2012 Fiat 500 C Lounge Convertible 2-door 1.4l (6k Miles Brand New Garage Kept) on 2040-cars

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Italian government to lean on Fiat's Marchionne to commit to country

With the recent chatter that Fiat is looking to move its global headquarters to the US following a complete merger with Chrysler, the Italian government is voicing its opinion on the matter. Facing the potential job loss from the automaker leaving the country, Italy's industry minister is meeting with Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne in what will likely be a plea to keep the company based in Turin rather than moving to Auburn Hills, MI - if indeed it is able to acquire the additional 41.5 percent of Chrysler currently owned by the United Auto Workers.
According to Bloomberg, Fiat is Italy's biggest private employer and unemployment is already nearing a 20-year high. The non-car side of Fiat, Fiat Industrial, is already planning a move to the UK, so it goes without saying that Fiat moving would be a pretty big blow for the Italian economy. In the article, Fiat says that the headquarters issue is "not on its agenda now," but that statement is far from a denial.

Abarth 695 Biposto revealed as quickest Fiat 500 yet

The Fiat 500 is supposed to be a budget model - something you can pick up with less than twenty grand to your name. But once Abarth gets its hands on it, all bets are off. The Scorpion brand is charged with getting the most performance it can out of budget-oriented vehicles like the Cinquecento and Punto, and that's just what it's done with the new 695 Biposto.
Billed as the "fastest street legal Abarth ever" (quickest?) and unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the 695 Biposto packs a 1.4-liter turbo four that's been tuned to produce 190 horsepower - a good thirty more than the already entertaining Fiat 500 Abarth we get in the United States. With a robust power-to-weight ratio - the highest in its class, according to the Italians - the 695 Biposto can hit 62 miles per hour from a standstill in just 5.9 seconds, more than a second quicker than the US model.
Now if you saw the name Biposto and figured out that means just two seats, you're spot on: in its campaign to trim excess fat, Abarth has ditched the rear bench and replaced the front seats with a set of Sabelt racing buckets with four-point harnesses anchored where the rear seats would be. The fixed plexiglass front side windows do their part, too. It's also been fitted with adjustable shocks, an MXL digital data recorder, a titanium rear roll bar, Brembo brakes and 18-inch OZ alloys.

Stellantis expects to hit emissions target without Tesla's help

Franco-Italian carmaker Stellantis expects to achieve its European carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions targets this year without environmental credits bought from Tesla, its CEO said in an interview published on Tuesday. Stellantis was formed through the merger of France's PSA and Italy's FCA, which spent about 2 billion euros ($2.40 billion) to buy European and U.S. CO2 credits from electric vehicle maker Tesla over the 2019-2021 period. "With the electrical technology that PSA brought to Stellantis, we will autonomously meet carbon dioxide emission regulations as early as this year," Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares said in the interview with French weekly Le Point. "Thus, we will not need to call on European CO2 credits and FCA will no longer have to pool with Tesla or anyone." California-based Tesla earns credits for exceeding emissions and fuel economy standards and sells them to other automakers that fall short. European regulations require all car manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions for private vehicles to an average of 95 grams per kilometer this year. A Stellantis spokesman said the company is in discussions with Tesla about the financial implications of the decision to stop the pooling agreement. "As a result of the combination of Groupe PSA and FCA, Stellantis will be in a position to achieve CO2 targets in Europe for 2021 without open passenger car pooling arrangements with other automakers," he added. Tesla's sales of environmental credits to rival automakers helped it to announce slightly better than expected first-quarter revenue this week. The next tightening of European regulations will soon be the subject of proposals from the European Commission. The 2030 target could be lowered to less than 43 grams/km. Related Video: Government/Legal Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Tesla Citroen Peugeot Emissions Stellantis