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2020 Fiat 500X Sport expands lineup and color palette

Fiat trotted out the new and improved 500X at the 2018 LA Auto Show. This year the Italian carmaker follows up at Automobility LA with the new 500X Sport trim intended to bestow a "youthful, sporty appearance" on the 500X lineup. That starts with the Rovente Red hue added to the color palette, "rovente" being Italian for "scorching." The Sport gets a new front fascia that omits the rugged-looking moldings on the Trekking trims, puts fog lights in discrete housings at the lower corners, and paints the lower lip in body color. Along the sides, the normally dark wheel arch liners and side moldings are swapped for body color as well, while the mirrors and door handles get dark-finish accents to go with a Sport badge on the front fender. In back, dark-finish trim across the tailgate and twin, chrome-finish tailpipes let the Fiat clan know this one is the feisty one. Standard fit is a set of 18-inch wheels in a new design. For the first time on the 500X model, 19-inch wheels are an option, wrapped here in Michelin CrossClimate all-season tires. Up top, buyers can take advantage of another new option, a black roof. The interior goes dark top and bottom. Instead of the light-colored upper space, the headliner and pillars have been finished in deep gray materials while the new Sport seats wear black fabric with vinyl inserts and a gray "500" logo. Bright flashes come in the aluminum pedal trim covers and instrument panel bezel finish. The steering wheel invites grip with "techno-leather" and Alcantara, plus proper paddle shifters. Alcantara also adorns the brow over the gauge cluster, the gauges themselves done up with tweaked graphics. Motivation comes from the same 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder found in the rest of the 500X lineup in the U.S., putting out 177 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque through a nine-speed automatic to all four wheels with on-demand all-wheel drive.  When the 500X Sport goes on sale in early 2020, dealers will ask $26,895 plus a $1,495 destination charge, for a total of $29,390. Pricing puts the Sport above the $27,740 Trekking while the top trim remains the $30,990 Trekking Plus.

Marchionne defends FCA recalls, says Wrangler won't be all-aluminum

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne recently received the 2015 Industry Leadership Award from the SAE Foundation. While speaking with the press after the event, the boss discussed his thoughts about some key issues regarding the company's future. One of the big regulatory issues facing FCA at the moment is the upcoming public hearing by the National Highway Traffic Safety into the automaker's handling of 20 recalls. Marchionne has no intention of testifying there, according to The Detroit News. The CEO also thinks that the government regulator is becoming much more aggressive in how it handles safety campaigns, but the Feds aren't necessarily doing a very good job of communicating that. "We need to work with the agency in a very cooperative and open way to make sure that we can meet their requirements for their new stance," he said, according to the newspaper. "We have no option but to comply with their requirements and we will. I have nothing to hide in this process. I just want clear rules." Marchionne also dropped the news that the company has changed its mind about making the next Jeep Wrangler totally from aluminum. "Because of the difference in cost, not just the new material but the actual assembly process, I think we can do almost as well without doing it all-aluminum," he said to The Detroit News. This seemingly opens the door for the model to remain in production in Toledo, OH, but only just a crack. Marchionne says that the new Wrangler would still use a large amount of aluminum, and there are "at least" two sites in contention for the assembly. The company doesn't have too long to make a decision because the model reportedly launches in 2017.

Fiat Chrysler and Renault are in advanced partnership talks

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Renault are in advanced discussions about a possible alliance, according to a report from the Financial Times citing an anonymous "person familiar with the matter." The news isn't particularly surprising, as FCA has been a constant subject of merger and alliance talks for as long as many of us can remember. We've reported on a potential tie-up between these two automakers several times, as far back as 2008 and as recently as two months ago. FCA CEO Mike Manley has mentioned the company's openness to merging with another automaker. At the Geneva Motor Show a few months back, he said, "We have a strong independent future, but if there is a partnership, a relationship or a merger which strengthens that future, I will look at that." It's no secret that FCA is much stronger in the United States than it is in Europe. For its part, Renault has basically zero presence in the United States. A partnership or potential alliance between the two could shore up each automaker's weak spots and allow the group to split investment money into new technologies, including electric vehicles and autonomy. Of course, Renault is already tied up with Nissan and Mitsubishi, but that partnership has been a little tattered since the arrest of former Nissan and Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn on charges of financial misconduct in Japan. And in addition to Renault, FCA is understood to have discussed various partnership strategies with the PSA Peugeot Citroen group. What a final agreement – if there's any agreement at all – could look like between the two global automakers remains to be seen, and the report from Financial Times cautions that many different options for FCA and Renault are currently on the table. In other words, stay tuned.