FIAT auto news

Official: Mazda and Fiat to co-develop a roadster based on next-gen MX-5 Miata

The next-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata will have a sibling, but it won't be a Mazda, it will be an Alfa Romeo. The Japanese automaker has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Alfa parent Fiat to co-develop a roadster based on the MX-5 platform that is expected to see production in Mazda's Hiroshima factory, with the Alfa version coming in 2015.

Pegged as "a successor to the MX-5," the production date will push the next-gen Miata's arrival back a bit. In 2010 it was predicted we'd see the new Miata this year, with its 2,200-pound weight target, 50/50 weight distribution and potential twin-backbone chassis structure. Obviously that isn't happening.

Whenever the new model and its Alfa mate do come, each brand will get "differentiated, distinctly styled, iconic and brand-specific light weight roadsters featuring rear-wheel drive," using in-house engines provided by their own brands.

The link-up is excellent news for Mazda, the small, independent company searching for just these kinds of "technology and product development alliances" to help rescue it from years of losses, and supporting CEO Takashi Yamanouchi's assertion that it's "partner or die." The negotiations also include further cooperation between the two brands in Europe.

Fiat head Sergio Marchionne's search for partnerships to provide scale is no secret, nor his desire to improve Fiat's position in Asia, which Mazda might also be able to assist with. And the idea of a properly sporting Alfa would be welcome round the world; with the loss of the Brera GT and Brera Spider in 2010, the Alfa line is down to two hatchbacks and a long-in-the-tooth sedan, none of them particularly sporty. With the 8C Spider beyond most budgets and the 4C still living in the ether, it's been almost 20 years since the then 33-year-old Alfa Spider represented (or was meant to, at least) the kind of purposeful, two-seater Alfa being announced here.

The final agreement should be finalized later this year, and you can scroll down to read the press release.

Continue reading Mazda and Fiat to co-develop a roadster based on next-gen MX-5 Miata

Official: Abarth 695 Maserati Edition bows at Mille Miglia

The Fiat 500 in its various guises positively romps on its popularity, making special-edition hay with terrific frequency. This latest outing in the form of the Abarth 695 Maserati Edition follows a familiar trail, coming three years after the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari that debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

That hatch had a tuned 1.4-liter turbo four putting out more than 180 horsepower, a variable exhaust system and paddle-shifting automated manual under its Ferrari 430 Scuderia-mimicking paint scheme. But aside from the paint, this one gets much the same treatment: 180-hp output, Abarth Competizione gearbox and dual mode exhaust.

It goes the GranTurismo route instead of hard-core sports car, though, using the convertible Abarth as a base and adding Pontevecchio Bordeaux paint with a gray top, sand-beige leather and black interior, Jaeger instrumentation, and 17-inch Maserati-style Neptune wheels and hexagonal tailpipes. Still, it gets even bigger Brembo brakes than the Ferrari version.

Just 499 will be made for "mainly" European markets, naturally, so the closest we'll get to it is the high-res gallery above the the press release below.

Continue reading Abarth 695 Maserati Edition bows at Mille Miglia

Report: Rebadged Dodge, Chrysler model sales a mixed bag in Europe

Fiat, in an attempt to make its purchase of Chrysler more profitable, has been marketing rebadged Dodge and Chrysler models in Europe with mixed results.

Europeans apparently love the Fiat Freemont, known as a Dodge Journey here in the States. Fiat sold almost 6,500 of the crossovers over there in the first quarter and hopes to move 30,000 by year's end. Sales were helped by Fiat's large European dealer network as well as an MSRP lower than the model it replaced. Since the Journey is built in Mexico, it can be imported into Europe tariff-free, which helps keep the sticker price lower.

On the other hand, sales of the Lancia Thema (Chrysler 300) and Lancia Voyager (Dodge Grand Caravan) are not doing so well due to several factors. One is the limited reach of the Lancia brand outside Italy. Then there's the 10 percent import tariff since they're both built in Canada, a yearly 500 euro luxury tax (about $630 USD) on the Thema, and a limited advertising budget for the two cars.

Only 1,342 Voyagers were sold in Europe in the first quarter of this year, which means the 11,000 unit goal for the year will probably be missed. Lancia sold only 480 Themas during the same period, well short of the 2,500 Fiat had hoped to sell.

Video: Another slew of Fiat 500 Abarth ads with Catrinel Menghia released

Ah, Catrinel Menghia. Fiat knows a good thing when it finds one, and so it's no surprise to see a trio of new advertisements staring the Romanian-born and Italian-speaking model alongside the 2012 500 Abarth.

First up is a minute-long montage showing the Scorpion-addled Abarth flung around the desert while Catrinel... well, stands around looking beautiful. Next, the turbocharged 500 drives down the Las Vegas Strip while Ms. Menghia walks around looking beautiful. Notice a trend?

In the third video of this new series, Catrinel finally gets to drive the Abarth in a race against a lucky cameraman. Well, sort of. The two cars are actually piloted by "professional drivers on a closed course" - as you can see, they are wearing helmets. Catrinel and the cameraman, on the other hand, emerge from their black and white 500s with hair blowing in the wind.

No matter. Clearly these videos are meant to build upon the first extremely successful tie-up between the model and the Italian hatchback. We've gone ahead and included that initial commercial, along with the three new ones, below. Enjoy!

Continue reading Another slew of Fiat 500 Abarth ads with Catrinel Menghia released

Official: Fiat Professional reveals new Punto panel wagon

There's little doubt that commercial vehicles are almost as vital to an automaker's sales figures as passenger vehicles are, and to that end many have dedicated commercial vehicle operations. The Fiat group's is called Fiat Professional, and it's just rolled out its latest offering.

Called the Punto Van, it is, as you might have guessed, a Punto hatchback, stripped down and fitted with body panels where the windows usually go. Capable of carrying 35 cubic feet and 1,150 pounds of cargo, the Punto Van is powered by a 1.3-liter MultiJet II diesel in three states of tune (75, 85 or 95 horsepower), two trim levels and three colors.

Taking the place in its line-up where the previous versions of the Grande Punto and Punto Evo sat, Fiat Professional just took the wraps off the new Punto Van at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, England, with order books opening later this month. Scroll down for the official press release.

Continue reading Fiat Professional reveals new Punto panel wagon

Beijing: Fiat darts into China with new Viaggio

The alliance between the Chrysler Group and Fiat SpA has been a two-way street: Auburn Hills has given Lancia a new lease on life, for example, while Alfa Romeo has given Dodge the underpinnings for the new Dart. And now Dodge can return the favor in the form of the vehicle you see here.

Called the Viaggio, it's essentially a Fiat-badged Dodge Dart with a few minor tweaks here and there. But don't expect a shipment of Fiat badges to be arriving at the assembly plant in Belvedere, Illinois, anytime soon: what you're seeing here is actually the first Fiat that will (starting in June) be built in China for China, through a joint venture with Guangzhou.

The resulting GAC Fiat enterprise unveiled the Viaggio at the Beijing Auto Show following teasers released a couple of weeks ago. The result looks like a Dart with some extra chrome. Buyers in China will be able to choose from 120- or 150-horsepower versions of Fiat's 1.4-liter T-Jet four with either a five-speed manual or six-speed DCT. Scroll down below for the full press blast and take a look at the high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Fiat darts into China with new Viaggio

Official: Fiat darts into China with new Viaggio

The alliance between the Chrysler Group and Fiat SpA has been a two-way street: Auburn Hills has given Lancia a new lease on life, for example, while Alfa Romeo has given Dodge the underpinnings for the new Dart. And now Dodge can return the favor in the form of the vehicle you see here.

Called the Viaggio, it's essentially a Fiat-badged Dodge Dart with a few minor tweaks here and there. But don't expect a shipment of Fiat badges to be arriving at the assembly plant in Belvedere, Illinois, anytime soon: what you're seeing here is actually the first Fiat that will (starting in June) be built in China for China, through a joint venture with Guangzhou.

The resulting GAC Fiat enterprise unveiled the Viaggio at the Beijing Auto Show following teasers released a couple of weeks ago. The result looks like a Dart with some extra chrome. Buyers in China will be able to choose from 120- or 150-horsepower versions of Fiat's 1.4-liter T-Jet four with either a five-speed manual or six-speed DCT. Scroll down below for the full press blast and take a look at the high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Fiat darts into China with new Viaggio

Official: Fiat turns old Yugo factory into its most advanced plant

Several years ago, we were surprised to discover that the Yugo was still being made. Sometimes dubbed the worst car in history, Serbian automaker Zastava continued producing the Yugo through 2008 when the last one rolled off the assembly line in Kragujevac after a twenty-year production run. That was only months after Fiat inked a deal to buy the company and its assets, including the factory.

Now almost four years later, Fiat has finished upgrading the Cold War-era assembly plant into what it now calls its most advanced factory yet. Inaugurated just the other day by Chrysler/Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne and Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, the former Zastava plant has undergone a billion-euro renovation, including new production shops, machinery, infrastructure, landscaping and roof over a 1.4 million square meter site.

By the end of the year, the plant will employ a workforce of some 2,400. Their first task will be production of the new 500L mini-minivan (pictured above), which is scheduled to begin delivery (at a rate of as many as 200,000 units each year) from the former Yugoslavian country to markets across Europe and around the world later this year.

Continue reading Fiat turns old Yugo factory into its most advanced plant

Teased: Dodge Dart to be pronounced "Fiat Viaggio" in Italian

You have to love the global auto industry. Fiat will be introducing a Chinese-built version of the American Dodge Dart, a car that's based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, at the Beijing auto show on April 23. Dubbed "Viaggio," production of the new sedan will launch in July, with sales commencing in China by the end of the year.

While Fiat isn't saying whether the model will be exported from China, the Viaggio will be powered by Fiat's 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder. Two versions will be available, one making 120 hp and the other 150, with either a five-speed manual or a dual-clutch automatic gearbox. From the teaser images Fiat released, we can see that the car basically looks like a Dart with different front and rear fascias, which give it a somewhat less sporty look. As is Fiat's way, some tasteful application of chrome makes the Viaggio seem like a more upscale product than the budget-oriented Dodge.

The Italian-American-Chinese mutt will be produced under Fiat's partnership with Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group. GAC also has joint ventures with Mitsubishi, Honda, Isuzu, and Toyota (and formerly with Peugeot), giving us cause to wonder whether GAC employs more factory workers or lawyers.

Scroll down to read the full release and be sure to check out our gallery.

Continue reading Dodge Dart to be pronounced "Fiat Viaggio" in Italian

Report: Gov't. documents suggest Fiat readying 500T turbo and Abarth convertible

According to a report from Car and Driver, documents submitted to the California Air Resources Board and to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration both point to a new arrival in the Fiat 500 line: a turbocharged hatch called the 500T Sport. The NHTSA document was a key for decoding a car's VIN, the "500T Sport" moniker appearing in the Series classification. The CARB paperwork approved California's certification of a boosted 1.4-liter engine for an unnamed Fiat product, along with the the Dodge Dart and 500 Abarth, which use the same engine.

There is currently a 59-horsepower spread between the 500 and the 500 Abarth, as well as a $6,500 difference in MSRP, which is a chasm offering plenty of space to mine a middle model.

C/D figures the 500T Sport will put out something around 130 hp and debut sometime over the next year, and a fan site, Fiat500USA, has found pics of what might be the car we'll get.