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Swatch unleashes fleet of Fiats to sell MoonSwatches across the U.S.

The Omega Speedmaster is one of the most sought-after and iconic watches ever made, so it was no surprise when parent company Swatch got in on the action with a series of unique, entry-level quartz “MoonSwatch” collaboration watches. Buying the hot-selling bio-ceramic watches has been a chore, as Swatch only offers them in its limited number of stores. To help meet demand and promote the watches, the company is releasing a fleet of Fiat Cinquecentos to select locations where theyÂ’ll sell the timepieces on the streets. The MoonSwatch retails for $260, but their limited release pushed online resale “values” over $1,000 in some cases. The planet-themed watches arenÂ’t limited, but Swatch refuses to sell them online. The Fiat fleet will feature the same themes and visit cities around the country starting October 22. Swatch's “Mission to Mars” car will start its journey in Miami and hit other cities around Florida, while the “Mission to the Sun” Fiat will tour major metro areas in California. The blue “Mission to Neptune” car will visit locations in the Midwest. Though the tour began in July, the American portion doesnÂ’t start until this weekend. In all, eleven vehicles will travel the globe selling the watch. Swatch hasnÂ’t given out a set schedule and doesnÂ’t plan to, only saying that the cars will cover three regions in the United States. If you live in one of the regions listed, your best bet to snag a MoonSwatch is to keep your eyes peeled. Swatch also hasnÂ’t detailed which watch models each car will offer, so finding one doesnÂ’t guarantee youÂ’ll get the planet/color you want. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Weird Car News Fiat watch

Stellantis to halt production at Melfi, Italy, car plant in April, union says

MILAN — Carmaker Stellantis will halt production at its plant in Melfi, southern Italy, April 2-12 because of low demand triggered by the COVID-19 crisis, the UILM union said on Monday. Production at the plant, where the world's fourth largest automaker makes Jeep Renegade and Compass models and the Fiat 500X compact SUV, has been repeatedly disrupted due to weak demand and semiconductor supply shortages. The FIM CISL union said last week the firm was considering permanently closing one of its two production lines at the Melfi plant to address excess capacity in Italy. European car registrations fell 23% year on year in the first two months of this year, according to industry data, as protracted coronavirus lockdowns and consequent uncertainty keep impacting spending decisions among families and businesses. UILM's Gianluca Ficco said on Monday the company told unions the latest Melfi production freeze was specifically due to low demand and not a result of the global chip shortage. A spokesman for Stellantis confirmed the plant would be closed in that April 2-12 period. All of Melfi's more than 7,000 workers would be put on a furlough scheme for the period.  

How GM ended up suing its crosstown rival Fiat Chrysler

DETROIT — Automakers sue each other on occasion, but no one in Detroit can remember one accusing another of bribing union officials to get an unfair labor cost advantage. Yet thatÂ’s what happened Wednesday when General Motors filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. ItÂ’s based on a widening federal investigation into corruption involving officials of the United Auto Workers union, and shortly after the lawsuit was filed, the unionÂ’s president Gary Jones stepped down. The 95-page complaint could affect ongoing contract talks between the union and Fiat Chrysler, the lone automaker of DetroitÂ’s big three thatÂ’s still in negotiations. It also could cause jitters with French automaker PSA Peugeot, which has reached an agreement to merge with the Italian-American automaker. Here are some questions and answers about the lawsuit and its impact: Why did GM sue? GM alleges that Fiat Chrysler senior executives, including now-deceased CEO Sergio Marchionne, paid $1.5 million in bribes to UAW officials for nearly a decade and corrupted the bargaining process with the union in the 2009, 2011 and 2015 contracts to gain advantages over General Motors. The lawsuit says that because of the bribes, which were funneled through a joint UAW-Fiat Chrysler training center, the union allowed Fiat Chrysler to use more lower-paid temporary workers. Also, FCA in 2015 did not have to limit the number of newly hired workers who make less and get lower-cost benefits than older workers hired before 2007. GM contends it couldnÂ’t negotiate similar union concessions that FCA was able to get through bribery. GM could only hire a limited number of temporary and lower-paid new workers, called “second tier” workers, which unfairly increased its labor costs by billions of dollars. It alleges the higher labor costs had another purpose — to force GM into a merger with FCA that Marchionne wanted. GM did wind up with higher labor costs, which until the lawsuit had not been linked to the federal corruption probe. Before contract talks with all three automakers began last summer, the Center for Automotive Research, an industry think tank, determined Fiat ChryslerÂ’s total hourly labor costs including wages and benefits were about $55 per hour, $8 less per hour than GM and $6 lower than Ford. At a Wall Street conference in New York on Thursday, GM CEO Mary Barra said her company can compete on a level playing field.