2012 Fiat 500c Pop on 2040-cars

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Chrysler officially rebrands as FCA US LLC

Detroit's third-largest automaker has had a lot of names over the years. It was founded as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, a name it held until 1998 when it was bought by ze Germans in 1998 to form DaimlerChrysler AG, then it went independent in 2007 under the name Chrysler LLC before being retitled once again as Chrysler Group LLC in 2009. And now the automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, MI, is getting yet another new name. Announced today and effective immediately, the company formerly known as Chrysler will now be called FCA US LLC. That's a lot of letters, but they make a lot of sense, too: FCA stands for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the US telling us this is the company's American division and the LLC tells us it's a limited liability company – a legal classification similar to (but not quite the same as) a corporation. The announcement comes shortly after the company decided to phase out its long-serving Pentastar logo. The sum total is that the once-independent industrial giant is now formally part of a larger European parent company, owned by Fiat and (for taxation purposes, anyway) based in the Netherlands. What the company formerly known as Chrysler wants to emphasize, however, is that FCA US LLC will remain based in Auburn Hills and retain its "holdings, management team, board [and] brands." Chrysler Group LLC Announces New Company Name: FCA US LLC U.S.-based Automaker's New Name Aligns With Global Parent December 16, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler Group LLC, the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker, today announced that it has changed its company name to FCA US LLC. The name change is effective immediately and follows the naming convention of its global parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA), which officially adopted its new name in October when it listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The name change to FCA US LLC does not affect the company's headquarters location in Auburn Hills, Michigan, its holdings, management team, board or brands. FCA US, together with parent FCA, continues to work toward the business plan presented on Investor Day in May 2014. Additionally, the Company remains proud of its joint heritage. FCA US continues to build upon the solid foundations first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925 as well as a rich Fiat heritage that dates from 1899. FCA US employs more than 77,000 employees worldwide, with 96 percent of its workforce based in North America.

Lamborghini-powered Fiat 500 blows our minds

We suppose that it was fate that eventually someone would take a vintage Fiat 500 and wrap it around a 6.2-liter V12 plucked from a Lamborghini Murcielago. Seeing as how both the 500 and the Murcielago hail from Italy, it was only a matter of time before the two got drunk and made either the best or worst decision of their lives depending on who you ask.
Built by Oemmedi Mechanics, the car first bowed at the 2012 Bologna Motor Show, and while the ultra-widebody finished product is barely recognizable as an adorable Cinquecento, there's no mistaking the sound of that wicked V12.
How quick is the thing? Oemmedi isn't saying, but we imagine plopping an engine that dishes out 580 horsepower in a car that tipped the scales at just 1,100 pounds from the factory results in all sorts of abuses on the laws of physics. You can check out a few videos of the creation below.

Maserati looking to book 13,000 sales of new Quattroporte in 2013

Europe's continuing financial woe is forcing automakers to get creative, and while Fiat may be scaling back its volume vehicles, it's looking to ramp up production of the exclusive Maserati brand. Following the debut of a new Quattroporte sedan, Fiat wants to boost Maserati sales to 50,000 vehicles by 2015. Maserati may lose as much as €7 million ($9.05 million) this year, and Fiat is betting big on Chrysler platforms and dealers to turn that around.
Currently regarded as a low-volume boutique carmaker, Maserati sold just 6,159 units last year, and 4,700 units through three quarters of this year. For 2013, Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne is targeting 13,000 in sales of the redesigned Quattroporte alone. Fiat apparently wants the brand's low volume image to change, hoping to position it closer to BMW and Porsche in the market.
The recent unveiling of the new Quattroporte will be followed by more new vehicle launches, including a crossover utility called Levante, and a long-promised sub-Quattroporte sedan, called Ghibli. The latter will share certain components with the Chrysler 300 sedan in an effort to optimize production costs. The Ghibli will be positioned to take on the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. It's all in an effort to turn the profit tide for Maserati and its parent company Fiat amidst European economic turmoil.