2013 Fiat 500 Pop Automatic Alloy Wheels Only 6k Miles Texas Direct Auto on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Junkyard Gems: 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88 Fiesta and 1971 Fiat 850 Spider

It's 1971. You're a young professional with a starter home in the suburbs, a beautiful wife, two kids, and a dog. Of course, you also have a station wagon; a 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88 Fiesta. It's not the newest car on the block, but it was an unbeatable deal. You're quickly moving up the corporate ladder, so you decide you've rightfully earned a fun little convertible to commute in. $2,200 and change gets you into a brand-new Fiat 850 Spider. It's no powerhouse, but it's considerably more affordable than an Alfa Romeo Spider and it's pretty good on gas, to boot. It's also tiny; The Italian roadster looks like a Matchbox car next to 4,600 pounds of burly, V8-powered Detroit iron. Your next-door neighbor jokes the 850 could fit in the Super 88's trunk by simply folding down the rear seats, and she's probably right. For those of us who weren't around 50 years ago, a junkyard in the heart of the Rockies has recreated the picture-perfect American driveway of the 1970s. It's a mind-blowing reminder of just how small Fiats used to be, and just how massive American wagons once were. While the 850 was green when it set sail for the United States, the Oldsmobile is still wearing its original two-tone paint job – or what's left of it. It must have been quite a looker when it was new, and every single slat on the lane-wide grille was as shiny as the finest silverware in the White House. Today, both cars are worse for the wear. There's rust on virtually every body panel, the glass is either broken or missing, and the upholstery is as dry as washed-up seaweed on a hot summer day. There's no obvious accident damage, and both cars are relatively complete, so it's not too far-fetched to assume they were brought to the yard as beaters that were lingering at the bottom of their depreciation curve. Related Video: Featured Gallery Fiat 850 and Oldsmobile 88 View 12 Photos Fiat Classics

Chrysler stays IPO until 2014

There will not be a Chrysler IPO in 2013. Fiat, according to a report from Forbes, has announced that it will not be able to make the American brand's initial public offering before the end of the year, saying that the short, five-week window that makes up the rest of 2013 is "not practicable."
Not surprisingly, the issue with the Chrysler IPO is the same as it's always been - a disagreement between parent company Fiat, which owns 58.5 percent of the Chrysler Group and a UAW healthcare trust, which owns 41.5 percent. Fiat wants to buy out the UAW VEBA healthcare trust, which is responsible for shouldering retiree healthcare costs, but the two sides are hung up on an actual price tag for the remaining two-fifths of the company.
The original idea saw an IPO as a way of setting a fair market price for the remaining shares, although it's not entirely clear what broke down and led to a delay of the IPO plan. As Forbes points out, by waiting until 2014, Chrysler could be risking a cool-off in the IPO market, which could mean less money in its pocket when the automaker finally goes public.

Recharge Wrap-up: Storm Pulse EV touring motorcycle, Elio COO launches YoYo car subscription service

The Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands has created the Storm Pulse electric touring motorcycle. Its 28.5-kWh modular battery pack provides 236 miles of riding on a single charge. The batteries can be charged on a standard household outlet, and can be swapped out in a matter of minutes. The Storm Eindhoven team is raising money to take the prototype bike on a world tour this summer, covering 40,000 kilometers (24,855 miles) in 80 days, not just to show off the Pulse, but also to demonstrate the feasibility of electric mobility. Check it out in the video above, and read more at Technologic Vehicles. Chile is generating so much solar power that it is giving it away for free. Thanks to its well-developed solar infrastructure – which includes 29 solar farms with 15 more in the works – feeding its central grid (as well as problems distributing it to other parts of the country), the surplus means energy prices have dropped to zero in certain locales for well over a hundred days of the year. Chile is now trying to improve its transmission networks, though lack of revenue could slow future investment in solar power. Read more at Green Car Reports. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is reportedly talking to Uber Technologies about a possible partnership regarding driverless cars. Anonymous sources close to the matter have said that a venture could be announced by the end of 2016. Uber is also in talks with other automakers, according to one source. Having access to Uber's massive fleet of vehicles around the world provides large opportunities for gathering data and improving systems. Sources say Fiat has also been in contact with Amazon about autonomous delivery vehicles. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Former Elio Motors COO Hari Iyer is launching the YoYo car subscription service as its CEO. YoYo will offer cars on-demand with a concierge service, using a pay-per-mile model. Iyer will maintain a relationship with Elio as a member of its Board of Directors, and as a strategic advisor to CEO Paul Elio. "I am proud of our team's accomplishments [at Elio] and the progress we've made to date and will look on with pride when I see an Elio on the road," says Iyer. He adds, "My work at YoYo is continuing our shared mission to usher in a new era of affordable access to cars." Read more in the press release below.