2014 Fiat 500l Lounge on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler's dealers and mechanics to reopen on Monday in Italy

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler said on Thursday its Italian network of approved dealers and mechanic workshops would reopen on May 4, when the country is set to start lifting a national lockdown put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus. A package of health and safety measures for workers and clients will be put in place across the entire network to comply with the rules set by Rome to prepare for a staged restart of economic activities after weeks of national lockdown triggered by the virus outbreak. A vast majority of FCA's dealers and workshops in Italy are run by private operators, while the automaker directly operates some large ones in big cities. FCA this week resumed van production at its Atessa plant in central Italy and some operations in other Italian plants, including preparatory works at its Melfi facility for the final development of Jeep's new hybrid cars, and at Turin's Mirafiori plant for its new electric 500 small car. Related Video:

Fiat-Chrysler shows its SEMA lineup

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles already previewed its 2014 SEMA show lineup with some slick renders. Now, the automaker has finally showed us the actual cars, and among the group there are definitely some that stand out more than others.
Dodge is really showing off its muscle at this year's show with four concepts that all pump up the power of the brand's models. Perhaps most interesting among them is the Challenger T/A Concept (pictured above) in striking Sublime Green and matte black. It's meant to resemble the classic Trans Am racer from the '70s. Under the hood is a 6.4-liter V8, and to fit the vintage style there's a pistol-grip gearshift inside.
The Charger R/T also gets some attention with the Mopar concept that shows off what FCA's aftermarket performance arm can do. Mods include an updated body kit, cold-air intake for the 5.7-liter V8 and a coil-over suspension kit. Beyond that, the Dart R/T Concept looks a lot meaner with a black hood with duct work that leads straight to the air intake. The rest of the compact sedan is dolled up in O-So-Orange paint and is fitted with upgrades to improve handling like a coil-over suspension and big brake kit from the Mopar catalog.

Is this 1983 Fiat Spider EV conversion worth Porsche 911 GTS money?

$140,000 can buy a lot of car. Nothing about Fiat Spiders built in the 1980s would be described as "a lot," unless you're referring to the quantity of maintenance that is sometimes required just to keep them on the road. In that context, this eBay find, a 1983 Pininfarina Spider America EV conversion, might be a bit of a two-for-one. Not only do you get a lot more power, but you might even get a lot more reliability.  Sure, you could score a brand-new Porsche 911 Carrera GTS for the price of this humble Italian roadster, but the fine folks of Roadster Salon think they might be able to make it worth your while.  This conversion retains the stock five-speed manual transmission, but mates it to a dual-motor electric drive unit that produces an unspecified amount of horsepower and more than 200 pound-feet of torque. Admittedly, those numbers don't really stack up nicely against the brand-new Porsche's, but, hey, at least it's a manual? The power unit itself is supplied by Electric GT, which has carved out a niche for itself developing electric "crate motors" that are as close to plug-and-play as possible, which should be a point in favor of this conversion's overall build quality, as custom fabrication would have been kept to a minimum.  Roadster Salon will also go over the suspension and steering components, updating them to modern standards (and ostensibly to support the extra power from the EV conversion), so you're getting more for your money than just some electron-pumping spinny bits.  So, it's much fancier than your run-of-the-mill 1980s Fiat Spider; you just have to spend a lot more money for the privilege. Like, an astronomical amount. Oh, and the car hasn't actually been built yet; what you're bidding for is a build slot in a forthcoming 2020-21 production allocation.  If you desperately want your own Fiat Pininfarina Spider America EV but can't stomach the $139,995 price tag, we have great news. Roadster Salon will sell you an "EV Junior" variant, which retails for just $89,995 — a bargain! Alternatively, you can wait for Electric GT to finalize its crate Fiat crate EV motors for mass production and just slap one together yourself. How hard can it be?