2013 Fiat 500 Abarth Turbo New on 2040-cars

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Free crypto! Fiat to reward New 500 drivers for eco-friendly motoring

While Mother Nature may thank you for environmentally friendly motoring, Fiat will pay you. That is, they will if you drive a new 500, the brand's EV minicar, which is gone from the U.S. market but has been updated and re-introduced as a pure-electric model in Europe. Fiat is teaming up with Kiri Technologies, described as a green-tech startup, for the program, which is called e-Mobility by Stellantis. The Fiat app tracks driver behavior, such as speed and distance, and uploads the information to the Kiri cloud. Kiri (the name comes from a tree that has an unusually voracious appetite for CO2) then converts that data into a score, and rewards drivers based on that score. The rewards come in the form of cryptocurrency. Not Bitcoin, unfortunately (though BTC's mining may or may not be environmentally problematic depending upon whom you ask), but KiriCoin. One KiriCoin is worth 2 Euro cents but. Drivers track the KiriCoin earnings and total via the Fiat app. Fiat says drivers can expect to earn about 1 KiriCoin per kilometer. The earnings can be spent in "a proprietary marketplace" (which makes Kiri sound more like a points program than an open-market cryptocurrency with wildly fluctuating values). Drivers who achieve the highest scores also may receive bonus offers from major retailers such as Amazon, Apple and Netflix. Factor out the flakiness of a startup cryptocurrency, and the idea of rewarding drivers for eco-conscious behavior has some merit. Of course, it raises privacy concerns — much like auto-insurance data trackers that monitor driver behavior with the promise of a potential discount on rates — but it could be a useful incentive on a strictly opt-in basis. With the base price of a Fiat New 500 approximately $42,000, drivers aren't going to put much of a dent in their monthly car payment with this program, but it never feels bad to earn a few perks along the way. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Feds sue Fiat Chrysler, accuse it of cheating on diesel emissions

WASHINGTON - The US government has filed a civil lawsuit accusing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV of using software to bypass emission controls in diesel vehicles. The Justice Department suit, filed in US district court in Detroit, is a procedural step that may ramp up pressure on Fiat Chrysler. The suit could ultimately help lead to a settlement, as in an earlier probe of rival Volkswagen AG that will cost VW up to $25 billion, but which affected a much larger number of vehicles. VW admitted to intentionally cheating while Fiat Chrysler denies wrongdoing. It did not immediately comment on Tuesday. US-listed Fiat Chrysler shares were down 2.9 percent at $10.44. The suit also names Fiat Chrysler's unit V.M. Motori SpA, which designed the engine in question. Reuters reported last week the Justice Department and EPA have obtained internal emails and other documents written in Italian that look at engine development and emissions issues that raise significant questions. The investigation has scrutinized VM Motori. FCA acquired a 50 percent stake in VM Motori in 2010 and the remainder in October 2013. The lawsuit asserts the Italian-American automaker placed undeclared "defeat devices," or auxiliary emissions controls, in 2014-2016 Fiat Chrysler diesel vehicles that led to "much higher" than allowable levels of nitrogen oxide, or NOx pollution, which is linked to smog formation and respiratory problems. The suit seeks injunctive relief and unspecified civil penalties. EPA said in January the maximum fine is about $4.6 billion. In January, EPA and California accused Fiat Chrysler of illegally using undisclosed software to allow excess diesel emissions in 104,000 U.S. 2014-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks. Fiat Chrysler said on Friday it plans to update software that it expects will resolve the concerns of U.S. regulators about excess emissions in those vehicles. The January notice was the result of regulators' investigation of rival Volkswagen, which prompted the government to review emissions from all other passenger diesel vehicles. Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 to installing secret software allowing its cars to emit up to 40 times legal pollution levels. In total, VW has agreed to spend up to $25 billion in the United States to address claims from owners, environmental regulators, states and dealers and offered to buy back about 500,000 polluting US vehicles.

James Bond to drive Fiat 500 in next film

After the return of James Bond's classic Aston Martin DB5 for some scenes in SkyFall, the spy with a license to kill is reportedly hopping into something much more mainstream for his next film. The upcoming Bond movie allegedly features a car chase through Rome in a Fiat 500, according to Sky News from info obtained by Italian news agency ANSA. The Italian capital is also rumored to play host to other action scenes in the film, and shooting for these portions allegedly runs through February and March of 2015. There's no word yet whether a modern or vintage 500 would be the star, but using a current 500 Abarth could keep things exciting, although we hope James gets behind the wheel of something a bit more exciting along the way, too. Regardless of which Fiat Bond drives, it still wouldn't match the Citroen 2CV chase in For Your Eyes Only as the spy's most plebeian automotive choice. The name for the next Bond movie isn't revealed yet, but filming is supposed to start in the coming weeks, according to Sky News. Daniel Craig returns for his fourth outing as the world's most famous fictitious spy, and Sam Mendes is reportedly in the director's chair again after helming SkyFall, as well.