1952 Fiat 500 C Topolino, Convertible on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Fiat seeking $10B in financing to buy Chrysler

As Fiat looks to become the full owner of Chrysler, all it has standing in its way is the retiree trust of the United Auto Workers, which currently holds the remaining 41.5 percent of the company as the result of the Pentastar's bankruptcy deal. The Detroit News is reporting that that Fiat is currently talking to numerous banks in an attempt to raise around $10 billion to fund the purchase of Chrysler's remaining stake with enough left over to refinance the debt of both companies. We've known that Fiat has been working to obtain the capital to buy out Chrysler for some time now, but this is the first time we've seen Fiat tip its hand about how much cash it thinks it will need to close the deal.
The first order of business is a legal dispute over the value of the UAW's stake in Chrysler, which the report indicates could cost Fiat around $3.5 billion. The acquisition of remaining shares could happen by this summer, but it sounds like CEO Sergio Marchionne (above) might not be ready for a full merger until next year.

Fiat 500X teased in creepy new video

Fiat is bringing a new variant of its 500 family to the 2014 Paris Motor Show, and as its debut approaches, the tempo of teaser releases is increasing. Earlier this month, we showed you heavily blurred video of the new 500X from a variety of angles. Today, we have a pretty strange spot that actually gives us some unobscured looks at the new compact crossover.
The odd teaser shows a woman on a swing in an abandoned city. If that's not odd enough, she's reciting the ABCs in the sort of sing-song manner generally reserved for possessed children in horror films. Then the 500X arrives.
While we do get a full look at the car's face, the majority of styling cues that we can see don't reveal much that we didn't know. The fascia isn't too dissimilar from the 500L, aside from its soft-road styling features, while the tail boasts a wide set of vertical taillights.

Fiat 500 Abarth to get automatic transmission option

Boo and hiss all you want, but the truth is that manual transmissions aren't for everybody. When Fiat launched the hot little 500 Abarth last year, it did so with a five-speed manual as the only transmission available, but according to Ward's Auto, that might change.
"We're not opposed to doing it. We just didn't think there would be consumer requests for it, and there is," Fiat's North American president, Tim Kuniskis, told Ward's in regards to an automatic-equipped Abarth.
With the launch of the upcoming droptop 500C Abarth, Kuniskis says that the company is expecting a few more women buyers to opt for the more potent version of the pint-sized cabriolet. "I think when we'll see more women is when we have the automatic, and we're planning to add the automatic in the Abarth at some point, only because we're getting that feedback from customers."