2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Hatchback on 2040-cars

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Audi rumored to buy Alfa Romeo, officials deny it

For more than two years, Volkswagen has been making public statements about its willingness to buy Alfa Romeo and quadruple the Italian brand's sales, and for just as long, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has replied with some version of "Mr. Piëch, drop it." According to a report in Ward's Auto, all that jousting might be over: it claims that sources close to both Marchionne and Audi CEO Rupert Stadler admit that the two are in talks for Audi to buy not just Alfa Romeo, but a production plant in Italy. In fact, a final deal could possibly include partsmaker Magnetti Marelli.
Against that backdrop, a report by German news weekly Stern quotes a Fiat spokesmen as saying it doesn't comment on rumors and an Audi rep has said flatly that "There is no substance in the news." If a sale is being arranged, the timing would seem to point to how eager Fiat is to raise cash to complete its major initiatives. Even though Alfa Romeo continues to delay its return to the US, it just showed off the production version of the 4C at the Geneva Motor Show (shown above) and said that preferred Fiat dealerships here would get them. Then there's Alfa's recently concluded deal with Mazda to develop a roadster based on the next generation MX-5 Miata - a deal that would seem to help both the Italian and Japanese brands.
The monetary issues are troublesome, though. Fiat is taking a beating in the European market and its weak-kneed balance sheet is delaying gotta-have-it products like the Jeep Cherokee. Fiat has been talking to banks about getting money to buy the rest of Chrysler and those financial institutions have also raised issues about debt and cash reserves, and the nasty game of chess Fiat is playing with the United Auto Workers (and now the court system about the portion of Chrysler it doesn't own) could end up blowing another hole in Marchionne's plans. It is possible that this could finally have convinced Fiat to at least see how serious Audi's parent company, Volkswagen, is about buying Alfa Romeo. Or it could be just another rumor.

2.1 million vehicles recalled again over faulty airbags

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Honda and Toyota will recall 2.1 million vehicles to fix faulty airbag modules "after the manufacturers' original attempts to fix the defects proved ineffective in some vehicles." These vehicles had all previously been recalled, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the airbags could still potentially malfunction. This recall will cover Acura MDX, Dodge Viper, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix and Toyota Avalon models made in the early 2000s. NHTSA has reportedly received about 40 reports of airbag deployment in such vehicles, even though the vehicle had not been involved in a crash. Roughly one million of these same vehicles, all from Honda and Toyota, are also subject to recalls due to faulty Takata airbag modules, though this particular recall is for "an electronic component manufactured by TRW" that is separate from the actual airbags from Takata. According to NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind: "This is unfortunately a complicated issue for consumers, who may have to return to their dealer more than once. But this is an urgent safety issue, and all consumers with vehicles covered by the previous recalls should have that remedy installed. Even though it's a temporary solution until the new remedy is available, they and their families will be safer if they take the time to learn if their vehicle is covered and follow their manufacturers' instructions. A hassle is much better than a family tragedy." If you're the owner of an affected car, expect to hear more from the official automaker and government channels in short order. In the meantime, we'd suggest getting your car checked and fixed at your local dealer. The official statement and recall information can be found below. Previously Recalled Vehicle Remedies Not Working as Designed; NHTSA Announces Follow up Recall of 2.12 Million Cars and SUVs Saturday, January 31, 2015 Contact: Gordon Trowbridge, 202-366-9550, Public.Affairs@dot.gov WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced today the recall of more than 2.12 million Acura, Dodge, Jeep, Honda, Pontiac, and Toyota vehicles for a defect that may cause airbags to deploy inadvertently. The recalls will provide vehicle owners with a new remedy after the manufacturers' original attempts to fix the defects proved ineffective in some vehicles.

Fiat announces an all-EV transition by 2030

Today, multiple European publications are reporting that Fiat boss Olivier Francois said that Fiat will become an EV-only brand.  Stellantis is talking a big game about its EV future. The new mashup of car brands initially made the claim that by 2030, 70% of Europe sales and 35% of U.S. sales will be of all-electric vehicles. Fiat going all-electric will help accomplish this goal. “Between 2025 and 2030, our product lineup will gradually become electric only. This will be a radical change for Fiat,” Francois says. ItÂ’s tough to pinpoint exactly what that means for the U.S. market, as Fiat is only hanging on by a shred here. The only 2021 model year car it sells now is the 500X. Both the 500L and 124 Spider are listed on FiatÂ’s website, but both are 2020 model year vehicles that arenÂ’t being renewed. The regular 500 is long gone, and thereÂ’s no indication that the redesigned electric-only 500 is on its way. If the U.S. does get to enjoy FiatÂ’s electric future one day, it could very well be with totally new and different models than what we see now. The crossover-like 500X is the only model to make it through FiatÂ’s recent purging, so another small, electric crossover could make sense in the U.S. later this decade. Of course, thatÂ’s assuming Fiat keeps a foothold in America. Francois provided a reasoning for announcing the switchover now. “The decision to launch the new 500 – electric and electric alone – was actually taken before Covid-19,” Francois says. “Even then, we were already aware that the world could not take any more compromises. We were reminded of the urgency of taking action, of doing something for the planet Earth.” We suspect StellantisÂ’ view on moving toward EVs heavily influenced the decision, too. Small EVs are all the rage these days in Europe, and FiatÂ’s lineup is packed full of small cars. The next reasonable guess at a new Fiat EV would be a production version of the Centoventi Concept. ItÂ’s FiatÂ’s interpretation of an electric Panda, and Fiat says its theoretical range maxes out at 310 miles. Of course, thatÂ’s only a concept, and it was revealed far before Stellantis was formed. WeÂ’ll only know how this will play out in time, as Fiat gave itself nearly a decade to transition from gasoline to electric cars. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.