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Fiat 500X poised for Paris catwalk

We've known for some time that the new, Fiat-based baby Jeep (which may or may not be called the Jeepster) is set to arrive at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. What we weren't sure of was whether its platform mate, the so-called Fiat 500X, would be doing so alongside or at a later date. Well, according to Reuters, we'll get to see the first all-wheel-drive 500 later this year in the City of Lights.
Yes, we can expect the 500X to arrive at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, according to an official with an Italian trade union. The unnamed source cited retooling at Fiat's Melfi factory, in southern Italy, which currently produces the Grande Punto. It's expected that the newest member of the growing 500 family will replace the Suzuki SX4-based Fiat Sedici, although when the X will go on sale remains an open question.
According to Reuters, both the Jeepster and 500X will be built alongside each other in Italy. Whether the 500X will cross the pond with it's slat-grilled cousin, though, remains to be seen (we're leaning towards yes).

2019 Jeep Renegade reveals front fascia details

Over the past few months, details of the new 2019 Jeep Renegade subcompact crossover SUV have been trickling out via spy shots. This latest batch show that the front fascia, specifically the front bumper, is getting a number of subtle changes. Among the more noticeable tweaks are the new side vents in the bumper. They've been given a triangular design. Besides offering a nice chunky look, they also encompass the turn signals. This is a cleaner, better integrated look than the current model, which just leaves those indicators in their own little spots in the bumper. The foglights have changed, too. They're now significantly larger, and sit farther inboard in the main grille in the bumper. Moving up in the fascia, we see that the Renegade is getting some new headlights. At least on this model, there's an LED daytime running light halo in the headlamps. It also has a horizontal insert that appears to house an LED headlight element just like that on the new Wrangler. We've seen other prototypes with conventional halogen reflector headlights like on the current model, and we expect they will continue to be used on lower-spec models. There aren't many other changes to see. The rear of the truck looks roughly the same, as do the flanks. From past prototypes, we know that it will continue to have a massive touchscreen option for the infotainment. There also may be a hybrid model. It could be a very mild electric-assist like that on the four-cylinder Wrangler and the V8 and V6 Ram 1500s, or it could be something more. We expect to see the new Renegade revealed by the end of the year at the earliest, and certainly by the end of the next auto show season. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2019 Jeep Renegade Spy Shots View 9 Photos Image Credit: KGP Photography Spy Photos Jeep Crossover SUV Off-Road Vehicles jeep renegade

China-FCA merger could be a win-win for everyone but politicians

NEW YORK — Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne has said the car industry needs to come together, cut costs and stop incinerating capital. So far, his words have mostly fallen on deaf ears among competitors in Europe and North America. But it appears Marchionne has finally found a receptive audience — in China. FCA shares soared Monday after trade publication Automotive News reported the $18 billion Italian-American conglomerate controlled by the Agnelli family rebuffed a takeover from an unidentified carmaker from the Chinese mainland. As ugly as the politics of such a combination may appear at first blush, a transaction could stack up industrially, and perhaps even financially. A Sino-U.S.-European merger would create the first truly global auto group. That could push consolidation to the next level elsewhere. Moreover, China is the world's top market for the SUVs that Jeep effectively invented, so it might benefit FCA financially. A combo would certainly help upgrade the domestic manufacturer; Chinese carmakers have gotten better at making cars, but struggle to build global brands, and they need to develop export markets. Though frivolous overseas shopping excursions by Chinese enterprises are being reined in by Beijing, acquisitions that support the modernization and transformation of strategic industries still receive support, and the government considers the automotive industry to be strategic. A purchase of FCA by Guangzhou Automobile, Great Wall or Dongfeng Motors would probably get the same stamp of approval ChemChina was given for its $43 billion takeover of Syngenta. What's standing in the way? Apart from price (Automotive News said FCA's board deemed the offer insufficient) there's the not-insignificant matter of politics. Even as FCA shares soared, President Donald Trump interrupted his vacation to instruct the U.S. Trade Representative to look into whether to investigate China's trade policies on intellectual property. Seeing storied Detroit brands like Jeep, Chrysler, Ram and Dodge handed off to a Chinese company would provoke howls among Trump's economic-nationalist supporters. It might not play well in Italy, either, to see Alfa Romeo and Maserati answering to Wuhan instead of Turin — though Automotive News said they might be spun off separately. Yet, as Morgan Stanley observes, "cars don't ship across oceans easily," and political considerations increasingly demand local manufacture of valuable products.