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FCA to pay buyers $1,700 to swap out of scandal-mired VWs

FCA is trying to gain some sales from arch-rival VW in the competitive European market by offering potential buyers in Italy up to $1,700 to swap into an FCA group car. While the promotion isn't specifically targeted at TDI owners affected by the emissions scandal, it is clearly intended to turn dissatisfaction with VW's defeat device cheat into additional sales, Bloomberg reports. The 500-1,500 euro incentive (roughly $560-1,700, depending on vehicle) stacks on top of any other rebates or deals applicable, and applies if a buyer brings in any of Volkswagen Group's cars – including Audi, Skoda, and SEAT, among (many) others. As Bloomberg notes, it's normal for automakers to offer "conquest" deals – giving a buyer cash for trading in a competitor's vehicle. Those deals aren't usually limited to one company's products, however; FCA's program looks specifically to take advantage of VW's legal and public relations nightmare. FCA isn't the only automaker trying this trick in Italy. Automotive News Europe also reported that Ford is offering approximately $840 in incentives across its entire range to owners of VW vehicles seeking to trade in for a Ford. No word of yet as to whether these incentives will spread beyond Italy or to other automakers.Related Video:

Order a real color, Fiat says — it's eliminating gray paint

For Fiat aficionados around the world, it’s the dawn of a new dolce vita: The Italians will no longer build gray-colored cars.  ItÂ’s a rather bold move, but one you may expect from “the brand of joy, colors and optimism,” declared Olivier Francois, Fiat chief executive officer and global chief marketing officer at Stellantis.“We broke the rules: We decided to stop the production of Fiat gray cars ... Fiat wants to inspire people to live with optimism and positivity, and this will also be one of the missions of the new Fiat 600e, the electric for families and friends." The first Fiat model to delete gray from its palette is the new 600e electric, which is about to debut.   But there remains a colorful antipasto of choices, inspired by “the New Dolce Vita values and the Italian DNA embodied by the Brand.” The current Fiat range — New 500, 500 Hybrid, 500X, Panda and Tipo — will be rendered in Gelato white, Sicilia orange, Paprika orange, Passione red, Blu Dipinto di Blu, Italia blue, Venezia blue, Rugiada green, Foresta green, Rose gold and Cinema black. “All with an evocative name that reminds of Italian beautiful landscapes and dolce vita mood,” says Francois.  Gray has historically been a popular shade — Fiat says it's the most popular color for new cars in the UK. It represents more than one in four new cars sold in the UK in 2022, the company says. In the U.S., it's nearly one in every five cars, and automakers have rolled out a new generation of grays that are attempting to be more interesting. 

Junkyard Gems: 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88 Fiesta and 1971 Fiat 850 Spider

It's 1971. You're a young professional with a starter home in the suburbs, a beautiful wife, two kids, and a dog. Of course, you also have a station wagon; a 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88 Fiesta. It's not the newest car on the block, but it was an unbeatable deal. You're quickly moving up the corporate ladder, so you decide you've rightfully earned a fun little convertible to commute in. $2,200 and change gets you into a brand-new Fiat 850 Spider. It's no powerhouse, but it's considerably more affordable than an Alfa Romeo Spider and it's pretty good on gas, to boot. It's also tiny; The Italian roadster looks like a Matchbox car next to 4,600 pounds of burly, V8-powered Detroit iron. Your next-door neighbor jokes the 850 could fit in the Super 88's trunk by simply folding down the rear seats, and she's probably right. For those of us who weren't around 50 years ago, a junkyard in the heart of the Rockies has recreated the picture-perfect American driveway of the 1970s. It's a mind-blowing reminder of just how small Fiats used to be, and just how massive American wagons once were. While the 850 was green when it set sail for the United States, the Oldsmobile is still wearing its original two-tone paint job – or what's left of it. It must have been quite a looker when it was new, and every single slat on the lane-wide grille was as shiny as the finest silverware in the White House. Today, both cars are worse for the wear. There's rust on virtually every body panel, the glass is either broken or missing, and the upholstery is as dry as washed-up seaweed on a hot summer day. There's no obvious accident damage, and both cars are relatively complete, so it's not too far-fetched to assume they were brought to the yard as beaters that were lingering at the bottom of their depreciation curve. Related Video: Featured Gallery Fiat 850 and Oldsmobile 88 View 12 Photos Fiat Classics