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Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot boards meet to finalize merger

MILAN/PARIS — The boards of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot will meet separately on Tuesday to discuss finalizing an initial agreement for a $50 billion merger to create the world's number four carmaker, sources said. A source close to FCA said the two companies could announce the signing of a binding memorandum early on Wednesday, followed by a conference call to explain further details later in the day. The two mid-sized carmakers announced plans six weeks ago for a tie-up to help them deal with big challenges in the industry, including a global demand downturn and the need to develop costly cleaner cars to meet looming anti-pollution rules. Ahead of the meetings, entities representing the Peugeot family, Etablissements Peugeot Freres (EPF) and FFP, unanimously approved a proposed memorandum of understanding for the planned merger, a source familiar with the situation said. FCA and PSA have said they would seek to finalize a deal by year-end to create a group with 8.7 million in annual vehicle sales. That would put it fourth globally behind Volkswagen, Toyota and the Renault-Nissan alliance. PSA's Carlos Tavares will be chief executive and FCA's John Elkann — the scion of Italy's Agnelli family, which controls FCA through their holding company Exor — chairman of the combined company. The group will include the Fiat, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Peugeot, DS, Opel and Vauxhall brands, allowing it to serve mass and premium passenger car markets as well as those for trucks and light commercial vehicles. Related Video:       Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Peugeot

Fiat GIF-based ads make our heads spin

Take a good, long look at the image above. Don't worry, it's completely real; you're not hallucinating. Would you believe that's an actual screencap from an actual ad commissioned by Fiat that's airing on actual television? Believe it.
The commercials started as a series of animated GIFs from The Richards Group for Fiat's Tumblr page, according to Adweek. Chrysler's Chief Marketing Officer reportedly liked them enough that he had them cut into ads for TV. The result is a combination of Internet meme heaven that includes the above horse mask and "Deal with it," animation, experimental filmmaking, cats, a person in a bunny suit twerking on a Fiat 500 and more general bizarreness.
Whatever your opinion on them, you have to admit that the advertising is certainly attention grabbing. Imagine looking up at the TV form your tablet to catch a glimpse of this weirdness. If you don't like them, Fiat is even giving people the chance to do a better job. Its Tumblr is open to submissions of new GIFs, which could lead to some very inappropriate and potentially hilarious results given the way that the Internet often works.

Abarth 124 Spider is one furious Fiata

If you've been thinking of picking up a nimble new roadster, but can't decide between the Mazda MX-5 Miata and its Italian counterpart the Fiat 124 Spider, the vehicle you see here might tip the balance. It's the new Abarth 124 Spider, tuned by the Italian automaker's performance division. And it's just made its debut here on the floor of the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The Abarth version, of course, is based on the Fiat model, which in turn is based on the Mazda. But the one with the Scorpion emblem offers a number of performance upgrades. Under the hood is still a 1.4-liter turbo four, producing the same 184 pound-feet of torque, but in Abarth spec offers a more prodigious 170 horsepower (up from 160). Buyers will still be able to choose between a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, but the rest of the components are no-brainers: Brembo brakes, Bilstein dampers, and a Record Monza exhaust. The steering is electrically assisted, but it has a proper mechanical limited slip differential, there's a Sport button, and the electronic nannies can be fully defeated for hooning around on track. The sum total is a 0-62 time quoted at 6.8 seconds and a top speed at 143 miles per hour. Bear in mind that these are specs for the European model, though, and could change if and when the Abarth spider makes its way to our shores. View 11 Photos Of course the technicians at Mirafiori didn't leave it there, equipping the Abarth 124 Spider with an array of visual enhancements as well. There's a full aero kit, larger air vents, 17-inch alloys, and a black hood to cut down on glare (and make it look more businesslike). The interior is all done up in Alcantara, with a small-diameter steering wheel, short gear lever, aluminum pedals... the works. As if all that isn't enough to get your motor running, Abarth has also worked up a rally version to recall its glory days of old. The Abarth 124 Rally is built to FIA R-GT regulations, and ditches the 1.4-liter engine for a 1.8 mounted further back and producing an impressive 300 hp. It also has a fixed roof, full roll cage, and a long list of other competition-spec upgrades that are too long to list here, but you can read all about them in the second of the two press releases below. View 17 Photos This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.