Tag Archives: fiat
Ex-Fiat Boss Sergio Marchionne Dies At 66
Tributes are pouring in for former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne who died on Wednesday after complications from a shoulder surgery. The former chief executive of FCA and architect of the brand’s dramatic turnaround was 66 when he died.
Marchionne died in a hospital in Zurich less than a week after he has been replaced as CEO of FCA. This report was confirmed through a statement from Exor NV, the holding company of Fiat’s founding Agnelli family. Marchionne’s health deteriorated following complications from a shoulder surgery done in late June.
In another statement, FCA chairman John Elkann, who was unaware of Marchionne’s deteriorating health prior to the surgery, said that him and his family “will be forever grateful for what he has done.”
His death left a wide gaping hole in the succession for FCA CEO because he and Elkann have not discussed a possible heir to the company. On July 21, during an emergency meeting of the FCA’s board of directors, Mike Manley, formerly of Jeep and Ram brands, succeeded Marchionne as CEO. Louis C. Camilleri will take over the operations of Ferrari while Suzanne Heywood will succeed Marchionne as chairman of truck and farm-equipment maker CNH Industrial NV.
Some Italian reports said Marchionne had been suffering from a rare form of cancer, but people close to the former FCA boss said he died of cardiac arrest and did not have cancer.
Marchionne was responsible for boosting the company’s value by more than 10-fold. When he first joined the company, he restructured the auto business and separated the assets. One of his major moves was the 2015 listing of supercar-maker Ferrari NV, where he was also CEO and chairman.
He had a no-nonsense attitude when it comes to his job but his partners and his employees have come to love that about the man who former Ford Motor Co. chairman Bill Ford called was “one of the most respected leaders in the industry.”
Marchionne and his estranged wife, Orlandina, had two children, Alessio and Tyler. His partner, Manuela Battezzato, works in Fiat Chrysler’s press office.
2018 Fiat 500 Minicar Gets $1,500 More Expensive For Additional Ponies
The 2018 Fiat 500 minicar will be $1,500 more than its original price, thanks to an enhanced powertrain and other upgrades. There’s also an additional $250 on the destination charge, so it’s going to cost quite a bit to drive this little Italian number.
It’s not just the Fiat 500 minicar that will get the additional destination charge. The other sedans, SUVs, and trucks in the FCA family will also get its prices boosted.
According to CarsDirect, the FCA has increased the prices on the 2018 Fiat 500 by $1,500. The 5-speed manual will now have a price tag of $17,490 while the 6-speed automatic is going to sell for $18,485. The Fiat 500 Lounge will start at $20,990, which is also $1,500 more than last year. Finally, the top-of-the-line 500 Abarth will have a starting price of $21,740. That’s up $750 from the price last year.
Those figures already include the $250 additional destination fee. This was announced by FCA to dealers last March, and it will take effect on cars, SUVs, and trucks. The destination charge for the Jeep Wrangler now is $1,445. The destination fee is the charge automakers put on top of the advertised price to ship vehicles from the factories to dealers. The Fiat 500’s destination fee is now $1,245.
The additional charges is warranted because the Fiat 500 minicar received some upgrades through a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 135 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque. It also has sportier suspension, brakes and exterior design, a sport-tuned exhaust and rearview camera, 16-inch aluminum wheels, fog lamps and a “Turbo” badge on the rear fascia.
The Fiat’s new price makes it more expensive than the 2019 Honda Fit, which has a starting price of $17,085. It is interesting to see where Fiat’s sales will fall after the additional fees. They might be forced to give discounts for the slow-selling minicar, in the end.
Jeep Wrangler To Arrive In Showrooms In April 2019
The new Jeep Wrangler will hit dealers’ showrooms in April 2019, that’s the only piece of information we got from the four-hour-long conference that Fiat-Chrysler dealers had last week. The production for the pickup will begin in the fourth quarter of this year, so it makes sense that availability in showrooms will only start April next year.
What we are waiting for, though, is a look at the bedded Jeep minus the camouflage that we have seen it is wrapped in less than eight weeks ago. There are rumors, and we’re pretty sure there’s a bit of truth to this, that the official introduction will happen at the LA Auto Show this November to December. If previous timelines are to be the basis, this makes sense since the standard Wrangler only broke cover a year ago (by November).
Though we’re anticipating for the November introduction, we don’t know exactly what to expect. We don’t even know under what name this new pickup will be released. Jeep has kept everything under wraps. But based on all the spy shots and leaks we have heard and seen, the Jeep will be a four-door Unlimited with a short bed. Though there are rumors that it will be a two-door Wrangler pickup, these remain mere speculations up to now.
The powertrain options might be the same as the others in the lineup: a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that can deliver 268 horses, a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 that produces 285 horsepower, and a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 with 442 pound-feet of torque.
Sergio Marchionne, Fiat-Chrysler’s CEO, expects 100,000 Wrangler pickups to be sold each year starting April 2019. If reached, that would mean a 56-percent increase in Wrangler’s current US and European volume.
The last Wrangler pickup was the 1986 CJ-8 Scrambler but in April 2019, the Wrangler will join the likes of Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline, Nissan Frontier, and the new Ford Ranger. The Wrangler, however, will still be the only one to offer a convertible top.
Here are the latest spy shots of the upcoming Jeep Wrangler from Autoblog:
3 Factors That Make The New Fiat 124 Spider S-Design Special
Fiat launched another variant of its ever-popular Fiat 124 Spider at the Geneva Auto Show. Remember, the Spider 124 was revived in 2016 after 50 years of dormancy to compete with the likes of Mazda Mx-5 Miata. The Italian roadster, however, was decidedly more stylish than the Miata, thanks to Fiat’s decision to come up with various variants and trims, including an Abarth model and a racing edition.
1. Exterior
This little Italian number gets more polished and elegant because of a number of things—steel finish roll bar, A-pillar, side mirror caps, standard foglamps, chrome exhaust pipes, exclusive 17-inch wheels, red side sill stripe, and tricolor badge. The red side sill stripe is not something everyone can go gaga over but if it is offered in other colors, then that’s more options for owners.
2. Interior
The S-Design comes with a bit of more extra fun and sophistication in the cabin. The interior will remain familiar to those who previously owned a Fiat 124 Spider in the past, but there’s a slew of features that extra standard features that owners will get to enjoy. Among these are the leather-wrapped seats and steering wheel, automatic climate control, cruise control, and the Keyless Go system. There’s also an MP3 radio unit with USB port and four speakers. Safety features are also enhanced through the inclusion of four airbags.
3. Drivetrain
Everything remains standard under the hood. It will come equipped with the same turbocharged, 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine as the regular 124 Spider. The output remains at 140 horsepower and 240 Nm of torque. The engine is paired with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.
Photos
Check out the official photos of the Fiat 124 Spider S-Design Special at the Geneva Motor Show in the gallery below, which were provided by Motor1:
Video
Here is also a video highlighting the awesome driving features of the new Fiat 124 Spider S-Design:
Fiat 124 Spider Abarth Version Goes to North America
The Fiat 124 Spider was based on the classic roadster the brand built between 1966 and 1982. The stylish and compact two-seater has a styling and powerplant founded on the Abarth 500’s.
Early this year, Fiat showcased the 124 Spider in the Abarth Version. It now has a sportier appearance and an even more powerful engine. The only problem is that the Abarth version has only been unveiled for the European market, so North America has to wait a while whether or not Fiat will bring this to their shores.
Fortunately, the company announced that the 124 Spider Elaborazione Abarth will arrive for the first time in North America at the 2016 New York Auto Show in Manhattan according to Top Speed.
Compared to the regular Spider, the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth version has numerous features to highlight its edgier and sportier outlook. At front, it has the same honeycomb mesh grille, air vents with black plastic surrounds, as well as larger, revised lower grille with foglamps and a matte black hood.
On the side, it has the 17-inch Gun Metal aluminum roller with Fiat badges, black mirror caps and black roll bard. The rear end remains unchanged except for the chrome exhaust tips.
There are five colors available—Bianco Gelato (White Clear Coat), Rosso Passione (Red Clear Coat), Nero Cinema (Jet Black Metallic), Grigio Argento (Gray Metallic) and tri-coat Bianco Perla (Crystal White Pearl).
Inside, the Elaborazione has red stitching on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, instrument cluster hood, lower instrument panel, and parking brake, as well as matte-black dashboard bezels.
It also has custom instrument cluster, aluminum-accented sport pedals, and a unique gear shift knob. As for the leather seats, customers can choose between black or black and red. The Elaborazione can have black leather and Alcantara Recaro seats.
The Elaborazione Abarth has the same 1.4-liter, four-cylinder engine, six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission as the 124 Spider, but with the additional Sport Mode drivetrain that can deliver a sportier and more responsive driving experience.
Fiat has yet to release pricing information, even for the standard version, but expect the Elaborazione to be at the $28,000 price range.
Brand- New Fiat 500X Crossover will Also Inspire New Compact Jeep SUV
Big news is on the horizon for the Fiat brand, as it recently announced an all-new, full-sized crossover variant of the Fiat 500X that’s set to hit the U.S. and Europe by early 2014. Teaser images (supposedly unexpected by the company) were released for a few short seconds when the vehicle was announced recently at the Fiat 500L’s media launch on the U.S.’ Independence Day (July 4th) in Turin, Italy. Fortunately for Fiat fans across the globe, the OmniAuto was able to capture the brief a single image on film.
The lone image shows a rather conventional hatchback design, yet with distinctly tall ride height and rugged-looking protective cladding for adventurous types. In Europe, the vehicle will replace the Fiat Sedici, but in the U.S. it will be a brand- new entry in the fast-growing crossover market, which will soon be comprised of the Ford EcoSport, the MINI Cooper Countryman, and the Buick Encore.
The Fiat 500x Crossover is set to hit dealers in early 2014
The new Fiat 500X will join several other, more seasoned veterans of the Fiat family, which is currently comprised of the Fiat 500C convertible, the standard Fiat 500 three-door hatchback, the sporty Fiat 500 Abarth, and the Fiat 500L MPV. Added to this list is the recently announced 500L minivan (mentioned above), which will begin production at the brand’s Kragujevac, Serbia plant for the North American market next year and Europe in September.
Production of the 500X will begin in December 2013 at the Miraflorini, Turin plant in Italy. The 500X is based on the Punto subcompact and will be longer than any other Fiat 500 model at 165.4 inches in length. Front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants are expected. The company is pumping billions of dollars for expansion costs into the Miraflorini plant to accommodate the additional 280-thousand vehicles it will produce of the new model each year. There’s also a battery-powered Fiat 500 Elettra model in the works, which is currently testing at several locations across the United States.
As far as power is concerned, the new 500X will likely feature two gasoline engines (TwinAir and 1.4-liter), as well as a turbodisel engine(1.3 MultiJet II) in Europe, while North America will receive a single 1.4-liter Multiair engine. However, this engine could produce more horsepower than the standard 101 hp and 98 lb.-ft. of torque that the current 500 achieves.
Reviewitonline.net also has received news that a new Jeep model will be built alongside of this stylish, rugged new crossover. The new model is code named the B-SUV 500X SUV and will be much smaller than the current Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot. Production of this vehicle is slated to begin in the second half of 2014, and it will be sold in several global markets, including Europe and the U.S. The Jeep model will differ from the Fiat in that it will come with additional premium features and will be trail-rated.
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