagliarini Motorsports called the 504 Coupe Zagato Elaborata. Scagliarini claimed in a press release that the car was inspired by the 500 Zagato Coupe launched in Geneva last March, and even used the Italian company’s name.
However, Zagato contacted us today and stated that it has no involvement whatsoever with Scagliarini’s project, nor has it granted permission for its name and logo to be used. Therefore, it intends to use all necessary legal actions in order to protect its individual property.
Read more »
Most US Buyers of Fiat 500 Prefer their Cars Customized – and Expensive
Fiat has returned to the American market after 28 years – and it has done so in style with its colorful city car, the 500. Besides having already sold 7,982 cars since March with 3,038 deliveries in July alone, Fiat seems to be reaping great profits from its small model.
That’s because American buyers apparently like to personalize their 500 by choosing pricier editions and adding numerous options. As a result, prices go up generating bigger profits for the Italian brand.
Read more »
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Scagliarini Motorsports Creates One-off 4x4 504 Coupe Zagato Elaborata
American-based design house Scagliarini Motorsports has unveiled its latest creation, the 504 Coupe Zagato Elaborata, or 504cze. As the name implies, the car is inspired by Zagato’s 500 Coupe concept that was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show last March. Read more »
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
New 2012 Fiat Panda Prototypes Filmed in Italy Ahead of Frankfurt Debut
Fiat's engineers are putting the final touches on the third generation of the Italian firm's best-seller in the mini segment, the Panda, which will make its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September before going on sale in select European markets by the end of the year, with the rest to follow in early 2012.
If you're weren’t content with our recent spy photographs of the prototype 2012 Panda, you might want to take a look at this video that was said to have been filmed in Napoli, Italy.
Read more »
Marchionne Says 54.5 mpg “Doable”, Hints at Retirement, Drives a Charger
Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne gave a speech today at the 2011 CAR Management Briefing Seminars. He quoted philosopher Albert Camus, talked about the reason geese fly in a V formation (they create uplift for those that follow, thus extending their range by 70%) and even used an excerpt from Alice in Wonderland, specifically a dialogue between Alice and the Queen in “Through the Looking Glass”.
Marchionne did all this to convey the message that he feels vindicated. For effectively taking over Chrysler, for receiving the bailout money when most were skeptical or openly opposed it (and paying them back six years before schedule) and for wanting to merge the American group with Fiat.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Fiat 500 by Gucci Goes Topless, Priced from €20k
With the "500 by Gucci" hatchback having already logged some 3,000 pre-orders online, Fiat wasn't about to let a good run go to waste. Today, the Italians announced the release of topless version that goes by the name "500C by Gucci". Read more »
Friday, July 29, 2011
Marchionne Merges Fiat and Chrysler Group Management Teams
Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, has announced the unification of the two automakers’ management teams in one, smaller unit. As Fiat said in a statement, from September 1, the group will have four regional managers for both companies’ operations in Europe, Asia, North America and South America.
These regional chiefs, along with Marchionne himself, and other 17 managers will form a “group executive council". Not surprisingly, Fiat execs dominate the new consolidated management team, with 14 people sourced from the Italian-based carmaker and only five from Chrysler.
Read more »
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Mopar Launches More than 150 Accessories for U.S. Market Fiat 500
Fiat says there's already more than 500,000 ways to modify the 500 city car between paint finishes, graphics, and seat colors, but for those that would like a few more customization options, the Chrysler Group's Mopar brand is adding more than 150 different accessories to the range.
The available parts range in price and style from a simple $21 locking gas cap to a spicy $1,400 body kit. In between options include custom key covers priced at $48, a $399 roof rack and $409 body-stripe graphics.
Read more »
Ferrari Reports its Best Ever Six Months in Terms of Profits and Sales in History
Ferrari’s board of directors met yesterday to discuss the financial outcome of the first half of the year. And they came out with a broad smile on their faces: in the first half of 2011, Ferrari achieved its best ever profit and sales in a six-month period in its 82-year long history.
The numbers speak for themselves: net profits for the first half of the year reached €91.8 million, a 23.5% increase over the same period last year. Its revenue rose by 19.6%, to €1,080 million, and sales by 11.8% with 3,577 units delivered, including track racers like the 458 Challenge and limited editions such as the SA Aperta, but without any contribution from the brand-new FF.
Read more »
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Video: Fiat Uno Cabrio Concept Filmed on the Road
You may remember that at last year's Sao Paulo Auto Show in Brazil, Fiat's local division pulled the wraps off a convertible concept based on the new generation of the Uno supermini for the South American market. Even though it has been a while, we had not seen the vehicle in motion, so we thought we'd share these videos with you. Read more »
Rumors: Maserati to Show Jeep-Based SUV Concept in Frankfurt, Preparing Chrysler-Based Sports Sedans
The Fiat Group is getting ready to take its alliance with Chrysler to the next level with the presentation of three new models including an SUV and two luxury sports sedans, all using key technology and components from the Chrysler Group's lineup, according to a report from Autonews.
First up is the long-rumored Maserati SUV model, which is said to be previewed by a concept study (not to be confused with the independent design rendering by Andrey Trofimchuk that is pictured in this article) at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, before landing in showrooms in 2013.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)