Fastest Cars: Fiat

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Fiat Panda Arrives in the UK with a Starting Price of £8,900

One of the Fiat Group's most important new cars of 2012 has arrived in the UK. The first deliveries of the third generation Fiat Panda will begin at the end of this month with on-the-road prices starting from £8,900 for the base petrol model rising to £12,250 for the top-of-the-range diesel variant.

The new Panda is available at launch with a choice of three Euro 5-specification engines including a 69bhp 1.2-litre petrol, an 85bhp 0.9-litre TwinAir turbocharged two-cylinder petrol, and a 75bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet 2 turbodiesel.

Fiat continues to churn out special edition variants of its 500 city car like there's no tomorrow. The latest one is called the 500 ID and it was created exclusively for the German market. Only 500 examples will be built each carrying a base price of €13,500 (about US$17,600).

The exclusivity of the 500 ID comes in the form of its two-tone exterior color theme with matching interior trims.

Following its presentation at the Frankfurt motor show last year, Fiat has published new photos and a video of its subtly tweaked Punto supermini as sales begin across Europe.

Perhaps the most important update for 2012 concerns the addition of the 85HP 0.8-liter two-cylinder TwinAir turbocharged gasoline engine. In addition, Fiat’s engineers have added two new technologies to the 85HP 1.3-liter MultiJet 2 diesel engine, the Intelligent Alternator and Intelligent Flow, both of which help lower CO2 emissions to 90g/km.

Another day, another product launch pushed back for the Fiat-Chrysler alliance – or so a report from Autonews Europe claims. This time it's Jeep's small crossover, which we only know by its codename B-SUV.

The Jeep model, which will be smaller than the Compass and Patriot, was supposed to enter production at Fiat's Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy, next year, but now its introduction has been delayed for the second quarter of 2014.

The Italian company reportedly made the decision in order to concentrate on the presentation of its own Fiat-branded version that will replace the Suzuki SX-4-based Sedici, which is built by the Japanese carmaker in Hungary.

Fiat couldn't wait until the Geneva Motor Show to reveal its all-new 500L so it is giving us an early preview of its all-new sub-compact model. As you may have already guessed, the "L" in the name stands for "Large", with the 500L being the latest addition to the 500 range after the three-door hatch, the Cabrio and the Abarth models.

While the name and the styling (to some extent) refer to the 500 mini, the five-door 500L is based on the platform of the B-segment Punto measuring 4,140mm long, 1,780mm wide and 1,660mm tall. It is 594mm longer, 153mm wider and 175mm taller than the three-door 500.

The Italian company says the 500L offers "MPV passenger space combined with the feel of a small SUV on the road and the restrained dimensions and efficiency of a B segment car" and that it's an alternative to the traditional B and C segments.

The second Mopar tuned model on its way to the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, which takes place during the second week of February, is the 2012 Fiat 500 Stinger. Mopar's American take on the Italian city car integrates two stage kits along with a special Giallo (yellow) exterior paint.

The first package begins with black racing decals on the Fiat 500's profile and roof graphics in black checker followed by a set of larger 17-inch Abarth Hyper Black alloy wheels with wider 205/40 R17 performance tires, tinted lights and a new exhaust tailpipe.

We had heard earlier this month that Fiat was preparing a new five-door variant of its 500 city car but we didn't know much else about the Italian firm's plans.

Today, Autonews has the inside scoop on the new model reporting that it will allegedly be called 500L with its world premiere to take place at the Geneva Salon in March.

We also learn that while it will keep the 500s familiar face and styling cues, it will be based on the same architecture as the larger Punto to improve passenger and luggage space.

Chinese officials may be withdrawing their support for investments made by foreign automakers, but the Fiat-Chrysler Alliance is still looking for ways to increase its presence in the country.

A new report from the Detroit News says that Fiat and Chrysler are currently in "intense negotiations" with the Guangzhou Automobile Group to produce Jeep models for the local market.

The Italian automaker has already forged a joint venture with Guangzhou for the manufacturing of a new compact sedan based on the 2013 Dodge Dart, which will most likely be introduced in China at the upcoming Beijing motor show in April.

Starting from next week, Fiat will offer its new Strada pickup truck in its home market of Italy. The Strada is Fiat's second best-selling commercial vehicle after the Ducato with 127,800 units sold worldwide in 2011. It is built at the company's FIASA plant in Betim, Brazil.

The revised light commercial model comes in three flavors named Working, Trekking and Adventure plus three body styles, including short cab, long cab and the four-seater crew cab for a total of six different variants.

Since the first generation of the Panda, Fiat has always offered four-wheel drive versions of its popular city car and this is not going to change with the newest iteration of the model that was unveiled at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show.

Spied here during cold weather testing in Europe, is a prototype of the third generation Panda 4x4, which is expected to join the range towards the end of the year or in early 2013.

The new Panda 4x4 will use a similar all-wheel drive setup with its predecessor featuring a hydraulic clutch in front of the rear differential. Engine choices are believed to include both diesel and petrol units.

Aside from the all-wheel drive system, Fiat's engineers will make changes to the suspension that will be strengthened and raised appropriately, as well as to the steering system.

Fiat has aired a new commercial for its third generation Panda city car in its home market titled "This is the Italy we like", which uses a similar (but not identical) theme to the super successful and ongoing "Imported in Detroit" campaign from its Chrysler partner.

Only this time, the promo film focuses on the Italian origins of the Panda, the latest version of which is produced at the Fiat Group's renewed Pomigliano d'Arco Plant, near Naples, and also calls upon Italians to change the views imposed by others and show the world who they are and what they are capable of creating.

It's no secret that, aside from the Fiat Group-sourced 168bhp 1.4-liter turbocharged MultiAir engine, the new 2013 Dodge Dart compact sedan continues to use two powerplants from Chrysler's past.

You see, while the Detroit maker is marketing its 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter four-cylinder units under the new "Tigershark" moniker, both have their roots in the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA) family of engines.

To explain, GEMA was a joint venture of the Chrysler Group, Mitsubishi Motors, and Hyundai Motor Company for the development of a line of shared four-cylinder gasoline engines. In 2009, Chrysler bought out the shares of Mitsubishi and Hyundai and continued GEMA on its own.

And here's where Hyundai comes into the picture. Citing unnamed sources, Car&Driver is reporting that the 2013 Dodge Dart's Tigershark engines are fitted with a Hyundai-supplied 6-speed automatic transmission.

Regular readers will no doubt remember the clash between the Volkswagen Group and Suzuki Motors with the Germans refusing to let go of their 19.9 percent equity stake in the Japanese company and Suzuki taking the matter to the international court.

While the issue remains unresolved, Suzuki has already moved on and today, the company announced that it is further expanding its business relationship with the Fiat Group, which also owns Chrysler.

On paper, Fiat’s return to the North American market after a 30-year absence was well planned. The first product introduced by the Italian maker was the 500 city car, which had already proven to be a hit in Europe, selling 770,000 units since 2007. Things looked promising in the U.S. as well.

While the 500’s mission was to rival BMW’s Mini, its 2011 sales of 26,000 units were almost half of original forecasts. Delays in the launch and the dealer network certainly played a role while Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne also thinks that the company’s strategy was to blame.

“We thought we were going to show up and, just because of the fact people like gelato and pasta, people will buy it”, he told reporters last week. “This is nonsense”.

The limited run Fiat Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari special may come with its own bespoke Scuderia Red finish with contrasting grey racing stripes (among other unique features) but that hasn't stopped Japanese tuner Office-K from giving it a new shade – fortunately, not permanent.

The tuning firm covered the Ferrari-branded Abarth model's body in a flashy chrome vinyl wrap with racing stripes in the colors of the Italian flag.

Just because it's tiny and made from Europe's equivalent of Chevrolet, doesn't mean that the new 160-horsepower 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth comes in cheap.

In fact, it's US$22,000 price tag (*not including destination and handling charges) is sure to raise some eyebrows.

And this not only because it costs $6,500 more than the standard 101-horsepower 500, but also because it brings it in the same price range as sports cars like the 210HP 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe ($22,250) and even the 305HP 2012 Ford Mustang V6 ($22,310)!

In 2000, General Motors and Fiat formed an alliance in which the American company gained 20 percent of the Italian manufacturer’s shares in exchange for 5.1 percent of its own stock. Among other projects, the two companies jointly developed the Gamma platform for B-segment cars that underpinned the 2005 Fiat Punto and the 2007 Opel Corsa.

Fiat’s partnership with GM was short-lived though, and was eventually dissolved – but not before the Italians got US$2 billion dollars as part of the original agreement.

Well, we don’t know how to say “if at first you don’t succeed, try again” in Italian, but Sergio Marchionne surely does – and despite the earlier failure, commented during the Detroit Motor Show that Fiat and Chrysler would be “willing participants” if General Motors wanted to discuss Opel tying up with another manufacturer.

Chrysler announced that Fiat S.p.A.’s ownership interest in the company has increased from 53.3 to 58.5 percent, in accordance to the June 10, 2009 Operating Agreement.

As stipulated by the agreement, Chrysler issued a letter to the U.S. Department of Treasury stating that the company “has irrevocably committed” to begin assembly of a mass-production vehicle with a combined fuel economy of at least 40 mpg in a plant located in the United States.

To say that Fiat is in a crisis would probably be the understatement of the (last) year. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Italian group lowered its sales target for 2012 by half a million units, from 2.7 to 2.2 million. Even its CEO, Sergio Marchionne, has admitted that the European car market will drop in 2012.

Yet, the man who masterminded Chrysler’s acquisition during the 2009 bailout and merged the two groups into one entity wants them to sell more than six million vehicles a year by 2014. By doing so, he might have set the bar too high.

Eight years is quite a long life-cycle for a model yet Fiat has left is mini MPV, the Idea, which had also spawned the Lancia Musa, virtually unchanged since 2003, save for a minor facelift in 2006.

Now, according to a report from British magazine Autocar, the Italian carmaker will unveil its replacement at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March, with sales scheduled to begin in 2013.

Fiat Panda Arrives in the UK with a Starting Price of £8,900

New Special Edition Fiat 500 ID Limited to 500 Units for Germany

Fiat Launches 2012 Punto in Europe, Releases New Photo Gallery and a Video

Jeep's Small SUV Reportedly Delayed until 2014 as Fiat Concentrates on Sedici's Successor

Official: Fiat Unveils Larger and More Versatile 500L Ahead of its Geneva Debut

Mopar gives the 2012 Fiat 500 an American Tune with "Stinger" Package

New Details Emerge on Fiat's 500L Wagon that will Debut in Geneva and go on Sale in the U.S. in 2013

Fiat-Chrysler Alliance wants to Produce Jeep Models in China

Fiat to Launch New Strada Small Pickup Truck in its Home Market

Scoop: Fiat Prepares 4x4 Edition of its New Panda City Car

New Fiat Panda Ad Lifts a Page from Chrysler's "Imported from Detroit" Campaign Book

Is the 2013 Dodge Dart Sedan Using an Automatic Transmission Supplied from Hyundai?

Suzuki Moves Ahead without VW and Signs New Diesel Engine Deal with Fiat

Fiat Rumored to Extend 500 Range With Mini-Rivaling Five-Door “Wagon”

Fiat Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari All Chromed Up

New Fiat 500 Abarth Priced from $22,000* in the U.S., or about as Much as a 305HP Ford Mustang…

Fiat-Chrysler "Willing" to Form an Alliance with Opel, GM Says it's Not Interested

Dodge Dart gets "Unadjusted" 40 MPG Combined, Fiat Automatically Increases its Chrysler Stake by 5%

Marchionne’s 6 Million Sales Target for Fiat-Chrysler Deemed "Unrealistic" by Analysts

Fiat Rumored to Unveil Idea-Replacing Ellezero Mini MPV at the Geneva Motor Show

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