2013 Fiat 500 Abarth Only 6k Miles Full Factory Warranty on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo considering Ferrari-developed engines for new product lineup

A report in Bloomberg adds more details to the plans for Alfa Romeo's fourth turnaround plan in Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's tenure, and this time Ferrari is apparently going to be part of the show. In December Automotive News Europe reported that a new Maserati-derived rear-drive architecture would be the centerpiece at Alfa Romeo, as well as coming Chrysler and Dodge products. At the time, ANE said the platform would support a new midsize sedan and wagon perhaps to be called Giulia, a fullsize sedan and a midsize crossover, with retail appearance of the product initiative commencing perhaps as soon as next year. It would be part of Fiat's $12.3-billion spend on new models and European recovery.
The Bloomberg report says that particulars haven't been finalized, but the plan is to have six new Alfas appear over the next five years, two of which would be SUVs. The futures of the Mito and Giulietta, two of the three cars Alfa currently sells and 99 percent of sales last year, aren't assured, meaning that the lineup in six years could be seven cars (including the 4C), six of which we haven't any definitive clue of yet. The top-tier versions of those cars, according to the report - perhaps the Quadrifoglio Verde - "will be equipped with motors developed by Ferrari."
Marchionne wants to get sales up to 300,000 units per year when the lineup is complete, pairing Alfa sales with Jeep's global dealer network to open up the retail channel. That kind of volume would get Fiat's Italian plants back in business properly, even though Marchionne's stance on Italy-only Alfa production would mean the end of the anticipated roadster that was to be twinned with the coming Mazda MX-5 Miata. Alfa's direction will be laid out in Detroit in May as part of the overall strategy presentation for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

2016 Fiat 500X configurator is live, $20,000* to start

Fresh off an entertaining commercial during the 2015 Super Bowl, Fiat has unleashed the configurator for its all-new 500X CUV. And like its brother, the Jeep Renegade, the 500X starts cheap, but can get expensive in a hurry. Prices for the base 500X start at an even $20,000, not counting a $900 destination charge. That'll get you the front-drive-only, base-level Pop trim, with a 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, six-speed manual transmission, 16-inch steelies with wheel covers, a four-speaker stereo and unlike its Jeep-branded sibling, standard air conditioning. Next up is the $22,300 Easy, and its standard nine-speed automatic transmission and 2.4-liter four-cylinder. 17-inch wheels come standard, as does a 5.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with six-speaker stereo and Bluetooth connectivity, a Dynamic Selector Traction Control system, cruise control and remote start. For those that want to butch up the 500X's cutesy interior, the $23,100 Trekking trim adds a more aggressive front fascia with integrated fog lights and brawny 17-inch wheels. In the cabin, "premium" cloth seats replace the standard thrones. The luxurious Lounge trim starts at $24,850 and adds a 6.5-inch touchscreen with navigation, standard heated and powered cloth seats, optional leather seats, a heated steering wheel, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a 3.5-inch color display in the instrument cluster, a rear-view camera and four different interior color options. At the very tip-top of the range, we have the Trekking Plus, starting at a lofty $28,100. Adding basically everything from the Lounge trim with the aesthetics of the Trekking, if you really want the best 500X available, this is your CUV. This was the priciest model we could configure, hitting $33,500 with all-wheel drive, the $2,600 Trekking Plus Collection 2 (forward collision warning, auto high beams, lane departure warning and a dual-pane sunroof) and the stylish, $1,000 Giallo Tristrato paint. The prices listed above are for front-wheel drive only – adding all-wheel drive bumps up the 500X's price by $1,900. Beyond that, there are a plethora of option packages available on everything from the Easy to the Trekking Plus, meaning you'll be able to drive your out-the-door price beyond even what's listed here. These packages, like on the Renegade, will add everything from luxury features, like a heated steering wheel/seats and a panoramic sunroof, to safety items, like blind-spot monitoring and a rear-view camera.

Hellcat no help to Fiat-Chrysler's bottom-of-the-pile mpg average

What, you expected the "fastest muscle car ever" to help fleetwide fuel economy? Nope, don't think that's going to happen. That means Fiat Chrysler will likely to continue to languish at the bottom of the heap when it comes to fleetwide fuel economy among the largest automakers serving the US, especially as the automaker starts to sell its Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. A few hundred Fiat 500E electric vehicles aren't going to turn the trend around. See, Chrysler has once again finished at the bottom of the list when it came to fleetwide fuel economy among automakers for 2014 model-year vehicles, according to a preliminary study by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Chrysler and Fiat had an average of 21.1 miles per gallon. That substantially lagged the overall 24.2 mpg average, but it was an increase from the company's 20.9 mpg average last year and the 20.1 mpg average two years prior. For 2014, General Motors had the second-worst fleetwide fuel economy at an even 22 mpg. Fiat Chrysler does say it's working on improving its fuel economy, according to Automotive News. The company plans on making its inline-four-cylinder and V6 engines smaller, and will sell more vehicles with eight- and nine-speed transmissions. Heck, there's even a plug-in hybrid version of the Chrysler Town & Country minivan in the works for late 2015, and the company can tout fuel-efficiency gains with the Chrysler 200 and Jeep Cherokee. We would be remiss if we didn't note that, compared to its muscle-car forefathers, the Hellcat actually performs pretty well at the pump. Last month, word got out that the 2015 Challenger Hellcat, equipped either with a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic transmission, got a combined fuel economy of 16 mpg. Heck, the automatic-tranny version got 22 mpg on the highway. And that's for a car with 707 horsepower and a 10-second quarter-mile time. Still, with the pedal floored, the car can burn a gallon and a half of fuel per minute. Ouch.