2013 Fiat 500 Pop on 2040-cars

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2020 Fiat 500X Sport expands lineup and color palette

Fiat trotted out the new and improved 500X at the 2018 LA Auto Show. This year the Italian carmaker follows up at Automobility LA with the new 500X Sport trim intended to bestow a "youthful, sporty appearance" on the 500X lineup. That starts with the Rovente Red hue added to the color palette, "rovente" being Italian for "scorching." The Sport gets a new front fascia that omits the rugged-looking moldings on the Trekking trims, puts fog lights in discrete housings at the lower corners, and paints the lower lip in body color. Along the sides, the normally dark wheel arch liners and side moldings are swapped for body color as well, while the mirrors and door handles get dark-finish accents to go with a Sport badge on the front fender. In back, dark-finish trim across the tailgate and twin, chrome-finish tailpipes let the Fiat clan know this one is the feisty one. Standard fit is a set of 18-inch wheels in a new design. For the first time on the 500X model, 19-inch wheels are an option, wrapped here in Michelin CrossClimate all-season tires. Up top, buyers can take advantage of another new option, a black roof. The interior goes dark top and bottom. Instead of the light-colored upper space, the headliner and pillars have been finished in deep gray materials while the new Sport seats wear black fabric with vinyl inserts and a gray "500" logo. Bright flashes come in the aluminum pedal trim covers and instrument panel bezel finish. The steering wheel invites grip with "techno-leather" and Alcantara, plus proper paddle shifters. Alcantara also adorns the brow over the gauge cluster, the gauges themselves done up with tweaked graphics. Motivation comes from the same 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder found in the rest of the 500X lineup in the U.S., putting out 177 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque through a nine-speed automatic to all four wheels with on-demand all-wheel drive.  When the 500X Sport goes on sale in early 2020, dealers will ask $26,895 plus a $1,495 destination charge, for a total of $29,390. Pricing puts the Sport above the $27,740 Trekking while the top trim remains the $30,990 Trekking Plus.

Fiat pondering swallowing rest of Chrysler, US IPO

At the moment, Fiat is in court with the United Auto Workers, waiting for the justice system to provide some guidance on a fair price for 41.5-percent of Chrysler it doesn't own. Fiat owns 58.5 percent of the company and wishes to buy the remainder, which is owned by the union's VEBA retiree trust, but the Italian company and the UAW are on different sides of the galaxy when it comes to assigning a fair price to that outstanding stake.
Naturally, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is considering his options. A new report in the The Wall Street Journal says one of the scenarios being considered now is - depending on the outcome of the court case - to purchase the 41.5-percent stake and then issue an IPO to recoup some of the cost. About two months ago, Marchionne put the odds of an IPO for a wholly combined Fiat/Chrysler at 50 percent. Even with the WSJ report, it's not clear if those odds have changed.
The current company structure leaves a lot of options as to how a potential IPO could be issued, but it's said that Marchionne is against it, preferring "to be one company," under Fiat, indivisible. If Fiat is finally able to purchase all of the Pentastar, it would get access to Chrysler's war chest, pegged at $11.9 billion at the end of Q3 in 2012, and that money can't come soon enough for a brand taking a beating in Europe and delaying product over cash concerns.

India's classic Premier Padmini taxi killed by emissions laws

As part of an eco-conscious measure to fight pollution in 2008, the government in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, banned all taxis 25 years and older. In 2013, that was changed to 20 years old. With each ruling, thousands of Premier Padmini taxis, an iconic car that transported the people of Mubai for decades, have disappeared from the roads. At the end of 2019, it was estimated that about 50 late-year Padminis were still driving, and in 2020, the survivors will cruise their last rides. An article from NPR explores the vehicle's history and the impact it had on the region's culture. The Padmini's origins begin in the '60s in the form of a Fiat 1100D, also known as a Delight 1100. The Fiat model served as the base for what first debuted as the Premier President from Premier Automobiles. It was later renamed the Premier Padmini after a famous Indian royal.  The car became extremely popular and sales shot up as it became the taxi of choice. Officials estimate roughly 60,000 Padminis were in Mumbai at the car's peak. Unfortunately, an open market and an influx of modern cars in the '90s doomed the black and yellow taxi, and production ended in 2000. Their last month to drive is June 2020. As the car becomes more myth than tangible reality, some artists have dedicated their works to honoring a vehicle that serviced millions of people from numerous generations. Check out the full article on NPR.   This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.