2013 Fiat 500 Coupe-- "abarth"-- "navigation"-- "panorama"--17" Wheels on 2040-cars

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Ex-Fiat exec: VW diesel scandal will hurt plug-in hybrids

It doesn't sound right at first blush, but former Fiat executive and noted diesel-powertrain expert Rinaldo Rinolfi thinks that plug-in hybrid sales may be more impacted by the VW diesel-emissions scandal than diesel sales. Rinolfi, who worked for Fiat for 40 years, told Automotive News Europe, said that the Euro 6 emissions rules that went into effect in 2015 have already increased diesel-engine production costs enough to raise prices and ultimately flatten demand. By the end of the decade, diesel-vehicle sales will settle in at a 40-percent market share of new European vehicles, and that was going to happen with or without the scandal. "Every carmaker has found ways to achieve fuel consumption and emissions results that have progressively diverged from the real driving conditions." - Rinaldo Rinolfi Makers of plug-in hybrids have more to lose, though, because every PHEV maker has figured out a way to keep emissions figures artificially low, Rinolfi said. Under New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standards, PHEVs can be tested part of the time with the electric motor in action, meaning emissions get driven down to 30 percent to 40 percent less than real-world figures. With the VW scandal pushing regulators to use real-world figures, those PHEV emissions numbers are expected to rise substantially. To a lesser extent, hybrid emissions figures are also tested as artificially low. "Over the years, even without defeat devices, every carmaker has found ways to achieve fuel consumption and emissions results that have progressively diverged from the real driving conditions the customer experiences," Rinolfi said in the Automotive News Europe interview. Rinolfi is a little sunnier about compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, estimating that CNG emissions are as much as 25 percent lower compared to conventional vehicles. As for battery-electrics, he's not so optimistic, estimating that there needs to be at least a tenfold improvement in energy efficiency for EVs to be truly competitive with conventional vehicles. "I've been waiting for a true breakthrough for the past 25 years, but I've not seen it yet," Rinolfi said about EVs in the Automotive News Europe interview. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News Europe-sub.req.Image Credit: Arnd Wiegmann / Reuters Green Fiat Volkswagen Diesel Vehicles Electric Hybrid diesel emissions scandal nedc

Will the Fiat 124 Spider get an Abarth model?

Fiat is finally back in the sports-car business, as evidenced by the reveal of the 2017 124 Spider at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Naturally, the next question becomes: Will Fiat do an Abarth version? "We might look at doing a tuned version, said Olivier Francois, global head of the Fiat brand. "Maybe yes, maybe no." Francois was coy as he spoke to a group of reporters minutes after the 124 debuted in LA, but performance is a part of Fiat's genetics. While Francois wasn't telling, we think those bloodlines will translate into a higher-powered Abarth version. The 2017 Spider launches next summer, so an Abarth variant could arrive about a year later as a 2018 model. We would expect it to feature a stiffer suspension, performance wheels, Abarth badging, and enhanced aerodynamics. Some carbon-fiber pieces (perhaps the hood) would complement Fiat's always interesting palette of color choices, though a rosso corsa, like the one chosen by our illustrator, would be timeless. The engine's output would be the big question mark. The likely plan would be to tune up the 124's 1.4-liter four-cylinder MultiAir turbo rated at 160 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque in the base model. It's the same engine used in the Fiat 500 Abarth model, though the Spider has more torque. Fiat could further goose this mill, perhaps to around 190 to 200 horses, or pluck another mill from Fiat Chrysler's vast powertrain bins. The Alfa Romeo 4C's turbo 237-hp four-cylinder might also be a candidate. Like the MX-5 Miata with which it shares a platform (albeit modified), the Spider is more about driving dynamics and style than raw power. For Fiat, the 124 will offer the allure of an Italian car to the wide range of enthusiasts who can't afford Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, or Lamborghinis. "We think we can appeal to the huge number of people who aspire to a car like this," Francois said. Obviously, an Abarth price point is far in the future, but the Fiat chief said the base 124 "will be very much in line with the segment." The 2016 Miata begins at $25,735, including destination. We estimate 124 Abarth pricing could start around $32,000. The Spider will serve as Fiat's halo. It's a true sports car with a legitimate history. "This is the quintessential Italian car," Francois said. That means it won't be a volume play. The Spider might add a modest 6,000 units per year to Fiat's sales tally in the United States and perhaps 12,000 globally, said IHS Automotive senior analyst Stephanie Brinley.

2015 Fiat 500C Abarth Automatic

"I would not, could not in a tree. Not in a car, you let me be. I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox. I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam-I-Am." Why am I quoting Dr. Seuss' classic children's tale in the review of a small Fiat? Well, much like oddly colored eggs and ham, for the 500C Abarth, Fiat has taken something formerly palatable and added a rather bizarre quality – a six-speed automatic transmission. "I do not like an auto trans," I said. "I'd only drive it in a van." What would happen to the 500 Abarth's hilariously charming and flawed character? Isn't an automatic gearbox diametrically opposed to the cheap and cheerful driving pleasure inherent in the scorpion-badged Cinquecento? After a week behind the wheel, I was shocked to find that the auto Abarth is nearly as entertaining as its clutch-equipped counterpart. Driving Notes The Aisin six-speed automatic is beefed up for the higher torque of the hot 500 Abarth, and the final drive ratio is shorter. Despite the Abarth's spicier character, the shifter retains the same PRNDL pattern and piano-black surround as the standard 500. While I laud Fiat for offering a correct shifter layout to the manual-shifting scheme – pull to upshift and push to downshift – that smart move is overshadowed by the lack of wheel-mounted paddle shifters. There's not much else to complain about with the new automatic, because on the road it delivers similar performance to the five-speed manual. Upshifts are smooth and quick in the standard setting, and only get sharper if you push the Sport button on the dash. On top of that, wide-open-throttle upshifts show off the sonorous voice of the Abarth-tuned exhaust. It pops and cracks and belches in a horribly, hilariously anti-social way. I love it. The twin pipes are just as vocal on the rev-matched downshifts. The gearbox isn't as quick to drop ratios as some of its two-pedal competitors, like the dual-clutch-equipped Volkswagen GTI or even the traditional automatic offered in the Mini Cooper S (coincidentally also an Aisin unit). That said, the difference isn't significant enough to count as a major demerit. One minor change with the transmission is the power output. While the manual model has 160 horsepower, the auto drops to 157. Torque, though, is up from 170 pound-feet to 183 lb-ft.