2012 Fiat 500 Lounge Convertible on 2040-cars

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GM, FCA retain financial advisors amid merger rumors

Well, here we go again. Despite allegedly shutting down the idea of a merger, General Motors has retained financial advisors to, well, advise it on Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' advances. GM brought in New York-based Goldman Sachs, while FCA is currently working with Switzerland's UBS. Another source told Reuters that GM was working with Morgan Stanley, as well. But what does all this mean? Well, as we know, FCA boss Sergio Marchionne still has his eyes set very much on merging his automaker to combat what he claims are the prohibitive costs that come from developing today's vehicles. And while GM has said "no thanks," to a merger, the FCA boss is still looking to shareholders of the world's third-largest automaker to force the issue. Rather than a sign of an impending merger, voluntary or otherwise, between the two automotive powers – analysts called a hostile move by FCA "beyond ambitious," after all – retaining financial advisors on both sides could be viewed as just good business. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Chrysler Fiat GM Sergio Marchionne FCA

Ferrari stock sale pegged for October, or later

The Ferrari IPO is still coming, but it won't be before Columbus Day (Monday, October 12, that is), according to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne. The outspoken exec is blaming tax reasons for the fourth-quarter date, according to a report from Reuters. Marchionne said a full year needed to pass between FCA's October 13, 2014 Wall Street debut and any additional listing. This isn't the first delay in the Ferrari IPO. FCA was originally supposed to make a 10-percent offering of Ferrari during second or third quarter of 2015, before officially pushing things back to the third quarter of this year. Now, it's unclear if Ferrari will even go public before the dawn of 2016. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Marco Vasini / AP Earnings/Financials Government/Legal Chrysler Ferrari Fiat Sergio Marchionne FCA fiat chrysler automobiles

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