2014 Fiat 500l Trekking on 2040-cars

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The Fiat 500X packs 2.4 liters of disappointment

Our long-term 2016 Fiat 500X is a fine little crossover that's nearly undone by a underwhelming and often frustrating powertrain. The 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder/nine-speed automatic combo can be found in a number of FCA products. In every single application I've used this engine, the takeaway has been the same: It's a boat anchor. I like our 500X, I really do. I haven't spent as much time behind the wheel as I would like, but I've put thousands of miles on its platform twin, the Jeep Renegade, and two vehicles are essentially the same underneath. The Tigershark 2.4-liter makes 180 horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque, good numbers on paper, but in practice the engine is buzzy and slow to rev. The engine feels dated. In contrast, the base 1.4-liter turbocharged engine feels much more lively despite being down 20 horsepower. The low-end grunt is owed to the 9 additional pound-feet of torque the engine makes over the 2.4-liter. It may not match it on the top end, but not many people are running a 500X to redline. The issue I have is that the 2.4-liter is the only available option on the higher-spec models like our Trekking Plus, so if you want some options you're stuck with this engine. The 2.4-liter is exclusively paired to a 9-speed automatic transmission that's built by ZF. As great as some of ZF's other gearboxes are, this 9-speed is varying degrees of bad in every application that I've used it, including the Honda Pilot, Acura TLX, and Jeep Cherokee and Renegade. Shifts can be abrupt, and the manic transmission is constantly hunting in an effort to find the most fuel-efficient gear. More than once I've been left waiting for a kick down in order to move with some gusto. Don't let my harping about the powertrain warp your vision of the 500X. It's a fun little vehicle and arguably Fiat's best product (the 124 Spider is mostly Mazda), but it's frustrating when a pleasant little crossover is brought down by such a lackluster powertrain, made worse by knowing the 1.4-liter is so much better. There's an easy fix, Fiat: Offer the 1.4-liter in all engine trims. And to be fair, it's almost kind of fun around a racetrack. See the video below. Related Video:

Fiat Chrysler parts firm Magneti Marelli sold for $7.1B

TOKYO/MILAN — Japan's Calsonic Kansei, owned by U.S. private equity firm KKR, has agreed to buy Fiat Chrysler's Magneti Marelli for 6.2 billion euros ($7.1 billion) to form the seventh-largest independent car parts supplier. The first big deal by FCA's newly-appointed chief executive Mike Manley, who took over in July after the sudden death of long-time boss Sergio Marchionne, creates a company with revenue of 15.2 billion euros ($17.5 billion), the companies said. The newly formed Magneti Marelli CK Holdings is likely to cut costs through synergies and expand its customer base as components makers try to keep up with a shift by carmakers into autonomous driving, connected cars and electric vehicles. "This combination with Calsonic Kansei has emerged as an ideal opportunity to accelerate Magneti Marelli's future growth," Manley said on Monday of the FCA unit, which specializes in lighting, powertrain and high-tech electronics. FCA shares were up 5.2 percent at 0906 GMT as investors welcomed the hefty price tag, which will boost FCA's net cash position and raises expectations of a share buyback. "Getting this transaction completed at the price agreed is a significant early milestone and accomplishment," George Galliers, an analyst at Evercore ISI, said of Manley and his team's ability to match Marchionne's deal-making reputation. Marchionne had set in motion a process to spin off the unit and distribute its shares to FCA shareholders by early 2019, but said in June that FCA would still be "receptive" to an offer. Neither FCA nor its top shareholder, Fiat's founding Agnelli family, will have a stake in the combined business, but FCA said it would enter into a multi-year agreement to secure supplies to its plants and also to maintain operations and staff in Italy. Part of a global expansion KKR bought Calsonic from Nissan and other shareholders in 2016, saying it would help the parts maker, which relies on the Japanese carmaker for most of its sales, to expand globally. Calsonic has been in talks with FCA for months and made an initial 5.8 billion euro bid, sources have said. FCA does not break out earnings for Magneti Marelli, which sits within its components unit alongside robotics specialist Comau and castings firm Teksid. The unit employs around 43,000 people and operates in 19 countries. A takeover of Magneti Marelli had remained elusive as potential bidders were offering too little or were only interested in some parts of the business.

Fiat loses $14k on every 500e it builds, Marchionne doesn't want you to buy one

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne made some interesting comments during a frank and entertaining talk at the Brookings Institution earlier today, saying he hoped that no one bought the Fiat 500e, the well-received EV based on the adorable Italian car.
"I hope you don't buy it," said Marchionne, during a talk and question-and-answer session that focused on the aftermath of the automotive bailouts, "because every time I sell one, it costs me $14,000."
"I'm honest enough to tell you that I'll make the car, I'll make it available, which is my requirement. I'll sell the limit of what I'm required to sell and not one more," Marchionne said. "If we build just those vehicles, we'll be back in Steve [Rattner's] successor's office in Washington asking for a second bailout, because we'll be bankrupt by Christmas"