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Abarth 124 Spider is one furious Fiata

If you've been thinking of picking up a nimble new roadster, but can't decide between the Mazda MX-5 Miata and its Italian counterpart the Fiat 124 Spider, the vehicle you see here might tip the balance. It's the new Abarth 124 Spider, tuned by the Italian automaker's performance division. And it's just made its debut here on the floor of the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The Abarth version, of course, is based on the Fiat model, which in turn is based on the Mazda. But the one with the Scorpion emblem offers a number of performance upgrades. Under the hood is still a 1.4-liter turbo four, producing the same 184 pound-feet of torque, but in Abarth spec offers a more prodigious 170 horsepower (up from 160). Buyers will still be able to choose between a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, but the rest of the components are no-brainers: Brembo brakes, Bilstein dampers, and a Record Monza exhaust. The steering is electrically assisted, but it has a proper mechanical limited slip differential, there's a Sport button, and the electronic nannies can be fully defeated for hooning around on track. The sum total is a 0-62 time quoted at 6.8 seconds and a top speed at 143 miles per hour. Bear in mind that these are specs for the European model, though, and could change if and when the Abarth spider makes its way to our shores. View 11 Photos Of course the technicians at Mirafiori didn't leave it there, equipping the Abarth 124 Spider with an array of visual enhancements as well. There's a full aero kit, larger air vents, 17-inch alloys, and a black hood to cut down on glare (and make it look more businesslike). The interior is all done up in Alcantara, with a small-diameter steering wheel, short gear lever, aluminum pedals... the works. As if all that isn't enough to get your motor running, Abarth has also worked up a rally version to recall its glory days of old. The Abarth 124 Rally is built to FIA R-GT regulations, and ditches the 1.4-liter engine for a 1.8 mounted further back and producing an impressive 300 hp. It also has a fixed roof, full roll cage, and a long list of other competition-spec upgrades that are too long to list here, but you can read all about them in the second of the two press releases below. View 17 Photos This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Detroit 3 and UAW set for showdown over tiered wages

This week, thousands of United Auto Workers will converge on Cobo Center in Detroit for the Special Convention on Collective Bargaining, an every-four-year event that lets members tell UAW leaders what the negotiating priorities should be during contract negotiations. This is where a lot of sand and a lot of lines start coming together in preparation for contract negotiations between the UAW and the Detroit 3 automakers, which will happen later this year. Number one on the UAW agenda is the end of the two-tier wage system created in 2007 to help the automakers get through bankruptcy; veteran workers are paid the Tier 1 rate of around $29.00 per hour, new hires are paid the Tier 2 rate of between $15 and $20 and get about half the benefits of Tier 1. Tier 2 hiring has been an undoubted success for the automakers, allowing them to keep factories in the US and hire more workers. By agreement, it is capped at a certain percentage of each automaker's workforce, and while the union's ultimate position is to get rid of the dual-scale system entirely; one leader said Ford could easily afford the $335 million it would take to convert all its workers to Tier 1 out of its $6.9 billion in 2014 North American profit, and General Motors could do the same out of the $5 billion it is handing to investors through the (admittedly forced) share buyback. Other delegates say that at the very least they'd be happy with enforcement of the current caps in the new contract. The automakers, conversely, would welcome expansion of the Tier 2 ranks. Including benefits, import automakers pay workers "in the high $40 range" per hour, according to an analyst, while Ford and GM pay about $59 in wages and benefits per hour. More Tier 2 workers on the rolls would let those two companies get labor cost parity with the competition. Fiat-Chrysler pays wages closer to the imports because of special exceptions in its UAW contract that allow unlimited Tier 2 hiring; those exceptions will end on September 14 and bring FCA into line with the other domestics, unless the new contract maintains them. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne is opposed to the two-tier system, having called it "almost offensive." One analyst says the UAW might win a sizable pay raise for Tier 2 and a small increase for Tier 1, but the keystone issue will be how the hiring matrix can help the automakers keep overall wages in line with the imports.

Fiat reveals new Aegea Project sedan in Istanbul

You'd be forgiven for boiling Fiat down to the 500 and its growing roster of spinoffs, but overseas the Italian brand sells a wide range of models. Like this new sedan, for example. Unveiled today at the Istanbul Motor Show is the Fiat Aegea Project, in reference to the sea on the western shore of Turkey, where FCA operates one of its largest plants. The Fiat Aegea Project has about the same exterior dimensions as a Ford Focus sedan, with room for five and an array of gasoline and diesel engines ranging from 95 horsepower to 120, mated to a manual or automatic transmission. While tacking a trunk on to a hatchback (or carving a notch out of a sport wagon) may be common practice with some of its competitors, the Aegea was designed from the get-go as a three-box sedan, giving it better balanced proportions. Design work was carried out in Italy at the company's Centro Stile, with development undertaken at the Tofas R&D center adjacent to the Bursa plant where it will be built. Though sure to get a different name before it reaches production, the Aegea is slated to go on sale in Turkey this coming November before rolling out to 40 more markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Just don't expect it to see it nestled between a couple of neo-Cinquecentos in showrooms Stateside. Related Video: NEW FIAT AEGEA PROJECT DEBUTS AT ISTANBUL MOTOR SHOW - The new FIAT compact sedan makes its debut today at the Istanbul Motor Show, in recognition of Turkey's strategic importance to FIAT Chrysler Automobiles global operations - Conceived from the outset as a three box sedan, it combines harmonious design with highly efficient use of space - The name of the project – FIAT Aegea Project – also pays tribute to Turkey's pivotal role in its development, manufacture and anticipated success - On sale from November in Turkey, it will gradually reach over 40 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa The all-new FIAT compact sedan debuts today at the Istanbul Motor Show. Designed in Italy at the FIAT Chrysler Automobiles Centro Stile, and developed in Turkey together with Tofas R&D, one of FCA's largest research and development centres, the new model will be manufactured in the Bursa plant in Turkey, which has been designated Gold Medal status by World Class Manufacturing in recognition of its efficiency, quality and eco-friendliness.