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Chrysler teases upcoming outlay of SEMA cars

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is hauling a multitude of modified models to the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas this November, and the company is releasing the first teasing sketches of many of them.
Unfortunately, FCA isn't giving many solid details on any of the concepts other than saying the vehicles from Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat all benefit from tuning from its Mopar performance brand. The teaser photos include a sinister-looking Chrysler 200S, Fiat 500 Abarth with two-tone paint and a scorpion on the hood, a red and black 500L, seemingly two different takes on the Jeep Renegade, a green Dodge Challenger wearing the T/A badge, an orange and black Dart, a very neon Charger, just the outline of a red and black Viper, a Ram ProMaster in Mopar livery and a Ram pickup called the Outdoorsman.
Take a look through the gallery to see what you think of the sketches for these concepts, and scroll down for the full announcement from FCA.

FCA profits surge in second quarter

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles gave the cash register a beating in the second quarter, improving its net profit to 333 million euros ($364M US), which is a 263-percent jump over its reported Q1 profit of 92 million euros ($108M US). At the same time, FCA improved its global profit margin to 7.7 percent. Compared year-over-year, in Q2 2014 FCA reported net profit of 197 million euros making this year's Q2 a 69-percent increase, and profit margins a year ago were 4.9 percent. The two big factors for this increase are strong NAFTA sales and Jeep. In the US alone, Jeep sold 222,940 units in Q2 this year, a jump of almost 20 percent over the same period last year. Revenue in the NAFTA region totaled $18.8 billion, adjusted earnings before interest and taxes were $1.45 billion, both of those numbers more than doubling compared to 2014. The vastly better numbers come on marginally more global sales, 1,181,000 units sold in Q2 2014, 1,193,000 units sold in the same span this year. In the US, FCA began charging dealers one-percent more for vehicles to up the margins, a move that helped boost its US margin from 4.1 percent a year ago to 5.8 percent the first half of this year. The company is holding steady on its guidance of global deliveries at 4.8 million and its net profit guidance at $1.1 to $1.3 billion. It has increased its adjusted outlook for the year to $120.5 billion in revenue, and EBIT to "over $4.93 billion." News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat Jeep FCA

Fiat updates Euro-spec 500 with new equipment, Cult trim

It's been seven years since Fiat relaunched the 500, and it has, by and large, been a runaway success for the Italian automaker. Numerous variations on the theme have followed - from the convertible 500C and performance-oriented Abarth models to the 500L minivan and upcoming 500X crossover - but it's high time that Fiat give the original hatchback a bit of a refresh, and that's just what it's done... to some extent, anyway.
Debuting this week at the Geneva Motor Show, the updated 500 features a number of enhancements to keep it fresh and with (if not quite ahead of) the times. That includes a redesigned instrument cluster centered around a seven-inch TFT display developed by Magnetti Marelli. There's a new 900cc turbo two-pot TwinAir engine being offered with 105 horsepower and 107 pound-feet of torque that can get a Cinquecento so equipped to 62 miles per hour in 10 seconds and on to a 117-mph top speed while delivering 67 miles per gallon (at least on the European cycle). Finally there's a new Cult trim level pictured here, being added to the top of the range that builds on the Lounge trim with more equipment like 16-inch alloys, gloss black roof, chrome or gloss black wing mirrors and more.
We're still waiting to find out what, if any, of this equipment will make the jump to the US model, but for now you can scope out the press release below and the high-res images in the gallery above for a closer look.