2012 Pop 1.4l Auto Green A Looker on 2040-cars

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GM, Ford, Honda winners in 'Car Wars' study as industry growth continues

General Motors' plans to aggressively refresh its product lineup will pay off in the next four years with strong market share and sales, according to an influential report released Tuesday. Ford, Honda, and FCA are all poised to show similar gains as the auto industry is expected to remain healthy through the rest of the decade. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch study, called Car Wars, analyzes automakers' future product plans for the next four model years. By 2020, 88 percent of GM's sales will come from newly launched products, which puts it slightly ahead of Ford's 86-percent estimate. Honda (85 percent) and FCA (84 percent) follow. The industry average is 81 percent. Toyota checks in just below the industry average at 79 percent, with Nissan trailing at 76 percent. Car Wars' premise is: automakers that continually launch new products are in a better position to grow sales and market share, while companies that roll out lightly updated models are vulnerable to shifting consumer tastes. Though Detroit and Honda grade out well in the study, many major automakers are clumped together, which means large market-share swings are less likely in the coming years. Bank of America Merrill Lynch predicts the industry will top out with 20 million sales in 2018 and then taper off, perhaps as much as 30 percent by 2026. Not surprisingly, trucks, sport utility vehicles and crossovers will be the key battlefield in the next few years, Car Wars says. FCA will launch a critical salvo in 2018 with a new Ram 1500, followed by new generations of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra in 2019, and then Ford's F-150 for 2020, according to the study. Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy said the GM trucks could be pulled ahead even earlier to 2018, prompting Ford to respond. "This focus on crossovers and trucks is a great thing for the industry," Murphy said. Cars Wars looks at Korean (76 percent replacement rate) and European companies more vaguely (70 percent), but argues their slower product cadence and lineups with fewer trucks puts them in weaker positions than their competitors through 2020. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2016 Chevrolet Silverado View 11 Photos Image Credit: Chevrolet Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat Ford GM Honda Nissan Toyota study FCA

2014 Fiat 500L to start at $19,100*

We've already driven the decidedly weird-looking 500L in its European-spec form, and now the folks at Fiat have just released US-specific pricing, which means that our US media drive is coming up soon. If you want to get your hands on the biggest of the little Fiats, you'll need at least $19,100 (*plus $800 for destination).
That base price gets you the 500L Pop spec, powered by a 160-horsepower, 1.4-liter MultiAir turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine (the only powerplant on offer), mated to a six-speed manual transmission. This base model comes equipped with 16-inch chrome-plated wheel covers (sexy!) and the usual list of standard features that pretty much every new car comes with. (You know, air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, etc.) Next up in the range is the 500L Easy, which adds aluminum wheels, tinted rear glass, body-colored mirror caps, uplevel seat fabric and a premium audio system. The price of entry for this better-equipped model is $20,195.
Things start to get more interesting from there, with the rugged-ish 500L Trekking coming in at $21,195. Visually, the Trekking is set apart by its two-piece front and rear fascias with graphite inserts, fog lamps and 17-inch wheels. Finally, the range-topping 500L Lounge adds a dual-clutch six-speed transmission, unique 16-inch wheels, chrome exterior accents, heated leather seats, and more. That top-trim 500L starts at $24,195, and the Lounge, Trekking and Easy models are available with a no-cost Premier Package that includes goodies like rear park assist and a 6.5-inch touchscreen Uconnect infotainment interface. Be warned, though, this no-cost option will only be available during the first year of production.

EIB ups financing for Fiat Chrysler's electric vehicles to $949 million

MILAN — The European Investment Bank (EIB) has increased to almost 800 million euros ($949 million) its funding to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to support production of electric and hybrid vehicles, they said in a joint statement. Investments to manufacture battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will be mainly directed at FCA plants located in southern Italy, supporting employment and compliance with the strictest environmental criteria. To improve capacity utilization at FCA's Italian plants, the group has announced a 5 billion euro investment plan for the country through 2021 which envisages the launch of new electric and hybrid models. EIB and FCA had sealed 300 million euros in financing before the summer to fund investments for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle production lines at plants in Melfi, in the southern Basilicata region, and battery electric vehicles at Fiat's historic Turin plant of Mirafiori over the 2019-2021 period. FCA has now finalized a 485 million euro deal with EIB to support both an innovative line of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles at the Pomigliano plant in the southern Campania region as well as R&D activities at FCA laboratories in Turin. The EIB credit line covers 75% of the total value of FCA's investment in the project for the 2020-2023 period. Earnings/Financials Green Plants/Manufacturing Chrysler Fiat