fiat 500
Fiat 500 Facing Supply Overflow, 20 Percent Of Dealers Unable To Sell Product
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Fiat could blame American consumer sentiment. They could also blame J.Lo’s advertising debacle. Or perhaps, the fault lies with the car. Whatever the case may be, sales numbers for the 2012 Fiat 500 are disappointing. According to Automotive News, Fiat’s re-introduction into the United States reports will fall significantly short of its 50,000 unit sales…
Fiat Group’s Bologna Motor Show Lineup Includes Special Abarth Vehicles
With Italy as one of its main markets, it’s no surprise that the Fiat Group would bring a huge collection of new and special edition models to the Bologna Motor Show. This year, the Fiat Group will headline the local auto show with a new 2012 Fiat Sedici model, a Fiat 500 Nation Limited Edition,…
Fiat 500 Nation Edition Shows Off Its American Pride
In celebrating the launch of Fiat’s 500 in America, Fiat has decided to release a special Nation Edition 500. The 500 Nation will be introduced at the upcoming Bologna Motor Show. This special edition Fiat 500 is very patriotic, sporting a Stars & Stripes graphics package with 16-inch wheels. It will also come in an…
Laura Soave Out, Timothy Kuniskis In At Fiat North America
Rumors have been swirling for quite some time now that Laura Soave, arguably the person responsible for bringing Fiat back into the U.S. market, would be replaced as the head of the Fiat brand in North America. Well the news is official now, with a press release being sent out moments ago confirming Soave’s exit…
MINI To Join B-Spec Racing
MINI has announced that they will be entering the B-Spec racing class in 2012, with MINI of Charleston, a franchise owned by Hendrick Automotive Group. The B-Spec car will be a base Mini Cooper Hardtop with a 1.6L 121-horsepower engine. The car will weigh 2,535 lbs and KW Variant 1 coilovers, upgraded brake pads and…
2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Revealed with 160-HP: 2011 LA Auto Show
Europeans won’t be the only ones having all the fun with the Fiat 500 Abarth anymore. North American showrooms will be gaining the turbocharged 160-hp 1.4L MultiAir engine model packed full with an Abarth-tuned suspension, brake system, race-inspired design and technology features not normally seen on compact cars. Full power comes on at 5500 rpm, while…
Fiat 500’s Slow Sales Leads To Chrysler Worker Layoffs
Slow sales by Fiat are causing layoffs for workers in Chrysler‘s Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance Plant in Dundee, Mich., responsible for building the 1.4-liter FIRE engine used in the 500. The actual numbers behind the layoffs are, however, in dispute. Tom Zimmerman, the plant’s unit chairman for UAW Local 723, said in an interview with…
Road Race Motorsports Shows Off Track Tuned Fiat 500: 2011 SEMA Show
Road Race Motorsports has revealed one serious little lapping day machine at the SEMA Show, with a highly customized Fiat 500 packing plenty of race-inspired modifications. Under the hood is a B-Spec tuned engine pumping out 133-hp thanks to a Road Race intake system and sport exhaust. To be a true race car though, they…
Matte Blue Fiat 500 Carbon By Mopar Underground: 2011 SEMA Show
Looking rather lonely and out of place in Mopar’s massive SEMA booth was Mopar Underground’s Fiat 500 Carbon. Amidst all the heavy American muscle was this customized Italian compact featuring an Anodized Azzurro exterior with blackened accents. Peering behind each 17×7-inch Dark Hyper Black wheel were bright red calipers, giving a solid contrast to the…
Tribe Fiat 500 Alpha Bravo Project Unveiled: SEMA Preview
Tribe Agency will be unveiling their Fiat 500 Alpha Bravo project at this year’s SEMA Show at the Meguiar’s Car Crazy Corral. For now, we’re treated to a render of the project which looks to feature a custom wrap by Wraptivo/Meguiar’s sporting a two-tone black and army green finish. Up top is a custom Inno…
Fiat 500 Carbon, Titanium Models to Bow at SEMA Show
Fiat has announced that it will be showcasing a pair of custom 500s at this year’s SEMA Show. According to Fiat the 500 Titanium is a discretely tuned 500 with more aggressive styling while the Fiat 500 Carbon features more subtle modifications, accenting the Italian hatchback’s styling, craftsmanship and nimble handling. Both vehicles get upgraded…
Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta B-Spec Race Cars Undergo Testing
The Sports Car Club of America’s B-Spec class is meant to give automakers and racers alike a relatively affordable platform to go racing with machines similar to those available from the factory. While safety and chassis modifications are allowed, engine power is restricted to keep the playing field even. Honda and Mazda were among the…
2012 Fiat 500 Named Top Safety Pick By IIHS
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has named the 2012 Fiat 500 a Top Safety Pick, joining eight Chrysler Group models that are Top Safety Picks by the IIHS for 2011. Top Safety Picks are recognized by the IIHS as vehicles with “good” performance in front, side, rollover and rear crash test evaluations done at…
Abarth Workers Sold $1.3 Million In Stolen Parts
Two employees at Italian tuning house Abarth have been arrested for selling $1.3 million in stolen parts, while 23 other employees and Italian postal service workers have been summoned for questioning after an 8-month investigation. Abarth became aware of the scam after several dealers complained that several tuning kits, used to upgrade Fiat 500 and…
Romeo Ferraris’ Widebody Abarth 500 Stradale Packs 300-HP
Romeo Ferraris is clearly looking to offer a street-legal version of their widebody race Abarth 500, and now the Italian tuning firm has released some photos of their Abarth 500 Stradale. Not many details were packaged with the photos, but Romeo Ferraris was quick to announce the 1.4L turbo engine will pack 300-hp. The 500…
Chrysler Delta, Ypsilon Goes On Sale In UK
Chrysler has launched their first two re-badged Lancia product in the UK (where the Lancia brand has been defunct for a number of years), with a pair of hatchbacks based on the Lancia Delta and Ypsilon compact and subcompact cars. The Ypsilon shares a platform with the Fiat 500 and will be available with the…
Fiat and Mopar Team Up For SEMA Design Challenge
Those who sign up have the chance to earn prizes and the vehicle design ultimately selected as the winner will be on display at SEMA from November 1st to November 4th.
Fiat 500 Sales Missing Targets, Chrysler Blaming Marketing Strategy
Sales targets for the Fiat 500 were set at an ambitious 6,000 units per month, and surprise surprise, the car isn’t meeting them. This might be due to the fact that it’s a subcompact, foreign branded car in a market where gasoline is (relatively) cheap and large vehicles reign supreme. Or it could be the…
Abarth 695 Competizione Transforms Cute Fiat 500 Into a Track Machine
Abarth showed off its 695 Competizione at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show and the Fiat 500-based Competizione is track ready packing over 180-hp with a roll cage. Abarth began by stripping the rear seat from the 500 and in its place is the rear bracing for a roll bar. And while we find Abarth’s claim…
Fiat 500C by Gucci Drops its Top
The original Fiat 500 by Gucci was an overwhelming success, quickly garnering over 3,000 pre-orders, pushing the two Italian companies to release a cabriolet version of their customized 500. The 500C by Gucci shares much of the same modifications its hardtop counterpart has, being offered at a little over $28,350. It’ll inherit the same color…
Fiat 500 Gucci Coming to America With New York Fashion Week Debut
The Fiat 500 By by Gucci will make its official North American debut during New York Fashion Week that takes place between September 8th to September 15th. The collaboration between the two Italian brands for this limited edition 500 also coincides with Gucci’s 90th anniversary. Unique to Gucci’s Fiat are signature Gucci green/red/green stripes along…
Top Ten Back To School Cars
Summer is almost over, which means back to school shopping. Forget about pens, pencils and binders; what about picking up a new set of wheels? Surely that will make the thought of heading back to class a little better! Kelley Blue Book has put together a list of vehicles that it believes will appeal to…
Scagliarini Motorsports Builds Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato Elaborata
North America’s most famous Abarth and Fiat 500 tuner, Scagliarini Motorsports, is looking forward to helping all Americans spice up their Abarth and Fiat 500s to their liking. To demonstrate what they can do with the Italian subcompact coupe, Scagliarini Motorsports’ Managing Director Michael Salvarani came up with the Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato Elaborata or…
Fiat Launches New Apple App
Fiat is the latest automaker to launch a new Apple application, and the Italian automaker has based the app on the 2012 500. The free app offers an in-depth look at the 500 including a historical design timeline of the iconic Fiat 500. App users can view galleries of four emerging artists, including a graffiti…
