1970 Citroen Mehari on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler open to mergers, and PSA is looking for one

GENEVA — Fiat Chrysler (FCA) is open to pursuing alliances and merger opportunities if they make sense, but a sale of its luxury brand Maserati is not an option, Chief Executive Mike Manley said on Tuesday. "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," Manley told reporters at the Geneva Motor Show. Asked whether he would consider selling Maserati to China's Geely Automobile Holdings, as suggested by recent media reports, Manley said: "Maserati is one of our really beautiful brands and it has an incredibly bright future. ... No." FCA is often cited as a possible merger candidate. Bloomberg said this week that the Italian-American carmaker was attractive to France's PSA Group given its exposure to the U.S. market and its popular Jeep brand. The Detroit News' headline on the situation Friday read, "Fiat Chrysler CEO open to a deal as PSA circles" and stated that Manley's open-to-just-about-anything comments were aimed directly at PSA. Bloomberg said talks between the two were preliminary and said PSA chief Carlos Tavares has also contemplated mergers with General Motors or Jaguar Land Rover, which is losing money for Indian owner Tata. PSA has enjoyed a decade of turnaround and has $10.2 billion in net cash available. The maker of Peugeot, Citroen and DS, acquired Opel and Vauxhall in 2017 and made them almost instantly profitable. Manley, who took over after the death of Sergio Marchionne, said he currently had no news on possible deals. Manley also said the world's seventh-largest carmaker, which is lagging rivals in developing hybrid and electric vehicles, would take the least costly approach to comply with increasingly more stringent European emissions regulations. "There are three options. You can sell enough electrified vehicles to balance your fleet. Two: You can be part of a pooling scheme. Three is to pay the fines," he said. "I don't see a scenario when (carmakers) continue to subsidize technologies ... indefinitely." The carmaker had said last June it would invest 9 billion euros ($10.19 billion) over the next five years to introduce hybrid and electric cars across all regions to be fully compliant with emissions regulations. Asked about a 5-billion-euro investment plan for Italy FCA announced in November but then put under review, Manley said the plan had been confirmed as originally presented.

Citroen My Ami Buggy goes into limited production

Back in December, Citroen turned its tiny, low-speed electric Ami into a chunky little beach cruiser called the My Ami Buggy. It had fat tires and a bunch of off-road accessories that were probably more form than function, but it was a fun and funky little thing. Apparently a lot of people agreed and Citroen has made the decision to actually bring the My Ami Buggy to reality, though in extremely limited numbers. Like the concept, the My Ami Buggy features unique khaki-tinted plastic body panels. It also picks up a variety of exterior panels from higher trim Pop and Vibe variants, such as the bumpers, wheel arches, rear spoiler and such. There are also other concept-inspired touches such as the lime-yellow accents and arrows and contrasting black roof. Some things did change in the shift to production. Instead of no doors, the production model gets tube doors, like you'd find on many modded Jeep Wranglers. The extra fat tires and tiny wheels give way to more practical larger wheels and conventional tires. The wheels look great, though, in their khaki gold color and black center caps. There isn't a roof rack or auxiliary lights anymore, but the trade-off is that the My Ami Buggy gets a canvas roll-back roof for even greater open-air enjoyment. The inside of the My Ami Buggy features black fabric upholstery along with lime-yellow stitching and other accents, plus a few interior storage options. The floor mats continue the color scheme. And like all special editions, this car will get special badges and plates, one of which has possibly the best phrasing ever: "My Ami Buggy ULTRA SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION." Only 50 of the buggies will be built, and all of them will be sold in France. Pricing hasn't been set, but this is one ultra-limited edition car that will probably be affordable. After all, the base Ami starts at less than $10,000. If you happen to live in France and want to get one, they go on sale online on July 21 with deliveries starting on August 8. Related video: You Can Drive This 1 Horsepower Car On The Road Without A License | The List

Citro"en prepping updated C3 for Geneva

The Citroën C3 gets a facelift and a premiere at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Visually, the little hatch with the mammoth "Zenith" windscreen has been reworked with a grille sporting less chrome, LED running lights and sleeker chevron logos. At the rear are new taillight clusters, reflectors under the rear bumpers and the option of a reversing camera. Ink Blue gets added to the exterior color palette.
The cabin gets three colors of optional dashboard strips to match the new upholstery, an optional integrated air freshener and white backlighting in the dash cluster.
Engines choices get an overhaul, too, a pair of three-cylinder PureTech gasoline engines providing more power for less fuel consumption. The 1.0-liter VTi produces 68 horsepower, the 1.2-liter VTi outputs 82 hp and a four-cylinder, 1.6-liter VTi makes 120 hp. Four diesels remain on the menu, the HDi 70 and HDi 90 alongside the diesel hybrid e-HDi 70 and e-HDi 115.