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Fiat Panda Cross is a tiny off-roader for city and country

Fiat already offered its compact Panda in a slightly off-road oriented 4X4 trim, but at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show it's debuting the Panda Cross that takes the style even farther. The Panda Cross is meant to be a utilitarian hatchback that drivers can use in the dirt if the need arises.
The Cross comes standard with an all-wheel-drive system with a standard electronic-locking differential, and for added traction, drivers can lock the diff below 30 miles per hour. Power is provided by either a 1.3-liter diesel four-cylinder with 80 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque or the 900-cc turbocharged two-cylinder with 90 hp and 107 lb-ft. Both engines are mated to a six-speed manual.
On the outside, the Panda Cross gets a new front air dam that looks like drilled metal and fog lights integrated into the front end. The rear is reworked with chrome tailpipes and a bumper painted to look like a skid plate. The interior is a mix of fabric and pleather seats, plus a copper-colored dashboard. The Panda Cross will be on sale in Europe this fall, but don't expect to see it Stateside. Feel free to read more in the press release below.

North America profit helps Fiat Chrysler limit its losses from coronavirus

MILAN — Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) posted a smaller-than-expected operating loss in the second quarter, as a small profit in North America helped to limit the damage wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. FCA said on Friday it had an adjusted loss before interest and tax of 928 million euros ($1.1 billion) in April-June, versus a forecast 1.87 billion euro ($2.2 billion) loss in an analyst poll compiled by Reuters. The group also said it made adjusted earnings before interest and tax of 39 million euros ($46.2 million) in North America, the home market of its Jeep and Ram brands, in the quarter. Milan-listed FCA shares were up 1.2% at 1125 GMT, after being little changed before the results. Chief Executive Mike Manley said the group's plants were up and running and car dealers were selling in showrooms and online, following disruptions caused by the pandemic. "We have the flexibility and financial strength to push ahead with our plans," he said in a statement. FCA, which is set to tie-up with Peugeot maker PSA to create Stellantis, the world's fourth largest carmaker, said on ongoing probe launched by European Commission competition authorities was not expected to delay the merger timetable. Despite the pandemic, PSA earlier this week delivered a profit in the first half of the year and stuck to its medium-term margin goal. FCA said its industrial free cash flow was minus 4.9 billion euros in the second quarter, with a slightly lower cash burn compared with January-March.  

New Fiat 500 Abarth confirmed, reveal coming in November

Though it's been absent from America for a few years, the Fiat 500 continues on overseas. But the line has been strangely split. The main 500 is a recently redesigned car from the ground up, and is electric only. Meanwhile, the 500 Abarth has survived, but it's still mostly the same car introduced more than a decade ago. And the obvious question has been, will there be a new one? The answer is yes. And we're going to see it soon. The past couple of weeks, Abarth has been sharing teasers about a new product. Two of those teasers were very explicit. On Monday, it announced the product would be a new 500 Abarth, and it would be shown on November 22. And on Tuesday, it showed a glimpse of the car, which is shown at top (original teaser post below). This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Looking closely, we can see that this new Abarth is based on the electric 500. It has the same headlights that are split by the hood about 75% of the way up. It also has the circular turn signals with body color inserts. Combined with the vivid lime green and humming, electrical noises in the background, we have to assume that the new Abarth will be battery powered. Assuming the electric Abarth follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, it should have more aggressive styling, sportier suspension, and likely extra horsepower.  We won't have long to learn more with the reveal just a couple of weeks away. It's also likely going to fuel our desire to have the Fiat 500 return to America, since it offers a lot of style and solid range for not a lot of money. A part of us holds out hope that Fiat will bring it here, since according to the L.A. Auto Show press conference schedule, Fiat has a conference. We genuinely don't know what will be announced, but it sure would be great timing to announce the electric 500 for America and then drop a hot version a week later. Or it could just be a 500X update. We'll find that out even sooner. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Autoblog Short Cut: Fiat 500 Abarth Hot Lap