2014 Fiat 500l Trekking on 2040-cars

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Former UAW official gets 15 months in labor corruption case

DETROIT (Reuters) - A federal judge in Detroit on Monday sentenced the former United Auto Workers union vice president in charge of relations with Fiat Chrysler to 15 months in federal prison for misusing funds intended for worker training to pay for luxury travel, golf, liquor and parties for himself and other union officials. Norwood Jewell, 61, who led the UAW's national contract negotiations with Fiat Chrysler in 2015, is the highest ranking UAW official to be sentenced in connection with a wide-ranging federal investigation of corruption within the union that represents U.S. factory workers at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, General Motors and Ford. Jewell pleaded guilty in April to a single charge of violating the Labor Relations Management Act. At the time, prosecutors proposed a prison sentence of 12 to 18 months. U.S. District Judge Paul Borman rejected Jewell's request to avoid prison and serve his sentence under house arrest. "He betrayed his position," Borman said from the bench. Jewell is the eighth former UAW or Fiat Chrysler official sentenced as part of the federal criminal investigation of UAW finances. Federal prosecutors are continuing to investigate the misuse of company and union funds at the Detroit automakers. Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Mike Manley, during a meeting with reporters last week, declined to discuss whether the company is in talks with federal authorities or whether he has been interviewed by investigators. Federal prosecutors have said Fiat Chrysler officials conspired in the misuse of $4.5 million in training center funds. Fiat Chrysler's former vice president of labor relations, Alphons Iacobelli, pleaded guilty in January 2018 to charges of violating the Labor Management Relations Act and filing false tax returns. Prosecutors charged Iacobelli with making hundreds of thousands of dollars in improper payments to charities controlled by UAW officials, and agreeing to pay off the mortgage of a now-deceased UAW vice president, General Holiefield. Prosecutors said Jewell accepted over $90,000 in illegal payments from Fiat Chrysler for his own benefit and to pay for travel, golf outings, parties and other entertainment for senior UAW leaders. "The parties included thousands of dollars in Fiat Chrysler money spent on 20 boxes of cigars, ultra-premium liquor, personalized bottles of wine, and women paid to light the cigars of senior UAW leaders," federal prosecutors said in a statement on Monday.

European car sales up 8% in February

Three weeks ago an analyst increased projections for European car sales this year, expecting them to climb three percent compared to last year instead of 2.7 percent. That number is a postive sign after years of hard times but it turns out February was especially good, overall European sales climbing eight percent on a wave of southern European recovery and discounts - and this comes after five months of gains including January's 7.2-percent jump over the year before.
The only country of Europe's five largest markets to post a decline was France, just as it did in January, Germany, the UK and Italy posting solid double-digit numbers, Spain rocking the charts with an 18-percent increase because of a government program to encourage trade-ins.
The only brand to miss the wave was Volkswagen, dropping 0.8 percent as it watched the double-digit growth at sister brands Audi, Seat and Skoda lift the Volkswagen Group sales up by seven-percent. Peugeot overcame flat sales at Citroën to improve the group by 3.5 percent, BMW and the Mercedes-Benz/Smart combo rose by four percent, the Fiat group jumped 5.8 percent, Ford was up 11 percent, the Renault Group 11.5 percent, General Motors 12 percent and the Toyota clan by 14 percent.

Icon's 1966 Fiat Giardinetta is a quaint electric city car

If city cars are the ideal candidates for electric powertrains, then the compact Fiat 500 is near perfect for the green technology. Fiat currently offers a brand-new 500e, but for those who like an old-school vibe, Icon 4x4 has just the number. In collaboration with Stealth EV, Jonathan Ward and his team converted a gorgeous 1966 Fiat 500 Giardinetta to full battery electric. Dubbed the Fiat Giardinetta EV Derelict, due to the maintenance of the original car's exterior, this 1966 gem was able to fit electric components while keeping its four-seat configuration. The car has six Tesla-sourced batteries, two in the front and four in the rear to keep things balanced. It uses an Orion battery management system and an AC35 motor. The suspension was bolstered up with coilovers, a bigger panhard bar was added, and the car now uses upgraded disc brakes. Hilariously, it has similar, if not better, specs than Fiat's current 500e. Icon and Stealth EV claim the car has about 80 horsepower and about 100 pound-feet of torque. Using a single-speed gearbox, it revs up to 5000 rpm, and due to the electric powertrain, has 100 percent of its torque the entire way up. The battery kit was able to achieve 120 miles of range at 65 mph in a test run, and the company estimates it could reach 150 miles on a single charge when driven in less taxing city conditions. Keep in mind, this car only has heat but no air conditioning (cold air was possible, but it would be pricey and isn't really necessary when it already has a retractable top). Extra Icon modifications included new weather stripping, new glass seals, and added Dynamat to quiet the old car down. Icon also reupholstered the seats with marine-rated vinyl and incorporated a few Italian leather accents. According to Stealth EV, similar battery modules are available for around $1,500 (remember there are six of these modules in this Fiat) and the kit is not a one-off-specific job. Now that they have the CAD specs, the setup could be replicated fairly easily. We suddenly want a completely impractical mini station wagon. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.