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

Auto blog

Fiat 500L gets a much needed update for 2018

The Fiat 500L is one of those love-it or hate-it vehicles. Fiat's largest US vehicle has been knocked for questionable styling, poor build quality, and reliability concerns. That's why the new mid-cycle refresh is so important, as the Fiat says 40-percent of the components on the 500L are all new. Styling is much more aggressive, and a new trim level promises some semblance of off-road readiness. The 500L still keeps the general not-quite-a crossover shape, but the front and rear fascias have been redone. The front is more upright, losing that slack-jawed look of the current model. The lower air intake and foglight surrounds are big and wide, with contrasting chrome and black plastic. The lighting is similar to the current model but has been updated with LED accents. Of course, the requisite Fiat badge and mustache are in place. It's a similar story out back. The 500L retains the same general shape, but it's a little more masculine and angular. There are new chrome accents on the bottom of the bumper along with new reverse and rear foglights (for Europe). There are 10 colors available for the 500L, with three options for the roof: body color, gloss black or white, or matte black. All in, Fiat says there are 37 color combinations. Like the exterior, changes to the interior are more refreshed than all-new. Up front, the biggest changes are to the steering wheel, instrument cluster and infotainment system. A speedometer and tachometer flank a 3.5-inch color display. Like the Fiat 500X, the 500L will have a multitude of menus and options to flip through. The infotainment has been updated with the latest version of FCA's excellent UConnect system. That means standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For Europe, there are three basic configurations: the five-passenger Cross, and optional seven-passenger Wagon, and Urban. There are various trim levels within each configuration, though the long-wheelbase seven-passenger versions are unlikely to make it to the US market. The big news is the Cross, which gets a 25mm lift, skid plates, unique front and rear bumpers, and new wheels and tires. While there are new drive modes, Fiat doesn't make any mention of all-wheel drive. Customers with the need can step up to the smaller but more traditional 500X. The 500L has been a slow seller here in the US. It's unclear when the new model will go on sale, but it's good to see Fiat breathing some life into a slim product line.

Ram and Fiat Professional announce plans for new trucks, vans starting in 2015

Ram Trucks CEO and President Reid Bigland got his turn among the executives elucidating the near-term futures for brands in the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles umbrella, laying out the plans for both Ram trucks and Fiat Professional. After Bigland said that the company "will continue to invest heavily in commercial vehicles" for the Italian arm, he didn't give many specifics as to where that investment would go. What we do know for now is that a new Fiat Doblo will come next year - that's the truck we've been catching spy shots of and that will be the basis for the Ram ProMaster City.
In 2016 will come the next-generation Fiorino, a small cargo van sold in markets outside the US as a Fiat, as the Citroën Nemo and Peugeot Bipper. The European and South American markets will also get a new midsize pickup that same year.
Bigland's goal for Ram Trucks and Ram commercial is just a touch more ambitious: "Build the best pickup trucks and commercial vehicles in the industry" and increase NAFTA-market sales from 463,000 in 2013 to 620,000 in 2018. The waypoints along that road include a refresh for the Ram 1500 in 2015 and then a brand new 1500 to come two years later in 2017. Bracketing that, a refresh for the Heavy Duty lineup happens in 2016, and two years later it will also get an all-new generation.

Stellantis launching at least 25 EVs for America by 2030

Stellantis has announced a wide-ranging plan for the company through 2030 covering everything from product to financials. The product plans are what really caught our attention, particularly for the surprise reveal of the first electric Jeep, as well as new teasers of the electric Ram 1500. But the company also provided more broad details on what we'll be seeing in the future including both electric cars and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. All of the plans are in service of the Stellantis goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2038. On that way, it plans for all European vehicle sales and half of all American sales to be electric by 2030. It will launch 75 new electric vehicles by that year, and at least 25 of them will be coming to the U.S. The first of those electric cars will be the aforementioned Jeep in 2023, but many Stellantis models will follow close behind. The electric Ram ProMaster will launch in 2023 as well. In 2024, we'll see the electric Ram (and its plug-in hybrid counterpart), two more Jeeps (an off-road model and a family-oriented model) and the Dodge electric muscle car. We'll get a preview of the Dodge with a concept this year. Then in 2025, Chrysler will launch its electric car, likely based on the Airflow concept. Stellantis has previously announced Chrysler will be fully electric by 2028, and it further announced that Alfa Romeo and Maserati will be fully electric by 2030. Stellantis is also working on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, mainly for commercial use. For the U.S., it plans on offering a large, ProMaster-size hydrogen van in 2025. That year or a little later, it also has plans for a hydrogen heavy-duty pickup truck, presumably Ram 2500 and 3500. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares noted that among the benefits of hydrogen for large and commercial vehicles is being able to avoid compromising payload capacity, since hydrogen powertrains are lighter than giant batteries. Hydrogen filling times are quick relative to charging, too. The company will continue working on and offering advanced driver aids. This year it will offer hands-free cruise control like GM's Super Cruise and Ford's BlueCruise. In 2024, the company intends to introduce a system that is hands-free and won't require the driver to be watching it the entire time. The technology is being developed alongside BMW. These are, of course, broad plans, and they could change as time goes on. Expect more details as we get closer to individual product releases.