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Fiat 500X Abarth could pack 200 horsepower

Enticing as some of its products might be, Abarth has been rather limited. Fiat revived the name to serve as its performance sub-brand in 2007, tasking it with producing hot versions of the 500 and Punto. The Punto never even made it to America, and isn't even offered overseas anymore, either. But don't think that Fiat Chrysler is just going to let the Scorpion marque skate by on just one model for much longer. Abarth is expected to offer its own performance version of the upcoming Fiat 124 Spider that's based on the Mazda MX-5 Miata. But that's not all. According to Alfredo Altavilla, FCA's COO for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the company is closely evaluating a performance version of the 500X (pictured here with Mopar accessories). "Besides the 124 and 500, we are thinking about an all-new addition to the line-up," Altavilla told Auto Express. "The 500X is one of the options being considered." If approved for production, the 500X Abarth would target the likes of the Mini Countryman JCW and Nissan Juke Nismo. It may be too early to make the call on powertrain options, but we could be looking at a retuned version of the adaptable 1.75-liter turbo four in the Alfa Romeo 4C that's also tipped to power the Abarth 124, with around 200 horsepower. That'd put it right in line with the 197 hp in the Juke Nismo, 215 hp in the Juke Nismo RS, and 208 hp in the Countryman JCW. This isn't the first time we've heard the prospect of an Abarth 500X brought up. The last time was the better part of the year ago, when we we hoped the project would lead to an amped-up Jeep Renegade as well. The Italian-American automaker has no intention of phoning it in with the Abarth 500X. "We went a bit too far with the Punto Abarth. Now our customers won't buy a fake. If the 500X becomes the addition to the Abarth line-up, it will be everything but a family version," said Altavilla. "Any new version of an Abarth car should deliver some sort of a performance enhancement, otherwise it is useless."

Analysts wary over FCA lawsuit but say emissions not as bad as VW

MILAN - Any potential fines Fiat Chrysler (FCA) may need to pay to settle a US civil lawsuit over diesel emissions will unlikely top $1 billion, analysts said, adding the case appeared less serious than at larger rival Volkswagen. The US government filed a civil lawsuit on Tuesday accusing FCA of illegally using software to bypass emission controls in 104,000 vehicles sold since 2014, which it said led to higher than allowable levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx) that are blamed for respiratory illnesses. FCA's shares dropped 16 percent in January when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first raised the accusations, adding the carmaker could face a maximum fine of about $4.6 billion. The stock has been under pressure since. Volkswagen agreed to spend up to $25 billion in the United States to address claims from owners, environmental regulators, U.S. states and dealers. FCA, which sits on net debt of 5.1 billion euros ($5.70 billion), lacks VW's cash pile but analysts said its case looked much less severe. While VW admitted to intentionally cheating, Fiat Chrysler denies any wrongdoing. Authorities will have to prove that FCA's software constitutes a so-called "defeat device" and that it was fitted in the vehicles purposefully to bypass emission controls. Even if found guilty, the number of FCA vehicles targeted by the lawsuit is less than a fifth of those in the VW case. Applying calculations used in the German settlement, analysts estimate potential civil and criminal charges for Fiat Chrysler of around $800 million at most. Barclays has already cut its target price on the stock to take such a figure into account. Analysts also noted that FCA's vehicles are equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems for cutting NOx emissions, so it is likely that any problem could be fixed through a software update. "Should this be the case, we estimate a total cost per vehicle of not more than around $100, i.e. around $10 million in aggregate," Evercore ISI analyst George Galliers said in a note. The estimates exclude any additional investments FCA may be asked to make in zero emissions vehicles infrastructure and awareness as was the case with VW. FCA said last week it would update the software in the vehicles in question, hoping it would alleviate the regulators' concern, but analysts said it may have been too little too late. The carmaker is also facing accusations over its diesel emissions in Europe.

Foreign automakers pay from $38 to $65 per hour to non-union workers

As leaders for the United Auto Workers gather in Detroit for their Special Convention on Collective Bargaining to work out the negotiating stance for this year's new labor agreements with the Detroit 3 automakers, what they most want to do is figure out how to eliminate the two-tier wage scale. However, the lower Tier 2 wage has allowed the domestic automakers to reduce their labor costs, hire more workers, and compete better with their import competition. As it stands, per-hour labor rates including benefits are $58 at General Motors, $57 at Ford, and $48 at Fiat-Chrysler – a reflection of FCA's much greater number of Tier 2 workers. The Center for Automotive Research released a study of labor rates (including benefits) that put numbers to what the imports pay: Mercedes-Benz pays the most, at an average of $65 per hour, Volkswagen pays the least, at $38 per hour, and BMW is just a hair above that at $39 per hour. Among the Detroit competitors, Honda workers earn an average of $49 per hour, at Toyota it's $48 per hour, Nissan is $42 per hour, and Hyundai-Kia pays $41 per hour. The lower import wages are aided by their greater use of temporary workers compared to the domestics. Automotive News says the ten-dollar gap between those foreign camakers and the domestics turns out to about an extra $250 per car in labor, which adds up quickly when you're pumping out many millions of cars. That $250-per-car number is one that, come negotiating time, the Detroit 3 will want to reduce, as the UAW is trying to raise both Tier 1 and Tier 2 wages. Another wrinkle is that the domestic carmakers are considering the wide adoption of a third wage level lower than Tier 2. Some workers who do minor tasks like assembling parts trays kits and battery packs already make less than Tier 2, but the UAW will be quite wary about cementing yet another wage scale at the bottom of the system while it's trying to fight a bigger battle at the top. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., BloombergImage Credit: AP Photo/Erik Schelzig Earnings/Financials UAW/Unions BMW Chevrolet Fiat Ford GM Honda Hyundai Kia Mercedes-Benz Nissan Toyota Volkswagen labor wages collective bargaining labor costs