White With Black Cloth Cd 6 Speakers Mp3 Decoder Air Conditioning Power Windows on 2040-cars

Auto blog

For some, getting a Fiat 500e last week was almost free

Auto-racing clubs know a thing or two about moving fast. And a couple of them out in California appeared to do just that when a bunch of incentives for the Fiat 500e electric vehicle added up to a pretty sweet deal. Actually, a borderline free one. Green Car Reports was kind enough to do the math on the calculation of an $83-a-month, three-year lease deal on that included a $2,100 perk and required an $11,000 downpayment on the $32,000 car. California and federal government incentives for EVs cut that downpayment down to $1,000 out of pocket once the incentives ($7,500 from the feds, $2,500 from the state) were factored in by the leasing company. Then, Fiat-Chrysler was throwing in another $1,000 for folks who were leasing a car from another car company, hence the freebie. That means some lucky people, at least temporarily, were able to work basically a zero-downpayment agreement for a three-year lease on a car whose monthly payment is the equivalent of about two full tanks of gas. Once word of those perks got around to some California racing clubs, about 100 500e vehicles to be moved off of California lots during the past week or so. Plugged in, indeed. Related Videos: Featured Gallery 2013 Fiat 500e: Review View 40 Photos News Source: Green Car Reports Green Chrysler Fiat incentives fiat 500e

Fiat Grande Panda is a compact hatchback with a serious attitude

Earlier in 2024, Fiat announced plans to turn the Panda — which has been one of its smallest and most affordable models since 1980 — into a full range of models. The first member of the extended Panda family is a compact, crossover-like hatchback called Grande Panda. Stretching to 157 inches long, the Grande Panda stands out with angular styling and a futuristic-looking front end. There's a tiny bit of retro hiding in that 22nd-century-like stare: The Fiat logo is offset to the side, like it was on the pre-facelift version of the original Panda. The black plastic cladding, the skid plate-like trim on the front bumper, and the roof rails give the hatchback a rugged look, while the rear lights create another visual link to the first-generation Panda. What's certain is that the Grande Panda looks like nothing else on European roads. We haven't seen the interior yet. We're told it seats five, and we hope the cabin will be at least as distinctive as the exterior. Technical specifications haven't been released. Fiat noted that it built the Grande Panda on a multi-energy platform to offer both hybrid and electric variants. Four-wheel-drive is a big part of the Panda's heritage, but we're guessing the Grande will settle for front-wheel-drive. Fiat will release more details about the Grande Panda in the coming months. The model will be sold in Europe, in the Middle East, and in Africa, but nothing suggests we'll see it in the United States. As for the current, third-generation Panda, it's sticking around for the time being. It was renamed Pandina in February 2024, and it's tentatively scheduled to remain on the market through 2027. It's old by car standards — it made its debut at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show. It remains one of the cheapest new cars in Europe and one of Fiat's best-sellers, however.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.