2016 Fiat 500e Battery Electric Hatchback on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Junkyard Gem: 1985 Bertone X1/9

Sales of the Fiat X1/9 began in the United States in 1974, and the price tag was very reasonable for a mid-engined Italian two-seater. For a time, these cars were common sights on American streets, at least in non-rusty areas. Then Americans became disillusioned with the Fiat brand, and the company folded its tent and departed the continent after 1982, not returning until 2010. Automotive dealmaker Malcolm Bricklin saw an opportunity at that point, and his company began bringing in 124 Sport Spiders badged as Pininfarinas and X1/9s badged as Bertones. Here's an '85 Bertone in a California wrecking yard. Fiat had hired Bertone to design the X1/9 in the first place, so the badging change wasn't so jarring to those Americans familiar with the car's history. Bricklin introduced Subaru cars to the United States in the late 1960s, started his own car company in the middle 1970s, then went on to bring a Yugoslavian-built Fiat 127 variant to these shores, via the same company that was already bringing in the X1/9. Power came from what amounted to a Fiat 128 engine/transaxle assembly, mounted just behind the rear window. In 1985, the Bertone X1/9 had 75 horsepower and weighed just over a ton. This car still has the allegedly valuable hardtop. I'm pretty sure that every American X1/9 owner has several of these stashed away by now. Optimistically, Bertone used a six-digit odometer in this car. 188,285 miles would have been pretty respectable in a 1985 Corolla, never mind a Fiat known for shaky electrical systems and poor build quality. I still see quite a few X1/9s in the big self-service wrecking yards, and even more 124 Sport Spiders. The seat upholstery is very stylish. I checked this car's VIN on the California smog-check database, which shows that it last passed the emissions test in 2009. Perhaps something broke soon after that and the car awaited repairs that never came. It has both a trunk and a frunk. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Just a thing for a nice leisurely drive on a salt flat.

Alfa Romeo considering Ferrari-developed engines for new product lineup

A report in Bloomberg adds more details to the plans for Alfa Romeo's fourth turnaround plan in Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's tenure, and this time Ferrari is apparently going to be part of the show. In December Automotive News Europe reported that a new Maserati-derived rear-drive architecture would be the centerpiece at Alfa Romeo, as well as coming Chrysler and Dodge products. At the time, ANE said the platform would support a new midsize sedan and wagon perhaps to be called Giulia, a fullsize sedan and a midsize crossover, with retail appearance of the product initiative commencing perhaps as soon as next year. It would be part of Fiat's $12.3-billion spend on new models and European recovery.
The Bloomberg report says that particulars haven't been finalized, but the plan is to have six new Alfas appear over the next five years, two of which would be SUVs. The futures of the Mito and Giulietta, two of the three cars Alfa currently sells and 99 percent of sales last year, aren't assured, meaning that the lineup in six years could be seven cars (including the 4C), six of which we haven't any definitive clue of yet. The top-tier versions of those cars, according to the report - perhaps the Quadrifoglio Verde - "will be equipped with motors developed by Ferrari."
Marchionne wants to get sales up to 300,000 units per year when the lineup is complete, pairing Alfa sales with Jeep's global dealer network to open up the retail channel. That kind of volume would get Fiat's Italian plants back in business properly, even though Marchionne's stance on Italy-only Alfa production would mean the end of the anticipated roadster that was to be twinned with the coming Mazda MX-5 Miata. Alfa's direction will be laid out in Detroit in May as part of the overall strategy presentation for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

FCA recalls Fiat 500e to fix cruise control

Fiat is recalling almost 4,000 of its 500e electric vehicles because of a malfunction related to the model's cruise-control feature. The glitch causes the car's powertrain to be put into neutral under certain situations. It's the second recall on the 500e this year. Specifically, Chrysler-Fiat is recalling 3,975 cars. The issue is that the car's system can misread the motor's torque figures in cruise control, causing the sprightly EV to mistakenly shift into neutral in what was designed as a safety-precaution measure. The good news is that restarting the vehicle gets the car back to normal, but being dropped into neutral in highway mode is certainly no fun. Chrysler-Fiat said in a statement this week that it was "unaware" of injuries, accidents, or customer complaints caused by the issue. In April, the 500e was subject to a recall that impacted about 5,600 vehicles and stemmed from a March 2015 update. The update allowed the car to go into so-called "Limp Home Mode" to better extend range. The problem is that it inadvertently caused the car to stall. Range anxiety, indeed. Take a look at Chrysler-Fiat's press release on the most recent recall below. Related Video: Statement: Software Upgrade June 9, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC is voluntarily recalling an estimated 3,975 cars to upgrade cruise-control software. A review of warranty data led to an investigation by FCA US LLC engineers. The investigation discovered certain Fiat 500e hatchbacks were inadvertently equipped with software that may misread torque levels generated by their motors, causing them to shift into neutral – a prescribed failsafe mode. This condition may occur only while cruise-control is engaged and the driver attempts to override the feature with accelerator-pedal applications or rapid tapping of the accelerate/decelerate buttons. Restarting the vehicle restores normal function. The campaign is limited to certain model-year 2013-2015 vehicles. The Company is unaware of any related injuries, accidents or customer complaints. New software will be available when affected customers are advised of this action by FCA US. Service instructions are being sent to FCA US dealers today. Customers with questions may call the FCA US Customer Information Center at 1-800-853-1403.