2014 Fiat 500l Trekking on 2040-cars

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Fiat 500 Abarth made from models in body paint [w/video]

Fiat has taken an interesting approach to its advertising for ESPN The Magazine's annual Body Issue. Rather than just hiring an athlete to stand next to a car or sit in a car, it's actually built a car out of athletes. (And not unlike some naked-lady-motorcycles we've seen before.)
Using body artist Craig Tracy and more than a dozen very talented, very muscular, and very flexible models, Fiat has developed an interesting ad that is, according to the head of Fiat Brand North America, Jason Stoicevich, "as visually unique as the Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio." We can't really argue with that statement, as we've never seen an ad quite like this before.
If you aren't interested in picking up a copy of ESPN The Magazine, then at least take a look at this (slightly NSFW) video, which shows the effort that went into the ad and the degree of talent from the models. We've also posted the actual ad in the gallery, so you can get a closer look at what's at your local newsstand. Check out the video down below.

Fiat 500X scampers across the Alps

It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here. It's the new Fiat 500X: the rounder, somehow even more retro version of the Jeep Renegade. Joining an ever-expanding Cinquecento lineup alongside the 500, 500C and 500L, the new 500X is - to our eyes at least - the most handsome yet... better looking, at any rate, than the somewhat ungainly Mini Countryman. But despite its more fluid lines, the new 500X is barely any longer than the Renegade and only slightly less tall.
Taking the place of the previous Suzuki-based Sedici, Fiat will offer the new 500X in two versions (one more cosmopolitan, the other more rugged), with three transmissions, three traction systems and a whole mess of different engines. The list starts with a 1.4-liter turbo four with 140 horsepower and a 1.6-liter diesel with 120 hp, later to be joined by a 1.6-liter with 110 hp, a more powerful 1.4-liter turbo with 170 hp and finally the 2.4-liter Tigershark engine with 184 hp. Gearboxes will include 5- and 6-speed manuals and - in a Fiat first - a nine-speed automatic, driving the front wheels (with our without traction control) or all four.
Buyers will also be able to choose between 12 exterior colors, seven interior combinations and eight wheel designs ranging from 16 inches to 18, adding up to a long list of configurations to give the 500X the same kind of mass-customization options that have made its stablemate so successful. The 500X will be manufactured in Melfi, Italy, alongside its Jeep counterpart and will eventually reach over 100 markets around the world - including North America.

Fiat 500X gets up close and personal

Jeep's introduction of the Renegade just months ago at the Geneva Motor Show took the brand into new territory. Not only is it smaller than anything else Jeep makes, but it's also the first Jeep to be made outside of North America. But the Renegade is only half the equation.
Based on the same platform but with a much more rounded appearance will be a new Fiat crossover (at least tentatively) dubbed the 500X. Expected to arrive later this year, the 500X will replace the discontinued Suzuki-based Sedici and join the existing 500 hatchback, 500C convertible and 500L in Fiat's growing family of Cinquecento-themed models.
Pictured here in the latest batch of spy shots (sent to our photog by a sharp-eyed civilian, hence the slight quality issues), we can see the heavily disguised prototype up close, both inside and out. From the outside you can discern a much bubblier shape and rounded details than the Renegade, while the interior (apart from all the loose wires and warning signs) looks to adopt similar cues to the existing 500 family members, from the color-keyed dashboard panel to the rounded switchgear.