1967 Fiat Dino Spider on 2040-cars

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CEO says Volkswagen's buying spree is over

After adding Italian motorcycle icon Ducati to its stable and spending $5.6 billion on the rest of Porsche, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn says he's done shopping for a while.
"We have enough to do at the moment in taking our twelve brands to where we want to be," Winterkorn tells German newspaper Handelsblatt.

Fiat previews a new Panda, and a whole Panda-based range of global cars

Fiat isn't attending the Geneva Motor Show, but that hasn't stopped it from going to Geneva ... Italy. That's right, there's a dainty patch of ground in Brescia called Ginevra, which is Italian for Geneva. Fiat CEO and Stellantis' chief marketing officer Olivier Francois has pulled another sly one, hosting his own miniature auto show at a bar in Ginevra to showcase Fiat's coming range of global models. The presentation is all about the Panda, old and new, with Fiat reworking the spirit and ethos of the 44-year-old nameplate into four concepts that start with an all-new Panda on Stellantis' global platform, then branch into two updates on popular current products and two all-new products. After winning the Stellantis family sales title with 1.3 million units moved last year, Francois said of the brand, "[Our] next step will be to transition from local products to a global offer that can benefit all of our customers everywhere in the world," embodying the philosophy that "functionality should never exist without fun." A plan for sharing up to 80% of parts between models, on top of that shared platform, is the key enabler. And just as we mentioned yesterday with Jeep, Fiat's talking big about the range of available powertrains, with ICE, EV, hybrid and PHEV in the mix.   Here's the heart of the new range, your all-new Panda just like it says on the door, called "City Car" in the video. Fiat will present this one to itself and the world in July this year during the company's 125th anniversary. In it can be seen the basic idea of the concept Fiat presented to itself as a 120th birthday present, the Centoventi Concept revealed at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show (the one in Switzerland). We heard nothing about the Centoventi after that, its fundamentals showing up first in the Citroen C3, and from there back to Fiat with this all-new Panda. Francois called this a sort-of "Mega Panda," a phrase we want on a T-shirt, boasting a crossover-like upright design, higher driving position, and increased roominess. The entire range will emphasize sustainability, ease-of-use, and modularity. The Panda demonstrates ease with the retractable charging cable emerging from the hood. Inside, the oval motif in places like the dashboard and seats recalls Fiat's original factory in Turin, the Lingotto building with the oval test track called the La Pista 500 on its roof. If you're looking for competition to the dashing little Renault 5 that did make the trek to Switzerland, this is it.

Fiat 500X scampers across the Alps

It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here. It's the new Fiat 500X: the rounder, somehow even more retro version of the Jeep Renegade. Joining an ever-expanding Cinquecento lineup alongside the 500, 500C and 500L, the new 500X is - to our eyes at least - the most handsome yet... better looking, at any rate, than the somewhat ungainly Mini Countryman. But despite its more fluid lines, the new 500X is barely any longer than the Renegade and only slightly less tall.
Taking the place of the previous Suzuki-based Sedici, Fiat will offer the new 500X in two versions (one more cosmopolitan, the other more rugged), with three transmissions, three traction systems and a whole mess of different engines. The list starts with a 1.4-liter turbo four with 140 horsepower and a 1.6-liter diesel with 120 hp, later to be joined by a 1.6-liter with 110 hp, a more powerful 1.4-liter turbo with 170 hp and finally the 2.4-liter Tigershark engine with 184 hp. Gearboxes will include 5- and 6-speed manuals and - in a Fiat first - a nine-speed automatic, driving the front wheels (with our without traction control) or all four.
Buyers will also be able to choose between 12 exterior colors, seven interior combinations and eight wheel designs ranging from 16 inches to 18, adding up to a long list of configurations to give the 500X the same kind of mass-customization options that have made its stablemate so successful. The 500X will be manufactured in Melfi, Italy, alongside its Jeep counterpart and will eventually reach over 100 markets around the world - including North America.