Loaded Fiat 500 Lounge 2012 Red Leather Interior- Rare, Low Miles, Extd Warranty on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler’s Sergio Marchionne throws more cold water on Tesla, EVs

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has once again sounded off on industry upstart Tesla and its wunderkind boss, Elon Musk. In the process, he doubled down on FCA's reluctance to follow its competitors headlong into electrifying its vehicle fleet, saying "we're not betting the bank on going fully electric in the next decade. It won't happen." Marchionne made his comments on Monday during remarks at the New York Stock Exchange, where he was marking the 70th anniversary of Ferrari. They come as Tesla struggles to ramp up production of its Model 3 sedan, its first mass-market offering, and the company continues to hemorrhage money. Here's what he said: "We still don't have a viable model for delivering an electric car. As much as I like Elon Musk, and he's a good friend, and actually he's done a phenomenal job of marketing Telsa, I remain unconvinced of a new economic viability of the model that he's pitching. So I think we need to be careful, because when we embrace electrification, and I made comments on the fact that we lose money on every Fiat 500, the electric that we sell in the U.S. Now that's reflective of the 2011-2010 costs in terms of components. Those costs have come down. If I were to do it again, I would certainly reduce the amount of the loss, but I would not make any money. And you can't run economic entities on losses. It doesn't happen. "So how do we find a convergence of technology bringing prices of components down and allows us to price accordingly — or we need to navigate through this process in a combined way between combustion and electrification to yield at least a minimum of economic returns that allows for our continuity? The last thing you want is me to be successful selling cars for 24 months and then go bust. That's not a good story. Especially in a place like this which rewards economic success. Let's not sit here and design our own future in the tank. Let's try and do it properly. We will do all the right things. We are investing without making a lot of noise on electrification. We will combine it with combustion to yield the right level of CO2. But we're not betting the bank on going fully electric in the next decade. It won't happen." It's not the first time Marchionne has publicly expressed doubts about Tesla's business plan.

Junkyard Gem: 1977 Fiat 124 Sport Spider

The Fiat 124 Sport Spider was sold in the United States for the 1968 through 1982 model years, after which Malcolm Bricklin imported the car under the Pininfarina brand for another couple of years. During the car's heyday in the middle to late 1970s, 124 Sport Spiders could be seen all over American roads... and a surprising number of these cars have survived long enough to appear in wrecking yards on a regular basis. Here's a '77 in a Denver junkyard. A 1970s 124 Sport Spider in restorable but rough condition isn't worth much; these cars were very affordable when new and beat-up ones have been available for three-figure prices for the last 30 years. This means plenty of them sit around as unfinished projects for year after year, then show up in wrecking yards. I see so many discarded 124 Sport Spiders that I don't even bother photographing most of them. Still, they're interesting cars, and it's a plus for those who do want to restore them that parts can still be found. The 1.8-liter dual-overhead four-cylinder in the '77 Sport Spider made 86 horsepower, which gave this car a performance edge over its arch-rival, the MGB (which had just 62.5 horses and weighed 100 pounds more). The MG was just $5,150 in 1977, though, versus the $6,115 price tag on the Fiat (that's about $22,100 and $26,300, respectively, in 2018 dollars). This one has some rust in the usual places, which might have been worth fixing on something like an Alfa Romeo Spider. With this car, it was a death sentence. Related Video:

Fiat preparing to say 'ciao' to the 500X in the United States

Fiat's 500X crossover will enter the pantheon of automotive history without a successor. Ending years of rumors and speculation, the company confirmed that the soft-roader will not be replaced in the United States once production of the current-generation model ends.  As we reported from the L.A. Auto Show, the 500X will be discontinued after it reaches the end of its lifecycle. "When it dies, it dies. We will not replace it," Fiat boss Olivier Francois confirmed to Motor Trend.  With the Mazda MX-5 Miata-based 124 Spider and the 500L people-mover out of the picture, the 500X is the last Fiat standing in the United States. Its demise hardly comes as a surprise: Fiat sold merely 1,181 units in 2021, an 18% drop compared to 2020. Given those anemic numbers and the fact it debuted at the Paris Auto Show of 2014, the end of its lifecycle might not be that far off — 2023 might be its final model year. Francois' comments douse cold water on rumors claiming Fiat planned to merge the 500X and the 500L into one model tentatively called 500XL. When it does sail off into the history book, the Jeep Renegade's Italian cousin will pass the torch to the electric 500e, which has been on sale in Europe since 2020 but won't land in the United States until early 2024. Market-specific details will be announced in 2023. Fiat seems content with offering a one-model range in the United States. "We have a clear plan not to do anything besides the 500. It's the one model people like," Francois candidly admitted. "Fiat is not here to be everything to everyone everywhere," he added. And, the company knows a tiny EV with a range rating of under 200 miles will be a tough sell. Francois predicted American sales will be "a rounding error." European motorists see more of the Fiat iceberg. The Turin-based company notably still sells the last-generation 500 and its Abarth-tuned derivatives, which both left American showrooms in 2019. Its range also includes the massively popular Panda city car and the Tipo.