2012 Fiat 500 Pop on 2040-cars

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Fiat 124, 500L dead for 2021; 500X gets $250 price hike

2020 is the final model year for the Fiat 124 Spider and the 500L, FCA announced Wednesday. The Miata-based roadster and family-ish hatchback will not return for 2021, slicing Fiat's U.S. portfolio to just a single model in one fell swoop.  "For the 2021 model year, the Fiat lineup will feature the Fiat 500X small crossover, which offers unique and functional Italian design, standard all-wheel-drive capability, 9-speed automatic transmission, 30 mpg highway and best-in-class 210 lb-ft of torque," Fiat said in its announcement. "The Fiat 124 Spider and the Fiat 500L will be discontinued after the 2020 model year." A joint-development project between Mazda and FCA, the reborn 124 Spider was originally supposed to be an Alfa Romeo. At what seemed like the last minute, labor issues and an Alfa product development shuffle shunted the project to Fiat. The final product was an interesting blend of Italian and Japanese style and engineering. The engine and exterior design were provided by Fiat; the platform, transmission and interior all came from Mazda. The result was a slightly heavier and more powerful roadster than the Miata on which it was based. As an added bonus, the enthusiast-friendly Abarth model, with the same upgrades Mazda offered on the MX-5 Club, was cheaper trim-for-trim, especially after Fiat's far more generous discounts. Since then, the 124's advantages have been somewhat overshadowed by improvements to the Miata, which got a more potent engine for the 2019 model year.  On the other hand, we wouldn't blame you if you'd forgotten that the 500L was still in production at all. Apart from a core group of loyal buyers, the frumpy hatchback never really caught on in the United States.  Fiat also announced several trim updates and some pricing changes for its sole remaining model. The base 500X gets a $250 price hike (up to $26,335 after a $1,495 destination charge), and Fiat is introducing new packages for the Sport model to give potential customers more flexibility.  The Fiat's platform-mate, the Jeep Renegade, remains cheaper, but its standard engine is the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter Tigershark"4-cylinder, while the 1.3-liter turbocharged engine is a $1,495 upgrade. 

Fiat taps Mitsubishi for European pickup

Mitsubishi is often derided in the US for its relatively boring lineup, Lancer Evolution aside, but the company is on the upswing worldwide, recently posting record global operating profits. The Japanese automaker may get a further boost in the near future from a rumored pickup truck deal with Fiat.
According to insider sources speaking to Automotive News Europe, Mitsubishi would reportedly build a variant of its widely respected L200 pickup truck for the Fiat Professional brand in Europe and Latin America starting in 2016. The L200 is larger than the Fiat Strada front-wheel-drive pickup already available in those markets, and it's available in rear- and four-wheel-drive configurations. The idea of adding a midsize truck to the commercial lineup was in the Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles five-year plan, but it didn't include any mention of a partnership to build it.
At first blush, the Mitsubishi agreement seems like an odd move, given that Fiat already owns pickup truck specialists Ram. However, according to ANE, the company had at one time planned to use a version of a new Dodge Dakota pickup for duty in Europe and Latin America, but the model never came to fruition.

Catching up with Chrysler's EV catch-up plan

At your home or office? Those are the key words for how Chrysler and its Fiat affiliate want to narrow the plug-in vehicle sales gap between themselves and more plug-in-centric companies like Nissan and Ford, according Wards Auto. When the gap will narrow is anyone's guess. The US automaker, long a laggard in electric-powertrain development, is working on an wireless, inductive charging system with Qualcomm and which could spur sales of plug-in vehicles for personal use. A wireless system would allow for hands-free charging for vehicles like the Fiat 500e, the company's only plug-in vehicle being sold to the public in the US as well as a plug-in hybrid minivan that's in the works for 2016. On the business front, Chrysler is working with nonprofit NextEnergy on developing a reverse-power-flow system. That would allow for fleet-owning businesses to draw power from their plug-in vehicles' batteries during mid-day peak-energy times, when electricity rates are highest. Chrysler and NextEnergy ran a one-month test of a reverse-power-flow system with four Fiat 500e vehicles last year, and the companies found that they could cut power usage enough to save $1,200. Chrysler extrapolated those numbers to estimate that such a system with just a dozen plug-in vehicles could save a company as much as $27,000 a year. Get more details over at Wards Auto. Featured Gallery 2013 Fiat 500e: Review View 40 Photos News Source: Wards Auto Green Chrysler Fiat Technology Emerging Technologies Electric wireless charging inductive charging inductive