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Filed under: Concept Cars , Convertibles , FIAT , Special/Limited Editions Click above for hi-res gallery of the Portofino Fiat took one of its Fiorino vans, chopped off, well, most of it, and dubbed it the Portofino. Supposedly no more than a study for the Caravan Show that starts in Dusseldorf later this week, the golden, buggy-like conveyance is an homage to the 1960s. In a time before Fiat was building $200,000 supercars, coachbuilders were adding open-topped bodies to Fiat chassis like this for fun in the Italian sun. To stress the beachgoing theme, the Portofino has wood laminate flooring and natural fibers treated with a special waterproofing for the interior surfaces. The car can (optimistically) seat five, and the rear seat folds down for your surfboards and anchors. Instead of doors, the Portofino has nautical ropes -- which might sound risky, but the 12-foot car only has 75 horsepower, so you shouldn't be getting in too much trouble. Fiat has no plans to make the Portofino...
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Filed under: Economy , Plants/Manufacturing , Hatchbacks , FIAT , Tata Click above for high-res gallery of the Tato Nano Fueling speculation that the Tata protests last week may have been much more effective than originally reported, India's Tata Motors Ltd has said it will move the upcoming Tata Nano plant from its planned eastern India location if the violent protests don't end. The tension is between the industry that is pushing for the 1,000-acre plant and the farmers who wish to retain the land for agricultural use. After the unveiling of the plant in January, which was hailed by the state's ruling Communists, the protests have been gathering steam. It eventually led to the violent clash last week as more than 1,000 people marched against the planned facility. The announcement from Tata Motors is significant as the company has invested more than 1,500 crore rupees ($350 million) in the project so far, and there is no alternate plan to replace the facility at Singur (although...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Misc. Auto Shows , FIAT Click above to view the Fiat 500 Aria concept in hi-res Having already had to increase production several times over, the Fiat 500 continues to win the hearts and minds of consumers around the world... tree-huggers included. But that isn't about to stop Fiat from seeking out even more buyers, especially those of environmental conscience. And so reports indicate that the Italian automaker is preparing a hybrid version of the popular retro-mini. Previewed by the unveiling of the 500 Aria concept at this year's Geneva Motor Show , the 500 hybrid is tipped to join an electric motor and battery pack to Fiat's 0.9-liter two-cylinder gasoline engine. The diminutive yet stylish hybrid is also expected to employ start-stop technology and a dual-clutch transmission to further reduce emissions and increase fuel economy, which promises to increase the green factor for the entire Fiat group. Intriguingly, however, Fiat is...
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Filed under: Motorsports , Time Warp , Euro , Lamborghini , Maserati , Misc. Auto Shows , Ferrari , Alfa Romeo , FIAT , Lifestyle Click image above for high-res gallery from Concorso Italiano 2008 The festivities continue around the Monterey Peninsula. We've already shown you pics from Gordon McCall's party and from the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance , but today's coverage picks up an Italian accent. The Concorso Italiano is one of the largest annual gatherings of all things Italian, be it music, cuisine, fashion, tourism, and of course cars. Previously held at the nearby Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course in Monterey Bay, this year's gathering took place at the Marina municipal airstrip. Just like the past 20-something years, this year's Concorso brought out some stunning examples of Italy's finest, cars designed with passione and intended to be driven con brio . And just like in previous years, a few non-Italian cars that bring that same driving thrill were invited...
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Filed under: Time Warp , Euro , Hatchbacks , FIAT , UK Click image for high-res gallery of pics of the first Fiat 500 in the States Jim Magill's little Fiat 500 made a stop in SoCal this weekend and we were among the lucky few who got some seat time in it. As we recently blogged, Jim shipped his microcar to the States all the way from Belfast, Northern Ireland to help raise some cash for the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice , and to meet with some fellow Fiat tifosi along the way. As part of the plan the Cinquecento is being driven to some high profile events to show it off and help spread the word about his cause. In the OC this past Saturday morning, the car attracted a ton of attention at a weekly car show, even sitting in the shadow of a few Zagato-bodied Lancias and Alfas. While the nearby Isettas made it seem positively huge, the tiny Fiat was still appreciated for its frugality and miniscule footprint. After the show we went for a spin and stopped to take a few pics of...
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Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs , Maserati , FIAT Turnover rates at the top of the chain at Maserati continue to rise as the Trident marque searches for stability and growth. Since taking over Maserati from De Tomaso, the Fiat Group has appointed a long stream of executives to lead the marque. None have seemed to pass muster, however. Martin Leach (previously head of Ford in Europe) was replaced by former Rolls-Royce chief Karl Heinz Kalbfell in 2005, who was subsequently axed in favor of Roberto Ronchi in 2006. Now, following the departure of the company's North American head James Selwa earlier this year, comes news of yet another leadership change at Maserati. Harald J. Wester has stepped up to the plate to take the reins at Maserati. Wester started his career at Volkswagen, then moved to Audi, Ferrari, and Magna Steyr before being hired as Chief Technical Officer for the Fiat Group, a position he will continue to execute in parallel to his leadership of Maserati. Wester is...
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Filed under: Economy , Marketing/Advertising , Hatchbacks , FIAT , Tata Click above to view more images of the Tata Nano Fiat and Tata already have a joint venture to distribute commercial vehicles. If they can do the big stuff, why not the little stuff? Tata and Fiat are looking at an agreement to sell the Tata Nano outside of India in markets where Fiat has a strong presence. If the deal goes through, and once the car is upgraded to meet Western standards, Tata can take advantage of the Fiat name, marketing, and dealer network. Fiat would probably have a big seller on its hands -- and a slice of every one -- since the car is still expected to maintain a healthy price advantage even after it gets beefed up. The Tata, however, is not expected to come to the U.S. as a Fiat. Ratan Tata said, ""We have held talks about the Nano being marketed in markets where Fiat has already a strong presence." Frankly, America isn't one of those places yet. With Tata making such a big...
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Filed under: Economy , China , Hatchbacks , FIAT Fiat's Panda is the best selling minicar in Europe, and has been for four years. When China's Great Wall Motor -- Chrysler's Chinese partner -- decided to make a minicar called the GWPeri, it borrowed from the best. That is, if by "borrowed" you mean created a car that differs only from the Panda in it's headlamps and bumper details. Fiat didn't just do a double-take when it saw the GWPeri, it sued Great Wall Motor both in Italy and in China to prevent the car from being sold in Europe and China. A court in Turin recently decided that "the [GWPeri] does not look like a different car but is a Panda with a different front end." Furthermore, if a Peri ever shows up in Europe, GW will have to pay Fiat €15,000, with every GWPeri after that incurring a €50,000 fee. Great Wall has already said it is going to contest the European verdict. The Chinese ruling hasn't come down yet, where the GWPeri...
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Filed under: Crossovers/CUVs , Hatchbacks , BMW , MINI , Alfa Romeo , FIAT BMW and Fiat have already announced their intentions to collaborate on a new small car platform that will underpin the next MINI, due in 2012 or 2013, along with the successor to the Fiat Grande Punto and Alfa Romeo MiTo. However, a new platform developed by Fiat and dubbed the C-Evo will be used as the basis for a larger MINI, due out in 2015. It's unclear whether the C-Evo architecture will underpin the MINI AWD compact utility vehicle, but according to Automotive News , the platform will be capable of housing both front-wheel- and all-wheel-drive powertrains, and will serve as the platform for the new Alfa Romeo 147, which will be released sometime next year. Fiat and BMW are also in talks to co-develop a new range of new gasoline and diesel engines, including a 1.6-liter four-pot and 1.2-liter, three-cylinder that will be used on FWD vehicles. The decision to share platforms and engines has reportedly been...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Euro , FIAT Click above for a high-res version from WorldCarFans. We've always been fond of the Smart roadster, which never officially made it to U.S. shores and proved to be a flop across the pond. But this rendering, courtesy of WorldCarFans, has us thinking that a second attempt might be worthwhile. If the Abarth roadster ever comes to fruition, it would be an exercise in balancing a lightweight structure with a small price tag. Cost prohibitive carbon fiber couldn't be used, so some other form of composite would have to be employed for the chassis and body panels. Abarth could source the 135 hp, 1.4-liter mill from its own version of the Fiat 500 for power, mount it amidships and call it done. WCF dons its speculative cap and figures that if Abarth gives the roadster the green light, Europe could see the minimalist two-door by 2013 sporting a £12,000 sticker. [Source: WorldCarFans ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Ferrari , Alfa Romeo , FIAT Click above for a high-res gallery of the Fiat 500 Ferrari Edition. If you own an Italian masterpiece adorned with a prancing horse, your good fortune is likely tempered with a few mechanical or electrical maladies. If and when that happens, most of us would expect an expensive loaner to take our minds off of our troubles, but team Ferrari has a "better idea." Fiat has created 200 special edition 500s that are done up to Ferrari standards, including red paint, a top notch sound system, electric sunroof, automatic climate control, a black steering wheel with red stitching and 16-inch aluminum wheels. Although the stock, 100 hp 1.4-liter engine remains, the exhaust has been tweaked to provide a bit more growl. Since Fiat is keeping its run of limited edition 500s to a minimum, the automaker will also provide a numbered kick plate to show off where each model falls in the production run. While the "Ferrari Edition" 500 is a sweet...
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Filed under: Euro , BMW , MINI , FIAT , Rumormill Fiat wants to become the platform-sharing kings of Europe, and with deals with Tata, Suzuki, Ford , and PSA, the Italian automaker is well on its way. Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne told Automotive News Europe that another cooperation would be announced tomorrow, but details were scarce. Suppliers in the know are saying that a new deal is imminent to share the next generation Punto platform with BMW. The platform would be used to underpin the third generation MINI, which would help keep BMW engineers out of the FWD business and cut costs for Fiat at the same time. Fiat has been trying to produce a competitor to the popular MINI Cooper, and now it appears the Italian automaker will be working with an even playing field when it comes to platforms. [Source: Reuters ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Hatchbacks , FIAT , Special/Limited Editions Click for hi-res gallery of Fiat 500 Abarth Opening Edition At its unveiling at this past March's Geneva show , it was immediately apparent that Abarth had carried off a transformation of the Fiat 500 from a demure retro-hatch into a veritable pocket rocket. But for those for whom the 135 hp turbo four is just not enough, the performance division has unveiled a new limited edition "500 Abarth Opening Edition". Although the name might suggest a convertible, the 500 Opening Edition is a fixed-roof hot-hatch distinguished by a 160hp engine, dropping a half-second off the conventional 500 Abarth's 0-60 time, now down to a sprightly 7.4 seconds. The Opening Edition also gets red brake calipers behind special 17" alloys in white or titanium finish, tinted glass and a revised interior with red leather and special badging with a serial number plate. Available in either pearl white or Campovolo gray (the latter available...
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Filed under: Motorsports , Euro , FIAT , Rendered Speculation Back when Japanese automakers like Mitsubishi and Subaru were still making awkward little econo-boxes, the Lancia Delta Integrale was the king of the hill on the rally circuit, kicking up dirt and taking championships in resplendent Martini livery. So when the Italian automaker revealed the new Delta , nostalgic rally fans began twitching with excitement. Although Lancia has yet to reveal any plans to make a high-performance version of the new Delta, one such rally fan has drawn up his impression of what form such a gravel-chomping beast could look like. For our part, we're hoping Lancia will take note and give us a new Integrale, complete with jumbo-turbo power and all-wheel-drive... however unlikely that may seem while sister company Abarth runs the IRC circuit with their pumped-up Super2000 Puntos . Until that day comes, European customers will have to make do with the current front-drive 200hp 1.8-liter turbo to satisfy...
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Filed under: Motorsports , Earnings/Financials , Ferrari , FIAT Many of the biggest teams in Formula One extract enormous budgets from the automakers that own them: BMW, Renault, Toyota, Honda, even Mercedes-Benz, which is part owner of McLaren. Not Ferrari, though. The team, part of the Maranello-based sportscar maker, is owned by the Fiat auto group. However, Fiat does not contribute even one centesimo (er... euro-cent) to the team's budget. This according to Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. And he should know, being both president of Ferrari and chairman of Fiat (in the mid-'70s, Montezemolo directly headed up the Scuderia before being promoted up the Fiat ladder). The marquis insists that the entirety of the Ferrari F1 team's budget is generated from within Ferrari, through the sales of its road cars (all of which go for six digits) and the team's sponsors, to say nothing of the company's considerable merchandising efforts. [Source: The Daily Telegraph via F1-Live ,...
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