2014 Fiat 500c Abarth on 2040-cars

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Marchionne may stay with FCA until 2020

We might get to see Sergio Marchionne and his vast array of sweaters in the auto industry for even longer than expected. The FCA CEO suggested last year that he would retire from the automaker when its current five-year plan was complete in 2018. Now, he has tentatively extended that point out to at least 2020. "I can do this for another five years if you push me, right? Beyond that, I ain't gonna do it, and I don't want to," he said to Automotive News. That would give Marchionne a 16-year career at the top from joining Fiat in 2004 to possibly leaving FCA in 2020. Although, take the CEO's statement with a grain of salt because he has made multiple statements about the timing for his retirement. In 2012, Marchionne said he would only remain in charge until 2015, which is, well, now. Those five years might also go quite quickly because Marchionne is a busy guy with the Ferrari IPO, the attempted merger with General Motors, implementing FCA's five-year plan, and many other projects. He's already considering the next CEO, though. "My purpose in life is to find the Kuniskises of the world, the Manleys, the Biglands, the Palmers," Marchionne said to Automotive News, referencing the heads at Dodge, Jeep, FCA North America, and the company's chief financial officer, respectively. "I told them, 'One of you is going to do what I do one day. I don't know who that is, but one of you is going to do it.'" News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Photo Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Sergio Marchionne FCA fca us Mike Manley reid bigland tim kuniskis

Chrysler Uconnect gets dealer-activated navigation, new infotainment features

Get in just about any mid-level Chrysler product these days, and you'll see a touchscreen head unit that would be perfect for a navigation system. The only thing is that some of these cars equipped with the head unit for Chrysler's Uconnect infotainment system were not optioned up with navigation at the time of purchase, leaving drivers looking for turn-by-turn directions relying on either an aftermarket nav system or a smartphone. Starting on select new Chrysler products, however, customers with Uconnect will now be able to upgrade to navigation as a dealer-activated option.
Announced at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, this new element of Uconnect will allow owners to have an in-dash navigation system installed quickly and easily; Chrysler said that this will be a major benefit for used-car buyers. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like this system will be retroactive on previous Uconnect head units, but it will launch this year on the 2013 Ram 1500, 2013 SRT Viper and the 2014 Fiat 500L. Chrysler did not announce the expected MSRP to have dealers activate the navigation capabilities.
Another infotainment option for Chrysler buyers is the Uconnect Access system that can allow WiFi, voice text messaging, emergency assistance, remote vehicle operation (such as starting the engine or locking/unlocking the doors) and limited POI searches using Bing. Also introduced at CES, the new Uconnect Access via Mobile system builds on this by allowing users to add in-car apps such as iHeart Radio, Pandora and Slacker by connecting to the system via a smartphone. This system will first be offered on the 2013 Ram and Viper.

Iveco spotted testing jacked-up Daily 4x4 in the snow

The Italians go up against the Mercedes Sprinter with the Fiat Ducato, better known around these parts as the Ram ProMaster. But that's not the only full-size van associated with the burgeoning Fiat empire. So too is the Iveco Daily, and here we're looking at the latest version. Spied undergoing cold-weather testing in the snow, this version of the Daily is a chassis cab with a cargo bed, a jacked-up suspension and four-wheel drive. The chassis cab is just one of a number of configurations available for the Iveco Daily, which is perhaps more commonly seen on roads across Europe and around the world as a cargo van or mini-bus. But the 4x4 looks new to our eyes. Now if you're scratching your head and wondering what Iveco is and where it stands in the growing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles empire, the short of it is that it doesn't. Not quite, anyway. Once part of the Fiat Group, it's now part of CNH Industrial – otherwise known as Case New Holland – whose largest shareholder is the same Agnelli-owned Exor holding company that controls the largest share of FCA. That doesn't mean that the Daily, in this form or any other, will make the jump to the North American market any time soon – as an Iveco, a Ram or under any other brand – but as far as professional-grade machinery goes, this piece of forbidden fruit is looking pretty cool. Featured Gallery Iveco Daily 4x4: Spy Shots Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos Fiat Automakers Truck Commercial Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles iveco iveco daily