2012 Fiat 500 Abarth 160hp Turbo 1.4 Finished In Bianco Over Nero/rosso Leather! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chrysler will debut a fully electric Pacifica at CES

Fiat Chrysler Automotive will debut a fully electric version of its Pacifica minivan at CES, according to a report from Bloomberg citing "people familiar with the plans." There's already a plug-in hybrid Pacifica model with a battery large enough to allow for an all-electric range of 30 miles. It's unclear if it's this electric version of FCA's minivan that will be the basis of the self-driving vehicle the automaker will provide to Google. Bloomberg's report also suggests that FCA has an electric vehicle in the works for the Maserati brand. This Tesla-fighting vehicle has been rumored for some time, with previous reports pointing for a debut in 2020. In other words, we don't expect to see an electric Maserati at CES, but we'd love to be surprised. And we'll know soon enough – CES starts in less than month. Stay tuned. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Fiat 500X may get Abarth treatment

Nissan has Nismo and Mini has John Cooper Works versions of their sub-compact CUVs, so it's only natural that Fiat is playing around with the idea of an Abarth-badged 500X. That's the rationale behind a new report from Autocar, which claims the higher-output CUV is coming in 2017. It all comes down to growing the Abarth line. Autocar reports that Fiat is very keen on scorpion-badged models. Abarth brand chief Paolo Gagliardo told Automotive News Europe, "We want to keep growing and stabilize at a certain level." We already know that plan requires a 124 Abarth, but it seems impossible to accomplish without Abarth-izing the Fiat with the most mainstream appeal, the 500X. Increasing performance in the 500X shouldn't be a problem, although it won't be quite as easy here in the US. As AC explains, the Euro-market 500X's 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder only produces 138 horsepower, a figure that would likely be bumped up to 170 hp in an Abarth model. But that same engine makes 160 ponies in the US, and it already coexists with a 180-hp, 2.4-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder. That almost certainly means a US-market 500X Abarth will need much more than the 32-hp bump AC is forecasting. It's not just competition within the US-market 500X line, though. The new Abarth's chief rivals, the Juke Nismo RS and JCW Countryman both produce in excess of 200 hp. The idea of a 500X Abarth is appealing, but if Fiat expects the CUV to survive in North America – which AC expects to be Fiat's main market – it'll need to take a closer look at how much power is on offer. Related Video:

At meeting with automakers, Trump launches new attack on NAFTA

WASHINGTON — Ten American and foreign automakers went to the White House on Friday to push for a weakening of U.S. fuel efficiency standards through 2025, while President Donald Trump used the occasion to launch a fresh attack on the North American Free Trade Agreement that has benefited the companies. A draft proposal circulated by the U.S. Transportation Department would freeze fuel efficiency requirements at 2020 levels through 2026, rather than allowing them to increase as previously planned. Trump's administration is expected to formally unveil the proposal later this month or in June. "We're working on CAFE standards, environmental controls," Trump told reporters at the top of the meeting, referring to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for cars and light trucks in the United States. Trump said he wants automakers to build more vehicles in the United States and export more vehicles. But much of the hour-long meeting focused on NAFTA. Trump blasted the pact involving the United States, Canada and Mexico as "terrible" and noted that negotiations to make changes sought by his administration were ongoing. "NAFTA has been a horrible, horrible disaster for this country and we'll see if we can make it reasonable," Trump said. Automakers have called NAFTA a success, allowing them to integrate production throughout North America and make production competitive with Asia and Europe, and have noted the increase in auto production over the past two decades with the deal in place. They have warned that changing NAFTA too much could prompt some companies to move production out of the United States. The chief executives of General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, Fiat Chrysler, along with senior U.S. executives from Toyota Motor Corp, Volkswagen AG, Hyundai Motor Co, Nissan Motor Co, Honda Motor Co , BMW AG and Daimler AG met with Trump, as did the chief executives of two auto trade groups. Major automakers reiterated this week they do not support freezing fuel efficiency requirements but said they want new flexibility and rule changes to address lower gasoline prices and the shift in U.S. consumer preferences to bigger, less fuel-efficient vehicles.