2012 Fiat 500 C Pop Convertible 2-door 1.4l on 2040-cars

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CEO Sergio Marchionne curses FCA spokesman for emissions cheating denial

WASHINGTON — Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne reprimanded the company's top U.S. spokesman for issuing press releases about Fiat's vehicle emissions practices days after Volkswagen's disclosure in September 2015 that the German automaker had used illegal software to evade emissions tests, documents released Monday show. Lawyers suing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in a securities case filed excerpts of an email from Marchionne to Gualberto Ranieri, then the company's U.S. spokesman, in a filing in federal court in New York criticizing him for saying that the company does not use defeat devices. "Are you out of your goddam mind?" Marchionne wrote in an email on Sept. 22, 2015, adding that Ranieri should be fired and calling his actions "utterly stupid and unconscionable." The company said in a statement on Monday it was "understandable that our CEO would have a forceful response to any employee who would opine on such a significant and complex matter, without the matter having been fully reviewed through its appropriate channels." The statement added that Ranieri's comments came just days after VW's emissions issue became public "and before a comprehensive internal review and discussions with component suppliers was possible." Fiat Chrysler was sued in 2015 along with Marchionne and other executives over claims it defrauded shareholders by overstating its ability to comply with vehicle safety laws. An amended version of the complaint filed in 2017 added claims about its compliance with emissions laws. The shareholders accused the defendants of inflating Fiat Chrysler's share price by hundreds of millions of dollars from October 2014 to October 2015 by downplaying safety concerns. They said the shortcomings materialized in 2015 when the automaker was fined $175 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and took a roughly $670 million charge for recalls. Plaintiffs filed the excerpts seeking approval to take up to 40 additional depositions, including Marchionne's. The U.S. Justice Department sued Fiat Chrysler in May 2017, accusing it of illegally using software to bypass emission controls in 104,000 diesel vehicles sold since 2014. Fiat Chrysler has held numerous rounds of settlement talks with the Justice Department and California Air Resources Board to settle the civil suit, including talks as recently as earlier this month. It faces a separate criminal probe into the matter.

Chrysler readying 20 Moparized vehicles for SEMA

The Las Vegas Convention Center has plenty of space for aftermarket companies and automakers to show off their wares, and it looks like Chrysler is taking advantage of the spacious floor plan. At next month's SEMA Show, Chrysler will have a full 20 cars from its six brands decked out with Mopar gear.
As a hint of what is to come, Chrysler released a handful of teaser sketches showing glimpses of modified Jeep Cherokee, Ram 1500, Fiat 500L and Chrysler 300 concept vehicles. The automaker will also use the venue to show off a new line of Jeep Performance Parts offered by the all-new Mopar Off-Road Division. In addition to the images, Chrysler also issued a brief press release - posted below - breaking down some of the "industry-first features" that Mopar has offered in recent years.

Jolly time: Fiat's Spiaggina concept honors the 1958 beach classic

You're looking at one of the coolest Fiat concepts of recent years. Built to honor the 60 th anniversary of the original Fiat Jolly, or "Spiaggina," the 500 Spiaggina Concept is a lovely little bathtub of a Fiat with cork floors. There's just the tiniest vestigial aero screen left to remind us that the 500 does originally come with a roof structure, and the triangles of the cut-down A-pillars are just tall enough to house small speakers, above the now blue-white dashboard. For structural rigidity's sake, and to protect the occupants in a rollover situation, there's a white hoop towering above the seatbacks, but mostly it just makes the car look more like a plastic coolbox. And very cool it is, as it looks like the perfect thing for driving to a Mediterranean beach — it even comes complete with a shower so one can get rid of excess sand. And of course it's a manual: The dashboard-mounted gearshift leaves room for the full-width bench seat that has taken the place of regular buckets. The rear seats are no more, as the rear end of the car has been dedicated for storage, complete with a fold-down tailgate. The whitewall tires exaggerate the wheels to a great effect, as the retro wheels now look like there's just the slightest rubber band around them. The Spiaggina concept has been created by Garage Italia, which is run by Fiat heir Lapo Elkann. Pininfarina has also been involved with the concept, even if the original wicker-work Jolly was built by Carrozzeria Ghia instead. While the completely open Spiaggina will remain a flight of fancy and a one-off, it will actually spawn a production version, albeit a tamer one. There will be a matching "Volare Blue" convertible production version called the Spiaggina '58, which will retain the roof structure and the folding roof of the stock convertible. It's good, but it's not cut-down, cork-floored concept good; 1,958 cars will be made. Related Video: