1976 Fiat 124 Spider on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Fiat 500 Cattiva coming in Q4, priced from $18,350*

When it comes to the 2013 Fiat 500 Cattiva, we already knew that the show car would make it into production, we just didn't know when... until now. Fiat has announced that the "naughty" 500 Cattiva will be unveiled at the Concorso Italiano in Monterey, CA, and it will go on sale in the fourth quarter of this year, with models based on either the 500 Sport or 500 Turbo. Pricing will start at $18,350 for the Sport Cattiva - *not including $800 for destination - with the Turbo commanding an extra $2,000.
Looking almost identical to the concept car we saw earlier in the year at the Detroit Auto Show, the Fiat 500 Cattiva will have a custom look with its blacked-out headlights and taillights, 16-inch wheels and gloss black-painted roof and liftgate spoiler. The Cattiva also features a matte black instrument panel, black and gray seats (cloth is standard, leather is optional) and a leather-wrapped shift knob and steering wheel. Scroll down for Fiat's official press release on this car, and stay tuned for live coverage of the car's unveiling this Friday.

Strike looms for FCA workers as soon as Wednesday night

A strike is on the very near horizon for at least some United Auto Workers members at FCA US. On October 6, the union sent a letter to the automaker that officially announced the termination of its agreements with the company as of 11:59 PM on Wednesday, October 7. Assuming that a deal or extension hasn't happened by that time, workers could hit the picket line. While neither side is talking much publicly, it does appear that negotiations are still underway. In a very brief statement, the automaker simply says: "FCA US confirms that it has received strike notification from the UAW. The Company continues to work with the UAW in a constructive manner to reach a new agreement." The UAW seems equally receptive, and it says in a post on Facebook: "Negotiations with FCA continue. Your bargaining team is hard at work and we will continue to post updates when there is more to report." If a strike happens, it could put a serious financial burden on FCA US. Economist Sean McAlinden from the Center for Automotive Research estimates the cost at as much as $40 million per week, according to Reuters. The union hasn't clarified at this time whether all of its workers with the automaker would stop working or if the picket lines would only be at specific plants. The first tentative agreement posted to UAW members working with FCA US utterly failed in voting. Raises and a healthcare co-op would have been among the new benefits. However, the employees were upset that the proposed deal retained a two-tier wage structure, and they also didn't like the lack of details about rumors of major production changes.

Alfa Romeo takes Spider in-house, Mazda-Fiat roadster partnership not dead

It's officially off. Following a report in March of this year that the marriage of Mazda and Alfa Romeo to produce a MX-5-based Spider was in trouble, the Italians have confirmed that it will take development in-house. "As far as the Spider goes, the final version is of course no longer the two-seater FCA co-developed with Mazda but a derivative of Project Giorgio," Maserati and Alfa Romeo brand boss Harald Wester told Car. For those not in the know, Project Giorgio is Alfa's codename for the rear-drive platform that will underpin the next-generation Spider, not to mention the replacement for the 159 sedan and a few other products. All is not lost for the Japanese-Italian partnership, though. "The Far East import will probably find a new home with Fiat-Abarth," Wester told Car. Yes, you read that correctly, Mazda is still working with FCA, and the result will eventually end up with Abarth's scorpion badge. If anything, we're more excited over this news than the idea of an Alfa MX-5. But we want to know what you think – would you rather Alfa build a new Spider on the Miata's bones, or does an MX-5 Abarth sound like more fun? Have your say in Comments.