Fiat 500 Sport 2012 Limited Edition Red No. 44 Of 500 Made 6 Speed Under Warr on 2040-cars

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Hellcat no help to Fiat-Chrysler's bottom-of-the-pile mpg average

What, you expected the "fastest muscle car ever" to help fleetwide fuel economy? Nope, don't think that's going to happen. That means Fiat Chrysler will likely to continue to languish at the bottom of the heap when it comes to fleetwide fuel economy among the largest automakers serving the US, especially as the automaker starts to sell its Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. A few hundred Fiat 500E electric vehicles aren't going to turn the trend around. See, Chrysler has once again finished at the bottom of the list when it came to fleetwide fuel economy among automakers for 2014 model-year vehicles, according to a preliminary study by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Chrysler and Fiat had an average of 21.1 miles per gallon. That substantially lagged the overall 24.2 mpg average, but it was an increase from the company's 20.9 mpg average last year and the 20.1 mpg average two years prior. For 2014, General Motors had the second-worst fleetwide fuel economy at an even 22 mpg. Fiat Chrysler does say it's working on improving its fuel economy, according to Automotive News. The company plans on making its inline-four-cylinder and V6 engines smaller, and will sell more vehicles with eight- and nine-speed transmissions. Heck, there's even a plug-in hybrid version of the Chrysler Town & Country minivan in the works for late 2015, and the company can tout fuel-efficiency gains with the Chrysler 200 and Jeep Cherokee. We would be remiss if we didn't note that, compared to its muscle-car forefathers, the Hellcat actually performs pretty well at the pump. Last month, word got out that the 2015 Challenger Hellcat, equipped either with a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic transmission, got a combined fuel economy of 16 mpg. Heck, the automatic-tranny version got 22 mpg on the highway. And that's for a car with 707 horsepower and a 10-second quarter-mile time. Still, with the pedal floored, the car can burn a gallon and a half of fuel per minute. Ouch.

Buy a real Popemobile: the Pontiff's Fiat 500L

Pope Francis has urged people to drive "humble" cars, and he practiced what he preached during last year's US visit by riding in a Fiat 500L rather than a more opulent vehicle. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will offer the chance to feel a little closer to His Holiness on January 29 by auctioning at least one of the Fiats from the Pope's trip at the Philadelphia Auto Show Black Tie Tailgate. All of the auction's proceeds will follow Pope Francis' desire to help the less fortunate. Half of the money will go to the Catholic Charities Appeal, which aids those that struggle with homelessness and poverty. The other half will be split equally among Mercy Hospice, Casa Del Carmen, and the Schools of Special Education of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. "The Fiat is such an icon of Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia and the auction of this vehicle serves as an extraordinary final event to close this memorable chapter in the City's history," Donna Crilley Farrell, Executive Director of the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015, said. FCA US let Pope Francis use two 500Ls while he was in Philadelphia, and the automaker then donated the cars to the Archdiocese, according to its director of communications Kenneth Gavin to Autoblog. The Archdiocese still hasn't decided whether to auction the other one at the Black Tie Tailgate, but the Fiat will be on display at the Philadelphia Auto Show from January 30 through February 7. It's difficult to put a price tag on these special vehicles, Gavin told Autoblog, but the Archdiocese hopes to get as much as possible for them to benefit the charities. FCA US and the US Secret Service have records of the cars' VINs from the trip, and the Archdiocese would show the winning bidder all the documentation to certify the vehicle's authenticity. Related Video: The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 Offer Opportunity for Bidders to Own a FIAT 500L Used by Pope Francis During Historic Philadelphia Visit at the Philadelphia Auto Show Black Tie Tailgate Held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Friday, January 29, the auction will benefit the Catholic Charities Appeal, Catholic Social Services, Mercy Hospice, Casa Del Carmen, and the Archdiocesan Schools of Special Education.

Vans aren't glamorous, but they're key to EU blessing FCA-PSA merger

MILAN/PARIS — Their silhouettes don't stir dreams of adventure like a sports car or trendy SUV, but vans are a rare source of profit for European carmakers, which is why EU regulators are focused on them as they decide whether to back an industry mega-merger. European competition regulators are worried that Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA's proposed merger may harm competition in small vans. With a total of 755,000 vans sold last year in Europe, the combined Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and PSA would get a market share of around 34%, based on industry data, more than double that of Renault and Ford, with shares around 16% each. Volkswagen and Daimler follow with market shares of 12% and 10% respectively. "Commercial vans are important for individuals, SMEs and large companies when it comes to delivering goods or providing services to customers," European Union competition chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement, announcing an in-depth investigation into the proposed merger. "They are a growing market and increasingly important in a digital economy where private consumers rely more than ever on delivery services." Dario Duse, a managing director at consultancy firm AlixPartners, said demand for vans was not based on people's disposable income, as for cars, but rather on GDP and industrial trends, and in particular the logistics industry, where big players such as Amazon or DHL operate. "Logistics is a business segment which is having a significant growth, for several reasons including e-commerce, where you need efficient and agile vans for interurban and city deliveries," he said. "LCVs (light commercial vehicles) may recover faster than passengers cars in the post-COVID-19 phase." Sales of vans up to 3.5 tonnes in Europe amounted to 2.2 millions vehicles last year, compared to 15.8 million for passenger cars, according to data provided by the European Auto Industry Association (ACEA). The light commercial vehicles (LCVs) market may be secondary in terms of volumes, but it remains highly profitable in an industry where margins are constantly under pressure. Margins are generally higher than on passenger cars, up to 5-10 additional percentage points, AlixPartners says. "With LCVs you don't have to fulfill a series of consumer expectations that drive additional complexity and costs, such as for interiors. LCV customers are more rational and business driven," Duse said. And while electrification in heavy trucks is complicated, it might come sooner for LCVs.