2012 Fiat 500 Pop on 2040-cars

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Fiat previews production 500X on Melfi assembly line

The Fiat assembly plant in Melfi, Italy, may not be one that appears on our radar that often. It's been in operation since 1993, but until recently only built the Punto - a model that's been around in its current form with few modifications for the better part of a decade, but hasn't warranted the transatlantic voyage to American showrooms. Fiat recently added to the Punto assembly line in Melfi the production of the new Jeep Renegade, but that's not all.
Soon the Renegade (which you can see being built in the background of the image above) will spawn the 500X, a small crossover based on the same platform but with what you can see will be a more rounded shape. Replacing the Sedici (a.k.a. SX4) that was jointly developed with Suzuki, the 500X will join the Cinquecento family alongside the 500 hatch, 500C convertible and 500L minivan, the latter on whose design we hope the 500X will prove a marked improvement.
Expect the 500X (or so it's expected to be called) to be revealed on July 4, which will mark not only the 238th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence but also the 57th anniversary of the original 500's debut.

2013 Fiat Panda Antartica is crossover dressed as a penguin in a tuxedo [w/video]

If the results of our totally informal, completely unscientific poll are anything to go by, Americans are eager to get their hands on small utility vehicles like the Fiat Panda. And it's easy to see why - accessibility, relatively low price and 4x4 capability are traits that ought to work in America just as in the rest of the world. Indeed, Fiat has sold 500,000 or so Panda models over the past 30 years all across Europe.
Based on the Panda 4x4 Rock and updated with a special white, black and orange color scheme (called a tuxedo and inspired by a Penguin, apparently), fog lights and 15-inch alloy wheels, the Panda Antartica will soon hit European dealerships in limited quantities powered by either an 85-horsepower 900cc TwinAir engine or a 75-hp 1.3-liter diesel.
Take a look at it in our high-res gallery above, and be sure to scroll down below for a press release and the complete Fiat press conference from Frankfurt on video.

Chrysler purchases remaining shares from VEBA Trust, announces funding plan

It's official: The Detroit Three is now The Detroit Two and The Fiat Subsidiary, Chrysler. Both the Italian carmaker and The Pentastar announced the completion of cash payments and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on future payments necessary to make the Chrysler Group a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fiat. As previously detailed, Chrysler made a cash payment of $1.9 billion and Fiat North America made a cash payment of $1.75 billion to the Voluntary Employment Benefit Association (VEBA) run by the United Auto Workers union.
On top of that, Chrysler Group signed an MOU that agrees to payments of $700 million to the VEBA in four installments, the first of which was made concurrently with the other cash payments. And for you trivia mavens, the full name of the UAW is the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America. So go impress your loved ones with that nugget after you check out the press release below.