Fiat 500 Lounge Gucci Package on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Fiat 600e unveiled as a retro-flavored, 500-inspired crossover

Fiat's model offensive continues with the launch of a crossover named 600e. Developed primarily for the European market, the soft-roader borrows several heritage-laced styling cues from the latest version of the 500, and it will be offered with hybrid and electric drivetrains. Named after one of Fiat's all-time best-sellers, and built on the same platform as the Jeep Avenger, the 600e stretches approximately 164 inches long, 70 inches wide, and 60 inches tall. It's about three inches shorter and lower than the 500X, and both models feature similar proportions, but the 600e isn't the 500X's direct replacement — the two models will be sold side-by-side for an undetermined period of time. Visually, the 600e borrows several styling cues from the 500e, including oval headlights with LED accents. There's no "Fiat" emblem on the front end, the bumpers wears a "600" badge, while the bottom part of the bumper gets a big, body-colored air vent. The 500e influence continues out back with vertical lights. Black accents on the bumpers, wheel arches, and rocker panels add a rugged touch to the design. The similarities between the 600e and the 500e continue inside, and that's not a bad thing — the 500e's interior impressed us when we drove a European-market model in Italy earlier in 2023. The driver faces a two-spoke steering wheel, a seven-inch digital instrument cluster with a refreshingly simple design, and a 10.25-inch touchscreen for the Uconnect infotainment system. Fiat added several clever features, including a folding cover for the center console's storage compartment, and the 600e offers approximately 12.7 cubic feet of trunk space. Fiat will add a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain to the 600e range during the first half of 2024. Until then, the crossover will exclusively be offered with an electric drivetrain that consists of a 54-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack and a 154-horsepower motor that zaps the front wheels into motion. Driving range checks in at up to 248 miles when tested using Europe's WLTP cycle, which leans towards the optimistic side of the scale, and the system is compatible with 100-kilowatt fast-charging. Fiat quotes nine seconds to reach 62 mph from a stop. On sale now, the Fiat 600e will reach European showrooms in September 2023. There's no word on whether we'll see it in the United States. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

New 2019 Fiat 500X bows with standard AWD, 1.3-liter turbo four

Fiat is unveiling the U.S. version of the new 2019 500X all-wheel-drive subcompact crossover this week in Los Angeles, and it deviates slightly from the European refresh version we previewed in August and its U.S. predecessor, with a new engine and standard all-wheel drive. Instead of the three gasoline engines on offer across the pond or the two stateside, U.S. consumers will get a standard 1.3-liter, direct-injection turbocharged engine that produces 177 horsepower and a best-in-class 210 pound-feet of torque. Those are higher output figures than either the comparable European 1.3-liter or the 1.4-liter, and they compare with the 180 hp and 175 lb-ft offered by the outgoing 2.4-liter Tigershark engine. The new four-cylinder is fitted with stop-start technology and the third generation of FCA's MultiAir valve-actuation technology, which controls intake-valve timing and opening to recycle exhaust gas to offer improved power and fuel efficiency. Also reflecting American trends — and don't let the gear shifter knob fool you — there's no manual transmission on offer, with power instead mated to a nine-speed fully electronic automatic transmission. Three driving modes are on offer: a baseline Auto, performance-oriented Sport, and Traction +, which maximizes low-speed traction. Looks-wise, the basics are the same, with sharper creases, new LED head- and taillights, and redesigned front and rear fascias. The U.S. version continues the plastic body cladding defining the grille surround, a shape echoed at the rear. There are three wheel options — 17-inch silver aluminum for the Trekking model, 17-inch matte black machined wheels for the Treeking Plus, and 18-inch matte anthracite machined aluminum for Trekking and Trekking Plus (Pop is the entry-level trim). There are also three new exterior colors: Italia blue, green and ivory. Fiat designers refreshed the cockpit with new seat fabrics, a new instrument cluster and a new steering wheel with mounted radio controls. It comes with standard Connect 4 with a 7-inch touchscreen radio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and Bluetooth features. Safety features include blind-spot monitoring, rear cross path detection and a rear backup camera with dynamic grid lines. Adaptive cruise control is offered as an option. The 500X will start at $25,785 including destination when it goes on sale next spring. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

Fiat Chrysler to pay $40 million fine for inflating sales numbers

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler is paying $40 million to settle with U.S. securities regulators who say the automaker misled investors by overstating its monthly sales numbers over a five-year period. The Italian-American company inflated sales by paying dealers to report fake numbers from 2012 to 2016, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleged in a complaint. Fiat Chrysler agreed to pay the civil penalty and to stop violating anti-fraud, reporting and internal accounting control regulations, the SEC said Friday in a statement. The automaker did not admit or deny the agency's allegations, the statement said. "This case underscores the need for companies to truthfully disclose their key performance indicators," Antonia Chion, associate director in the SEC's Enforcement Division, said in the statement. She noted that the new vehicle sales figures give investors insight into the demand for an automaker's products, a key to assessing the company's performance. Fiat Chrysler said it has reviewed and refined its sales reporting procedures. It said the payment will not have a large impact on its financial statements. The agency said the automaker boasted about a streak of year-over-year sales increases into 2016, when the streak actually was broken in September of 2013. When the company disclosed the sales scheme in 2016, it said that it had a "reserve" stock of cars that had been shipped to big fleet buyers such as rental car companies but not recorded as sales. The SEC said employees called this database of actual but unreported sales the "cookie jar." The company dipped into those sales to stop the streak from ending, or when it would have missed other sales targets. Fiat Chrysler said it now records sales as soon as vehicles are shipped to customers. It has also take steps to ensure that a sale is immediately subtracted from its books when it finds out the deal was scuttled because the buyer backed out or couldn't get financing. The SEC probe is another in a long string of legal troubles for Fiat Chrysler. It also faces federal investigations into illegal payments to union officials through a training center, and a criminal probe into allegations that its diesel-powered trucks were programmed to cheat on emissions tests. The company has denied cheating, but federal prosecutors charged an engineer earlier this week and said he conspired with others. In June, Fiat Chrysler's U.S.