2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Look Alike!!! Only 7500 Miles on 2040-cars

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New Fiat Panda Cross looks adorable

We have never gotten the Fiat Panda in North America, but the little city car has represented the entry level into the Fiat range in Europe since 1980. Unlike many of these foreign subcompacts, it was also offered in the 4X4 trim level with a higher ride height and all-wheel drive. The Italian brand will take that idea even further at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show on March 4, with the new Panda Cross.
The Panda Cross is meant to be a city car that drivers can also take off-road if need arises. Its all-wheel drive system comes with a standard electronic-locking differential to manage torque delivery, and drivers can lock the diff, at speeds under 30 miles per hour, to improve traction further. The mini off-roader comes with either a 1.3-liter diesel four-cylinder with 80 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque or the 900cc turbocharged two-cylinder with 90 hp and 107 lb-ft. Both engines have standard stop/start and are mated to a six-speed manual.
Fiat has put most effort into the Cross' exterior to make it look ready to get muddy. It has a redesigned front bumper with integrated fog lights and a titanium-painted air dam, meant to look like a front skid plate. The rear is also reworked with chrome tailpipes and another titanium-painted faux-skid plate. It promises the modifications aren't entirely aesthetic, but improve approach and departure angles while off road. While Fiat has not released any images of the interior, it promises a mix of fabric and fake leather seats, and copper-color trim on the dash.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: The next five years

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, you've no doubt read about all of the big future product news coming out of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles today. We had individual brand reports from Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Maserati and even Ferrari, but in the interest of simplifying and summarizing, we're going to list out the hard facts once more. Of course, with all of this still off in the future, there's still the possibility that a few changes will be made. But as of what we know right now, here's what's coming, and what's going away.
Chrysler
2014: Refreshed 300/300C, debuting at Los Angeles Auto Show

Fiat taps Mitsubishi for European pickup

Mitsubishi is often derided in the US for its relatively boring lineup, Lancer Evolution aside, but the company is on the upswing worldwide, recently posting record global operating profits. The Japanese automaker may get a further boost in the near future from a rumored pickup truck deal with Fiat.
According to insider sources speaking to Automotive News Europe, Mitsubishi would reportedly build a variant of its widely respected L200 pickup truck for the Fiat Professional brand in Europe and Latin America starting in 2016. The L200 is larger than the Fiat Strada front-wheel-drive pickup already available in those markets, and it's available in rear- and four-wheel-drive configurations. The idea of adding a midsize truck to the commercial lineup was in the Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles five-year plan, but it didn't include any mention of a partnership to build it.
At first blush, the Mitsubishi agreement seems like an odd move, given that Fiat already owns pickup truck specialists Ram. However, according to ANE, the company had at one time planned to use a version of a new Dodge Dakota pickup for duty in Europe and Latin America, but the model never came to fruition.