Fiat
Volkswagen Group shows interest in Ferrari
Looks like Volkswagen is ready for a shopping spree. Autoweek has reported that the German giant is interested in acquiring Ferrari, which sits under Fiat’s umbrella. Unfortunately we don’t have an official word from Volkswagen just yet. However Volkswagen’s interest may grind to a halt as Ferrari is Fiat’s most profitable brand and it wouldn’t let it go easily.
However there are also rumors that Fiat is looking to sell 49% of Ferrari while retaining the other 51%. Ferrari is said to be worth approximately US$4 billion and it may join rivals such as Lamborghini, Bugatti and Porsche under Volkswagen if everything goes the giant’s way. Earlier in August, rumors were also going around regarding Volkswagen’s interest in Alfa Romeo.
Fiat denies Alfa Romeo sale to Volkswagen
We all know that Volkswagen Group is very firm with it’s plans to become the world’s No. 1 auto maker. The German auto giant already has Audi, Seat, Skoda, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti as well as Porsche under it’s belt. It also owns Italdesign, Karmann, Volkswagen’s Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) arm as well as having a 19.9% stake in Suzuki, among others.
According to Autonews, Volkswagen has set it’s eyes on Fiat’s Alfa Romeo, despite Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn saying earlier that “Our appetite for buying in Italy is fully satisfied.” The automotive news site claims that two executives at Volkswagen have confirmed that the company is “seriously interested” in acquiring the Italian brand. An unidentified high-ranking manager at Volkswagen also revealed to Automobilwoche, an Autonews sister publication, “Alfa is a globally recognized brand with sporty genes and a great tradition. If such a treasure could be had, we must not hesitate… too long.”
However despite Volkswagen’s deep interest in Alfa Romeo, a high ranking Fiat executive revealed to Autonews that the company is not interested in selling the brand. “We have no intention at all of selling the brand to Volkswagen,” he specifically said. It was also revealed that Fiat intends to stick with the turnaround plan set for Alfa Romeo, which was announced by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne in April.
Marchionne aims to sell up to 500,000 Alfa Romeos a year, an ambitious goal according analysts. Arndt Ellinghorst, global head of automotive research at Credit Suisse told Autonews in June, ”Maybe Alfa could get to a half million unit sales a year, but only after the brand is sold to Volkswagen.” ”Alfa plans to sell 85,000 units in the United States in 2014, therefore Fiat’s plan really means it wants to boost sales in Europe from 100,000 units to more than 400,000. I do not see how they will be able to steal so many buyers from their German competitors,” said Massimo Vecchio, head of industry research at Mediobanca in Milan.
It was also said that Alfa Romeo has been reporting losses of between 200 million Euro to 400 million Euros a year for the past ten years. Definitely a huge ambition by Marchionne if you ask me. Looks like Volkswagen may have to knock on Fiat’s door later in the future.
Fiat’s new TwinAir 2-cylinder turbo debuts in the 500 and 500C models
Fiat’s new TwinAir 2-cylinder will make its debut in the 500 and 500C models with sales expected to commence in September 2010. The new force-inducted 0.9 liter engine will be offered in various power figures but the above two models will get the 85hp state of tune. It will also make 145Nm of torque at 1,900 RPM.
The tiny engine features, among others, a small-sized turbine, MultiAir electro-hydraulic valve management system as well as an engine start-stop function.
In the press release the Italian company claims that the 2-cylinder engine, when compared to a medium-sized 4-cylinder, is shorter by about 23%, lighter by about 10% and offers fuel economy that is 30% lower.
The engine in the 500 and 500C models will be offered with both a manual and a Dualogic robotised gearbox. The latter will feature an ECO button with two modes including Normal and ECO. The former mode offers full torque and normal steering assistance while the latter limits torque at 100Nm with a higher steering assistance.
Here are the important figures that you have been waiting for. With the new engine, the 500 will offer a combined fuel economy figure of 4.1 liters per 100 kilometers while emissions output is set at 95 grams per kilometer. With the above-mentioned robotized gearbox, the 500 will hit the century mark in 11 seconds while offering a top speed of 173 km/h.
Chrysler models to be rebadged as Lancias in Europe
The Fiat and Chrysler alliance will lead to Chrysler models being rebadged as Lancias in Europe, a report by Automotive News revealed. Models that will carry the Fiat-owned brand include a new compact sedan and a mid-sized sedan that will be replacing the PT Cruiser and Sebring models.
The 300C sedan and the new Voyager minivan will be sold under the brand as well. At the end of the day the Chrysler name will disappear from mainland Europe. The Chrysler name will only be maintained in the UK and Ireland.
Fiat which owns 20% of Chrysler plans to consolidate and shrink Lancia and Chrysler dealers from the current 1,200 in Europe to about 350. The company also plans to sell up to 300,000 Lancia/Chrysler vehicles per year by 2014.
The Dodge brand which is owned by Chrysler would become a niche player in the region selling cars like the Charger, Challenger and Viper. Current Chrysler dealers that sell Jeep models will be given new dedicated franchise contracts for the 4×4 brand.
All new Fiat Uno revealed in South America
Fiat has revealed official images and details of the latest Uno supermini which was introduced in the South American market. The new Uno will be first sold in Brazil later this month while other countries in the region will be get it by the second half of the year. However we have yet to receive confirmation if this new Uno will make its way into other markets although there have been rumors that Fiat will sell the Uno in Europe and Russia.
This new Uno measures 3,770 mm long, 1,643 mm wide and 1,490 mm high with a wheelbase that is figured at 2,370 mm long. There are a few engine options to choose from including two new flex-fuel powerplants. The base engine is a 75hp 1.0 liter (makes 73hp with alcohol) while the higher capacity engine is a 1.4 liter version.
This engine produces 85hp (88hp with alcohol). Both engines are offered with a 5-speed manual transmission. There is also a version of the Uno with crossover-like styling.
An image gallery can be found after the jump. Read the rest of this entry.
Atomik Cars to unveil all-electric Abarth 500 next month
What you see above is a widened Abarth 500 with an all-electric powertrain underneath it. This emissions-free 500 is developed by French tuner Atomik Cars and it is expected to be revealed on April 15th at the Top Marques Monaco event.
The powertrain enables the vehicle to reach 100 km/h from a standstill in just 5.6 seconds, 400-meter point in 14 seconds and the one kilometer mark in 26 seconds. Aesthetics wise, the electric Abarth which will be based on a limited production run of 50 units only features a body kit along with new wheels.
Unfortunately we don’t have more information to share with you at the moment, other than some high-res images.
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Fiat’s product plans for 2010-2011
Fiat’s CEO Sergio Marchionne has revealed the company’s product plans which have been revised following the alliance with Chrysler. The company will pay more attention to the much neglected Lancia brand with facelift versions of the Ypsilon supermini, Musa subcompact MPV and Delta models next year. The company is also rumored to rebadge the Delta hatchback as a Chrysler as well.
Fiat also plans to introduce four new models under the Lancia brand in 2011 and all these cars will be based on Chrysler models. These include a mid-sized sedan, a luxury sedan, a large MPV as well as a convertible. Fiat will also roll out a Chrysler-based crossover as well as the next generation Fiat Panda. The Panda is expected to be offered with Fiat’s upcoming 0.9 liter twin-cylinder Multiair petrol engine with turbocharging.
Three versions are expected to be introduced including an 80hp version and a 105hp option. The third spot will be taken up by a 65hp naturally-aspirated version of the engine. The 0.9 liter will first make its debut in the Fiat 500. Alfa Romeo which is also under Fiat’s umbrella will also update the gorgeous 159 and the MiTo. It is also expected to introduce the 8C Competizione GTA.
