Fiat 500 Pop Abarth Clone on 2040-cars

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2013 Fiat 500c Abarth takes its top off with a quickness

What a pleasant little piece of plug-and-play. Putting the Fiat 500c's retractable roof on the hot 500 Abarth was pretty much a no-brainer, and hey, we certainly aren't complaining. Folding the soft top back on the little hatchback will only allow us to better hear that awesome exhaust note while we're burying the throttle. And come on, who doesn't like a little wind-in-your-hair action?
Again, the 500c Abarth package is pretty much a copy/paste job, so dynamically, the car isn't all that different. Under the hood is the same 1.4-liter MultiAir turbocharged inline-four, good for 160 horsepower and up to 170 pound-feet of torque (assuming you pressed the Sport button on the dash - something you really, really ought to do). A five-speed manual transmission is the only 'box available. And don't you dare complain about that.
New enhancements for the 2013 500c Abarth include an available Beats Audio system, and buyers will be able to attend a no-cost Abarth Driving Experience, where professional racers will show customers how to make the best use of their cars under full-throttle track applications. Pricing hasn't been announced just yet, but we expect to have that closer to the car's on sale date early next year. Hit the jump for the full deets, and check out the scorpion-stung cabriolet in our attached galleries.

Ram pickups to keep it steel through 2020

One of the hottest topics in the industry these days is automakers' expanding use of aluminum, especially for vehicle bodies and platforms. While the lightweight metal has historically been the preserve of premium brands and sports cars, Ford shocked the industry when it announced that its 2015 F-150 would go aluminum-intensive for its new generation. As it turns out, the material change doesn't even mean a big jump in the prices for most of its trims. Possibly in reaction to the big change, General Motors is said to be using the lightweight metal in its next-gen trucks, too. That only leaves Ram as an open question among the domestics, and at least for now, the company is apparently in no hurry to push tin.
According to Reuters speaking with two, unnamed insiders, the Ram 1500 isn't getting an aluminum infusion until sometime after 2020. That's not to say the truck is going to be stagnant for the next half-decade or more, of course. According to Ram's five-year plan, there's a refresh for the 1500 coming in 2015 and much bigger changes on the way in 2017. Those same sources tell Reuters that further revisions aren't expected until at least 2021, which is when the aluminum could be added.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne hasn't minced words about his thoughts on using the lightweight metal in pickups. "I have better use of aluminum in this house than a pickup truck," he said in May. Having said that, Marchionne was clear that if the material turns out to be revolutionary in the segment, the company would be willing to follow.

Fiat 500 commercial expanded into 'Sexy People' music video

The last time we wrote about the Fiat USA commercial Immigrants, it was to question whether the ad provided our first glimpse of the 500T. That was a year ago, but Fiat isn't finished utilizing that commercial theme. The song in the one-minute commercial was Sexy People (All Around the World) by Italian songstress Arianna, and the Immigrant commercial has been lengthened and turned into a music video for the song as Arianna prepares that track and more for her first studio album.
The tune features Pit Bull and the clip is like a hip-hop video meets The Little Mermaid. Well, until Charlie Sheen shows up. That's when it starts Winning, and you can enjoy it all in the video below, along with the original ad from Fiat.