2013 Fiat 500 Sport on 2040-cars

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Marchionne uses racial epithet to describe what must power future Alfa Romeo models

Sergio Marchionne and his Fiat empire have a lot riding on the US return of the Alfa Romeo brand. The endeavor has been in progress for what feels like a lifetime - certainly for as long as Fiat has had the Chrysler brand under its Italian wing.
It's not surprising that Fiat CEO Marchionne needs a perfect first Alfa to mark a return to America. And here's where things get dicey. Nobody would argue with Marchionne's insistence that Alfa Romeo's be powered by Italian engines - as Marchionne himself is quoted to have said at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, "There are some things that are well done in Italy."
If not what he said, then, it's how he said it that has eyebrows raised. "I cannot come up with a schlock product, I just won't. I won't put an American engine into that car. With all due respect to my American friends, it needs to be a wop engine." Wait, what's that?

Fiat-Chrysler CEO: Please Don't Buy The Fiat 500e

Fiat-Chrysler's CEO had a strange request for electric vehicle shoppers on Wednesday: don't buy the all-electric Fiat 500e. While CEO Sergio Marchionne was speaking at a conference in Washington, he told the crowd he's tired of Chrysler-Fiat losing money, The Detroit News reported. "I hope you don't buy it [the 500e] because every time I sell one it costs me $14,000," he said to the audience at the Brookings Institution. "I'm honest enough to tell you that." Marchionne said federal and state fuel efficiency mandates are forcing the automaker to build unprofitable cars, according to Reuters. A normal Fiat 500 starts at $16,195, and the 500e starts at $32,650, before federal and state tax credits. There are no sales data to indicate how the 500e is performing. Related Gallery The Best Hybrids For The Money View 12 Photos Green Chrysler Fiat Car Buying Electric fiat 500e

Fiat mulling purchase of MV Agusta?

Apparently to be a cool automaker in Europe, you have to build motorcycles. Volkswagen Group bought Ducati in 2012, and BMW has made bikes longer than it's made cars (until recently, it also owned Husqvarna). Fiat might be the next automaker to get into the two-wheel business, with rumors flying that it is considering buying cash-strapped Italian sportbike brand MV Agusta.
At the moment, it's all still very much a rumor, but the purchase would certainly seem to help the motorcycle company. However, according to Asphalt and Rubber, the business would need a lot of cash to grow and sustain itself. Fiat might not want to invest so much into a brand that may never be a huge moneymaker.
MV Agusta is best known for its racing success in the '50s and '60s. Until Japanese manufacturers took over the sport, the Italian company was one of the fastest things on two wheels, with a long list of championships in various classes. Recently, it was briefly owned by Harley-Davidson.