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Fiat contemplating sub-brand to compete with Dacia, Datsun

You can add Fiat to the admittedly short list of automakers considering a low-cost brand to rival Dacia. The inexpensive Eastern European brand from Renault-Nissan has performed on the balance sheet like a premium model line, and the money the alliance is taking off the table is encouraging other players to deal themselves in. Pretty soon Nissan's Datsun sub-brand will join the Dacia party, going on sale in Russia, Indonesia and India and will claim even more rubles, rupiahs and rupees for the parent company. Volkswagen recently said it will make a decision this year on a budget line for the Chinese market. With the euthanasia of Lancia and plans to move the Fiat brand upmarket, company CEO Sergio Marchionne wonders aloud to Automotive News Europe whether there could be room for a new budget brand underneath Fiat.
We're told that the initiative has been in the idea box for five years and even moved to the stage of name considerations, like Innocenti, but worries about profit kept it from realization. If such a range were to be developed, Marchionne says it couldn't be built in Italy and stay within budget, and the company is "analyzing its manufacturing capacity outside of Europe to see if a low-cost brand is viable."

Marchionne says the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart were terrible investments for FCA

In a press conference during the Detroit Auto Show, Sergio Marchionne was quite candid about why the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart were discontinued altogether without replacement. He essentially said they weren't worth the trouble. "I can tell you right now that both the Chrysler 200 and the Dodge Dart, as great products as they were, were the least financially rewarding enterprises that we've carried out inside FCA in the last eight years," Marchionne said. "I don't know one investment that was as bad as these two were." Marchionne was responding to a question about whether he felt the company's shift toward trucks and SUVs and sacrifice in sedan development was shortsighted. Marchionne said he felt that the market would likely continue to be strong for trucks and SUVs, and that the sedan market requires enormous investment that might not pay off. He used the 200 and Dart as examples. When we tried out the 200 and the Dart, we had mixed feelings. We enjoyed the 200's potent V6, pleasant interior, and solid handling. However, it was lacking in space (especially in the rear seat area), and doesn't drive any better than the top vehicles in the midsize sedan class. As for the Dart, it was fairly roomy, and had great infotainment thanks to Uconnect, but lackluster handling and a surprising amount of weight left it only average. With that in mind, it's probably not a bad idea to get rid of the 200 and Dart. The sedan segment is shrinking, and FCA can only afford to invest in areas where it can be a class-leader. Related Video:

It turns out the Fiat 500X isn't a track car

Our long-term Fiat 500X has been a trusty sidekick for road trips, errands, and all the other tasks you normally throw at a baby crossover. But our exhaustive testing does not stop there. On a recent trip to GingerMan Raceway (where we tracked the BMW M2, Ford Focus RS, and our long-term Mazda Miata) the little green Fiat came along on camera-lugging duty. And then Mike and I got in and took it for a hot lap. Though this may seem crazy on the surface, let me try and defend myself. The mode switch on the 500X's center console has a little graphic of the crossover next to a waving checkered flag to signify Sport mode. That was really all the indication I needed to confirm the vehicle's true intentions. So we switched it to track attack, did a brake-torqued launch, and went hunting for apexes. As you'll see in the video above, the baby Fiat ute was actually kind of entertaining on the track. Its torquey 2.4-liter engine engine is fun enough to work, and the nine-speed auto shifted relatively quickly (when I remembered to request shifts). We (okay, I) sort of forgot the last rule of hot-lap club. Wait for the end to find out what I mean. So no, we didn't set any lap records. Except we probably set the track record for a 500X, because I can't imagine anyone else is going to take theirs to GingerMan any time soon. But please, prove me wrong. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Fiat Long-Term Garage Crossover Performance Videos Original Video fiat 500x