2013 Fiat 500c Lounge on 2040-cars

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Ram and Jeep Wrangler drive Fiat Chrysler profits up 61 percent

MILAN — Italian American automaker Fiat Chrysler says fourth-quarter net profits rose by 61 percent, powered by North American sales of the all-new Ram 1500 and Jeep Wrangler. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Thursday reported quarterly net profits of 1.29 billion euros ($1.46 billion), compared with 804 million euros in 2017. Revenues rose 6 percent to 30.6 billion euros. North America profits grew by 19 percent to 6.2 billion euros, accounting for the lion's share of the automaker's global profits. The carmaker continued to have trouble in Asia, which swung to a loss due to market weakness in China and more competition in Fiat Chrysler's core SUV market. Europe also lost ground, with profits dipping 44 percent on lower shipments and weaker pricing, while Latin America more than doubled. Based on the company's earnings last year, 44,000 unionized U.S. auto workers will get $6,000 profit-sharing checks. That's $500 more than in 2017, but smaller than U.S. rivals Ford and General Motors. On Wednesday, GM announced that workers would get $10,750, while Ford workers will get $7,600.Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2014 Fiat 500L

Unexpectedly, This Opposite Attracts
Back in 2007 when the Fiat 500 was launched, I was unrepentantly nuts about the thing. From the first time my eyes clapped on the Nuevo Cinquecento at the Geneva Motor Show that year, I wanted one. Since there were no plans for a North American model at the time, I had to settle for purchasing a 1/18th-scale diecast at the expo. When Fiat finally returned to the US and the Cinquecento went on sale in 2011, I was no less excited.
And then I drove one, and the bloom was off my little Italian rose. Oh, I still appreciated its size and high style, but I found it wholly unsatisfying to drive, something that wouldn't be rectified until the Abarth arrived. It wasn't that the standard 500 was slow - I expected that - it was that its wonky driving position, lackluster transmissions and ropey steering all stood in the way of appreciating its other virtues. The Abarth's characterful powertrain would eventually come along to alleviate most of those pains, but not all of them.

Fiat's Centoventi Concept previews an electric Panda city car

The Fiat Panda is about to be born again. Fiat has presented the Centoventi EV concept at the Geneva Motor Show, and it bears the look of a future Panda redesign. Going with "ABC," as Fiat says, "Affordable but Cool," the Centoventi stands for Fiat's 120th anniversary. It kicks Fiat's long-awaited EV transformation into motion, building on the time-honored basic mobility aesthetics that have served Fiat so well in earlier years. The design of the Centoventi is similar to the utilitarian, super-basic look that the 1980 Panda rode on when it was revealed, blending that into the small five-door hatchback dimensions of more recent Pandas. There are numerous styling cues dating back to the original "141" Panda — the enormous, unpainted, city-suitable boxed arches are covered in a similar subtle ribbing as the 1980 Panda's lower body. The bumper lights are squares similar to the Panda's headlights, and the Italian flag stripe on the front is offset just like the grille on the Panda. The dashboard is another throwback to 1980: the classic, super-simple Panda instrument cluster has been rethought for 2020 with full digitalization and smartphone connectivity, but it still retains the same shape. And there are open-roof options, just like with the classic Panda. The Centoventi has suicide doors with no B pillar. We would expect the eventual production version to do away with this for crashworthiness reasons, but in the interests of showing off the modular, sneaker-like interior, it probably serves the concept well. Only Fiat can compare the car's interior to a Crocs shoe and successfully pull it off. And the customizable sneaker attitude encompasses the entire car: The idea is that the car is just a "blank canvas," produced in just one version and color, and the customer can choose the colors and style of the roof, the bumpers, the hubcaps and additional wraps, fitted by the dealer. The roof options comprise a polycarbonate top, an opening canvas one, a roof with an integrated cargo box or one with a solar panel setup generating power to cool the car's cabin. The battery packs continue with the modular theme. The basic battery of the EV is good for 62 miles, but those can be multiplied, with a servicing garage adding more batteries for a maximum range of 310 miles. One add-on battery fits under a seat, and it can be charged at home, in the style of an electric bike.