fiat
Report: Fiat 500 On Sale in the U.S. By Year’s End
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During a speech to the Chicago Economic Club during the Chicago Auto Show earlier this week, Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles confirmed that the Fiat 500 will be on sale in the U.S. before the end of the year. While Fiat is planning to sell many of its models rebadged as Chrysler and Dodge products, the…
Toronto 2010: Up Close and Personal With the Abarth 500 at the Canadian International Auto Show
With the Chicago Auto Show just the day before, there’s not a lot of point in covering the Toronto Auto Show, except for the fact that it often allows a much closer look at new and upcoming models. Chicago is already low-key but the media day at the Canadian International Auto Show is sparsely attended…
Tokyo Auto Salon 2010: Abarth 500 Esseesse is Small but Wicked
Standing out in stark contrast to all the Japanese cars, and even the other European models at the Tokyo Auto Salon, were two little toys from Fiat tuner/sub-brand Abarth, a 500 and Grande Punto. The hard-core Abarth 500 is a hoped-up version of the Fiat 500 and this particular Abarth is even more extreme thanks…
Detroit 2010: Fiat 500 and High-Performance Abarth Model on Display in Detroit
Starkly contrasted with the rest of the Chrysler corporate display at the Detroit Auto Show are the booths of Ferrari, Maserati and Fiat. The small Fiat dislay showcased two models set to arrive in North American in the near future: the much talked about Fiat 500 and the relatively unknown Abarth 500. The Abarth model…
Chrysler to Improve Fuel Economy by More than 25% in Five Years
Chrysler has just unveiled its strategy that will see a more than 25 percent improvement in fuel economy by 2014. The five-year plan will see significant use of Fiat technology and engines, with smaller engines, six-speed dual clutch transmissions, as well as the use of turbocharging and direct injection technology. Chrysler will also continue to…
Detroit Preview: Chrysler to Show Lancia-Based Car at Detroit Auto Show
***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here*** Contrary to previous reports that Chrysler will not present any new models at the Detroit Auto Show in just a few weeks, there is now word that the struggling U.S. automaker will show a new car based on a Lancia platform. The Lancia badge is a…
Report: Fiat Takeover of Chrysler Begins With News that 500C Engine will be Built in Michigan
Fiat’s plan to gobble up all of Chrysler has taken its first step forward since the Italian automaker rescued the struggling America manufacturer from bankruptcy liquidation. Currently Fiat owns 20 percent of Chrysler and has the ability to take a 35 percent share of the company if it meets three specific criteria: building a fuel-efficient…
Report: Fiat’s Five Year Chrysler Group Plan, Model by Model Breakdown
Last week Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne set out a long-winded plan for the future of the American automaker and how its future will be closely tied to its new Italian parent company. There was a lot to digest at the seven hour press conference and so we thought a model by model breakdown would be…
Report: Dodge Viper Production Halts in 2010, Replacement Due 2012
Chrysler will stop production of the Dodge Viper in 2010 and replace it with its successor in 2012. The announcement came on a day of extensive announcements about Chrysler’s plans for the next five years. The new Viper will be one of 11 all-new or redesigned Dodge vehicles that will debut by 2014. Production on…
Breaking: Fiat to Kill-Off Nine Chrysler Group Vehicles Including Sebring, Grand Caravan
A week ahead of a planned Fiat/Chrysler press conference in which Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of both automakers, was to outline the future of Chrysler, much of the information has been revealed in an in-depth report in the Wall Street Journal. But before we get to the new products that the Italian-owned automaker is planning…
Report: Future Chrysler and Lancia Models to Share Platforms
Yesterday Chrysler’s new owners at Fiat announced that the Chrysler brand would now be under the stewardship of Lancia brand head Olivier Francois. Today it is more evident why, as both Chrysler and Lancia will share product platforms in the future. The alliance will see Lancia get a redesigned version of the 300C as a…
Report: Chrysler Confirms RAM as Solo Brand With New Appointments
After several rumors and reports, Chrysler has now confirmed that the Dodge Ram will be spun off into its own brand with the appointment of two individuals. Fred Diaz Jr., formerly Director of the Denver Business Center, will now head up the RAM brand, while Ralph Gilles will take over at the helm of the…
Report: Fiat Delays Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger Replacements Until At Least 2012
Chrysler’s previous ownership by Daimler continues to effect the company’s future as plans to replace two of its struggling vehicles have been pushed back. Both the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring were scheduled to be replaced in 2010, but the American automaker’s new Fiat management has now decided to extend the life-cycles of the two…
Report: Chrysler to Make Ram Its Own Brand
The Ram appears destined to break free of its Dodge moorings to run solo as a stand-alone brand. According to a report on Inside Line, the plan to market Ram as its own brand is part of Fiat’s new corporate strategy, that will see other SUVs and some commercial vehicles branded with the Ram, leaving…
Report: Fiat Plans to Brand Chrysler as a True Luxury Automaker
Fiat plans to market Chrysler as a serious luxury brand in the U.S. In an interview with Automotive News, Chrysler’s brand CEO Peter Fong said that he sees the company’s flagship line as “a notch above Lincoln, a notch above Cadillac,” which has us wondering what sort of parallel universe Fong is from. True, Chrysler…
Breaking: Chrysler and Nissan Part Ways On Platform Sharing
Chrysler and Nissan have officially canceled plans to work together on a number of platform sharing opportunities. Previous plans would have seen Chrysler supply Nissan with the next generation Titan pickup truck, in exchange for Nissan supplying Chrysler with a small car for international markets, as well as a rebadged Nissan Versa for South America….
Report: Chrysler Deputy CEO Jim Press to Leave By Year’s End
Chrysler’s deputy CEO Jim Press is planning to quit his post before the year’s end, reports the Wall Street Journal. Press took the helm of Chrysler in 2007 when Cerberus Capital Management took a controlling share in the company. He moved to the position after a lengthy 37-year career at Toyota Motor Corp. When Chrysler…
Breaking: New Chrysler Incentive Doubles Cash-for-Clunkers Rebate
In a bid to get inventory moving out of showrooms in a hurry, Chrysler has decided to offer a new incentive program that would double the value of the government’s cash-for-clunkers program. Chrysler will offer $4,500 off (or 0 percent financing for 72 months) on most of its 2009 inventory – excluding the Dodge Challenger,…
Fiat Heir Orders Custom Matte Baby Blue Ferrari 599 With Denim Interior
The matte-paint trend has just reached a new high… or should we say low. Behold the matte-baby blue Ferrari 599, which is reportedly owned by Lapo Elkann, the grandson of Fiat founder Gianni Agnelli and heir to the company. No doubt this car will make a few Prancing Horse traditionalists a little woosey. If you…
Chrysler to Bring Four Fiat 500 Models to North America
The car that has generated the most publicity out of the Fiat/Chrysler deal is the Italian automaker’s 500 model and now word comes from Fiat’s CEO that four different versions of the subcompact will be offered in the U.S. Sergio Marchionne told Bloomberg that the four trim levels will include the standard 500, a convertible…
Future Uncertain For Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Caliber, Jeep Patriot and Compass
Now that Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is at the helm of the new Chrysler he is looking at making some changes. For starters, the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Caliber, as well as the Jeep Patriot and Compass may get the axe. Marchionne is looking at cutting under-performing models from the Chrysler lineup, with a particular…
Fiat Says It Won’t Walk Away From Chrysler Deal
When the U.S. Supreme Court delayed the sale of Chrysler to Fiat yesterday it put the whole contract in jeopardy, giving the Italian automaker the opportunity to walk away if the sale isn’t approved by June 15th. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has, however, confirmed his commitment to the purchase, saying that it would not deter…
U.S. Supreme Court Delays Chrysler Sale to Fiat
A U.S. Supreme Court judge has delayed the sale of Chrysler to a new Fiat-run company. The move by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg came just before a 4 p.m. deadline set by a New York appeals court would have seen the sale completed. The statement by Justice Ginsburg was just one sentence and gave no…
U.K. Vehicle Satisfaction Survey Rates Fiat Last, Just Below Chrysler
A new survey out of the U.K. by J.D. Power & Associated in association with automotive resource What Car? might be great new for Lexus… but it’s quite the opposite for both Chrysler and its new bosses at Fiat. The Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS) lets owners of three year old cars rate those vehicles…
