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Fiat 500X Pop gets Sport Appearance Package

At last November's L.A. Auto Show, Fiat debuted a new trim for the 500X compact crossover, the 500X Sport. Attempting to add a "youthful, sporty appearance" to the 500X lineup, the Sport model included the new Rovente Red color, shed the dark molding and cladding on other trims, and adopted new exterior elements like fog lights and dual chrome-finished tailpipes. The model hasn't made it to the Fiat USA site yet, but Mopar Insiders says there is more sportiness on the way for the 500X. The base Pop trim will get a Sport Appearance Package to inject some exterior pizzazz at for thousands less than the price of the Sport model. The package add the front and rear fascias from the Sport model, front fog lights, body-colored wheel arch moldings and side sills, 18-inch aluminum sport wheels, dark gray accents throughout, and "dual bright exhaust tips." As far as we can tell, the Pop with the Sport Appearance Package differs outside from the proper Sport trim by retaining the halogen projector headlights, fitting darker fog light housings, and being limited to 18-inch wheels. The standard Pop only comes with 17-inch wheels, the standard Sport trim with an 18-inch wheel but it offers an optional 19-inch wheel wrapped in Michelin rubber. Also, major options on the Pop don't change, meaning it won't offer the choice of a black roof as on the Sport trim. The Sport trim makes a host of changes to the inside, too, which the Sport Appearance Package doesn't. Buyers can order the jaunty overhaul for the Pop in four colors: Bianco White, Grigio Moda, Italia Blue, and Rovente Red. The Sport Appearance Package will cost $795, meaning one could get out for $27,030 after destination but before taxes and fees. The Sport trim was announced with an MSRP of $29,390, making it the second-most-expensive 500X in the range, above the $27,740 Trekking, below the $30,990 Trekking Plus. The Sport Appearance Package has not appeared on the Fiat USA configurator yet, but it shouldn't be far off.  Update: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the Sport trim was not on the Fiat USA configurator. Only the Sport Appearance Package hasn't appeared yet. The mistake has been corrected. Related Video:    

Ex-Fiat exec: VW diesel scandal will hurt plug-in hybrids

It doesn't sound right at first blush, but former Fiat executive and noted diesel-powertrain expert Rinaldo Rinolfi thinks that plug-in hybrid sales may be more impacted by the VW diesel-emissions scandal than diesel sales. Rinolfi, who worked for Fiat for 40 years, told Automotive News Europe, said that the Euro 6 emissions rules that went into effect in 2015 have already increased diesel-engine production costs enough to raise prices and ultimately flatten demand. By the end of the decade, diesel-vehicle sales will settle in at a 40-percent market share of new European vehicles, and that was going to happen with or without the scandal. "Every carmaker has found ways to achieve fuel consumption and emissions results that have progressively diverged from the real driving conditions." - Rinaldo Rinolfi Makers of plug-in hybrids have more to lose, though, because every PHEV maker has figured out a way to keep emissions figures artificially low, Rinolfi said. Under New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standards, PHEVs can be tested part of the time with the electric motor in action, meaning emissions get driven down to 30 percent to 40 percent less than real-world figures. With the VW scandal pushing regulators to use real-world figures, those PHEV emissions numbers are expected to rise substantially. To a lesser extent, hybrid emissions figures are also tested as artificially low. "Over the years, even without defeat devices, every carmaker has found ways to achieve fuel consumption and emissions results that have progressively diverged from the real driving conditions the customer experiences," Rinolfi said in the Automotive News Europe interview. Rinolfi is a little sunnier about compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, estimating that CNG emissions are as much as 25 percent lower compared to conventional vehicles. As for battery-electrics, he's not so optimistic, estimating that there needs to be at least a tenfold improvement in energy efficiency for EVs to be truly competitive with conventional vehicles. "I've been waiting for a true breakthrough for the past 25 years, but I've not seen it yet," Rinolfi said about EVs in the Automotive News Europe interview. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News Europe-sub.req.Image Credit: Arnd Wiegmann / Reuters Green Fiat Volkswagen Diesel Vehicles Electric Hybrid diesel emissions scandal nedc

Barracuda's Dodge branding no biggie, but what about engines?

Rumors about a revival of the Barracuda nameplate have been circulating for years now, though which brand it might fall under has been a bit of a mystery. Initial speculation had the car labeled an SRT product, but that acronym has since returned to its former role as a sub-brand for top-performance Mopars. Thanks to leaks from a recent FCA dealership event, we know the Barracuda is back on the table but will be sold under the Dodge umbrella, a move that has been generating a bit of ire from Pentastar fanatics, as the car was originally part of the defunct Plymouth brand. Given what's known about the new model, however, the badge is the least of my concerns about the new car. Let's start with the re-branding itself. This isn't the first time Chrysler has shuffled models around to different brands. The current-generation Viper spent two years as the flagship model under the SRT banner, only to return to Dodge for 2015 when SRT resumed its former role as a sub-brand. Years ago, the Neon was sold as a Plymouth, a Dodge, and a Chrysler model, depending on where you shopped for one. When Plymouth ceased to exist, the last few years of Prowler production got Chrysler badges instead. Then there's the new Jeep Renegade, a model whose name was born out of a trim level. The Barracuda might not turn out to be a muscle car in the way we currently define them. Further examples of naming liberties taken throughout automotive history could fill a book, but suffice it to say that these days a model's name has very little to do with the vehicle itself or any legacy it might have. The Barracuda name might be a particularly sacred cow with enthusiasts, but to me, a much bigger concern is the fact that the car might not turn out to be a muscle car in the way we currently define them. News from the Fiat Chrysler dealer briefing earlier this week indicates that when the next Charger debuts it will share its platform with the Barracuda, much the way the Charger and Challenger are twinned now. One difference is that the Barracuda is tipped to be offered as a convertible, while the modern Challenger is tintop-only. The Charger and Barracuda will use the rear-drive platform developed for Alfa Romeo's new Giulia, itself designed as a BMW M3 fighter both from a dimensional and dynamic standpoint; the Barracuda is expected to be slightly smaller than the current Challenger.