2012 Fiat 500c Convertible -- Brilliant Blue, One Owner, Less Than 5,000 Miles on 2040-cars

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2016 Fiat 500X configurator is live, $20,000* to start

Fresh off an entertaining commercial during the 2015 Super Bowl, Fiat has unleashed the configurator for its all-new 500X CUV. And like its brother, the Jeep Renegade, the 500X starts cheap, but can get expensive in a hurry. Prices for the base 500X start at an even $20,000, not counting a $900 destination charge. That'll get you the front-drive-only, base-level Pop trim, with a 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, six-speed manual transmission, 16-inch steelies with wheel covers, a four-speaker stereo and unlike its Jeep-branded sibling, standard air conditioning. Next up is the $22,300 Easy, and its standard nine-speed automatic transmission and 2.4-liter four-cylinder. 17-inch wheels come standard, as does a 5.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with six-speaker stereo and Bluetooth connectivity, a Dynamic Selector Traction Control system, cruise control and remote start. For those that want to butch up the 500X's cutesy interior, the $23,100 Trekking trim adds a more aggressive front fascia with integrated fog lights and brawny 17-inch wheels. In the cabin, "premium" cloth seats replace the standard thrones. The luxurious Lounge trim starts at $24,850 and adds a 6.5-inch touchscreen with navigation, standard heated and powered cloth seats, optional leather seats, a heated steering wheel, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a 3.5-inch color display in the instrument cluster, a rear-view camera and four different interior color options. At the very tip-top of the range, we have the Trekking Plus, starting at a lofty $28,100. Adding basically everything from the Lounge trim with the aesthetics of the Trekking, if you really want the best 500X available, this is your CUV. This was the priciest model we could configure, hitting $33,500 with all-wheel drive, the $2,600 Trekking Plus Collection 2 (forward collision warning, auto high beams, lane departure warning and a dual-pane sunroof) and the stylish, $1,000 Giallo Tristrato paint. The prices listed above are for front-wheel drive only – adding all-wheel drive bumps up the 500X's price by $1,900. Beyond that, there are a plethora of option packages available on everything from the Easy to the Trekking Plus, meaning you'll be able to drive your out-the-door price beyond even what's listed here. These packages, like on the Renegade, will add everything from luxury features, like a heated steering wheel/seats and a panoramic sunroof, to safety items, like blind-spot monitoring and a rear-view camera.

FCA may sell off Magneti Marelli

FCA is reportedly just days away from filing the official prospectus for the Ferrari initial public offering, and it could put the Italian sportscar maker's value at $11 billion. Although, Sergio Marchionne always seems to have another iron in the fire, and his next big deal could shed the automotive giant's Magneti Marelli parts business to the tune of $3.3 billion. According to Reuters citing anonymous insider sources, at least two private equity firms are considering joint submitting bids with firms already in the industry. This deal has reportedly been in the works for at least the last few weeks. According to Reuters, FCA already rejected a roughly $2.7-billion offer in June. Marchionne apparently wants at least the equivalent of $3.3 billion for the company. Publicly, FCA isn't talking, though. Company spokesperson Gualberto Ranieri told Reuters and reiterated to Autoblog simply that Magneti Marelli wasn't for sale. However, a move to get rid of the parts company has been discussed in the past. In 2013, the business was rumored to be part of a purported arrangement to sell Alfa Romeo to Audi. While there's no final decision yet, according to Reuters, if the Magneti Marelli sale does move forward the decision would likely come sometime after the Ferrari IPO. The company would likely be split up among the various divisions. "Everyone will take a fair share of it," one of the anonymous sources to Reuters. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Jeff Kowalsky / Bloomberg via Getty Images Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat Sergio Marchionne FCA fca us magneti marelli

2024 Fiat 500e First Drive Review: Reborn EV packs style, plays music out its bumper

MIAMI – It's been hard times for Fiat fans. The brand discontinued its 500 model line after 2019, leaving only the four-door crossover-ized 500X on sale, and while it planned to introduce the replacement for its 500e electric city car around that time, a little pandemic threw a wrench in the works. Now, in 2024, the folks from Turin are finally ready to let Americans taste the Dolce Vita offered by that new 500e. Has the wait been worth it? I went to Miami to find out. As you'd expect, the 2024 Fiat 500e is once again a fully electric city car. Unlike its predecessor (2013-2019), this 500e feels like a more complete EV package than a "compliance car" meant to satisfy regulations in states like California. The "New Fiat 500" has been on sale in Europe since 2020, so while this is a new model for the United States, it's by now a well-established platform. Like the old 500e, the 2024 500e features a front-wheel-drive layout, with a permanent magnet motor providing a whopping 117 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. That motor is paired with a 42-kilowatt-hour battery (around 38 of which is usable, per Fiat engineers) for an EPA-estimated range of 141 with all-season tires. That doesn't sound like a lot – and it isn't – but this isn't a vehicle designed for long road trips or super-commuters. Fiat claims a 0-60 time of 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 94 mph, but I suspect that driving at that speed would be trouser-browningly sketchy. Not that the 500e feels unstable around town (Fiat didn't include any highway driving during my brief stint with the car). It offers the kind of quick, accurate steering and subcompact agility that made the original 500e so much more fun to drive than it needed to be. The steering is light but not overly so and offers a very tight turning circle of just 31.5 feet, making the "Oh wait, there's a parking spot! Get it!" maneuver much easier than it would be in a larger vehicle. While the steering is awesome, the 500e's ride isn't as pleasant. It's not unladen-full-size-truck brutal by any means, but calling it busy over broken city streets feels like a charitable way of putting it. This isn't an expensive car with sophisticated suspension, and, again, given its intended use case, I wouldn't count the ride as a huge point against it. One of the biggest leaps forward from the old 500e to this new version is the addition of DC fast charging capability.