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Pininfarina launches Classiche certification program for vintage cars

Pininfarina is focused on its future as a carmaker, but it's not forgetting about its past as a design house and contract manufacturer. The brand launched a certification program called Pininfarina Classiche that aims to give enthusiasts valuable details about their vintage car. Only two cars will initially be certifiable by Pininfarina: the four evolutions of the Alfa Romeo Spider built between 1966 and 1993 and the different versions of the Fiat 124 Spider sold from 1966 to 1985. Pininfarina designed both roadsters, and it notably took over production and sales of the Fiat model in 1982. American sales of the Pininfarina-badged Spider started for 1984 following Fiat's exit from our market. The certification service aims to provide collectors with production-related data about their car. This includes the chassis number, the market it was built for, the original paint and upholstery colors, the date that the car left Pininfarina's factory, as well as any and all other details that are available, such as the engine number and, for convertibles, the color of the soft top. Pininfarina notes that it waited until 2024 to offer this service because providing it required cataloging its archives, which took about two years, and using an archive management software. Enthusiasts who want to get their car certified need to reach out to Pininfarina. The firm will look through its archives and give the customer a list of what's available. The certification costs ˆ400 (about $430) for cars built before 1980 and ˆ300 (around $330) for post-1980 models.  Pininfarina has designed and built dozens of cars since its inception in 1930, and it plans to expand its Classiche service in the near future. It notes that its archives department includes production serial numbers for over 700,000 cars and more than 20,000 historical documents such as design sketches, technical blueprints, photos taken on the assembly line, and correspondence with the carmakers it worked with. Related video: Featured Gallery Pininfarina classics View 11 Photos Alfa Romeo Fiat Convertible Classics PininFarina

Fiat thinks big with new pickup for global markets

Fiat is thinking small in the United States, it will soon discontinue the 500X and bring the tiny 500e EV to our shores, but its global range will continue to include bigger models. One of its not-so-city-friendly vehicles is a medium-sized body-on-frame truck announced for Brazil. Official details about the pickup are few and far between, we don't even know what it will be called yet, but a preview image released by the company's Italian division reveals familiar styling cues. The grille, the shape of the headlights, and the kink in the beltline remind us of the Peugeot Landtrek, a body-on-frame truck designed jointly with Chinese carmaker Chang'an and sold in some global markets since 2019. Fiat hasn't confirmed that its upcoming truck is Peugeot-based but borrowing the Landtrek's platform would make sense: the two companies both live under the Stellantis umbrella. And, the Landtrek is largely sold in countries that Peugeot has historically been strong in, such as certain African nations, but it's not available in Brazil, where Fiat dominates a pickup segment growing at a surprisingly quick rate. The firm claims that its Strada, a small car-derived model that makes the Ford Maverick look a little big-boned, is the best-selling pickup in Brazil. Additional details about Fiat's next truck will emerge in the coming months. When it lands, it will join the aforementioned Strada and a unibody, Jeep Renegade-derived model called Toro in showrooms. Nothing suggests the pickup will be sold in the United States and it may not turn a wheel in Fiat's home country, where the company hasn't sold a truck since the Mitsubishi L200-derived Fullback retired in 2019. Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Fiat Truck Future Vehicles

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