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

Auto blog

Macron and Le Pen decry 'shocking' Stellantis CEO pay

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron and his far-right challenger in the French presidential vote, Marine Le Pen, on Friday both decried as “shocking” the multimillion euro payout to the CEO of carmaker Stellantis. Stellantis CEO Carlos TavaresÂ’ remuneration package of 19.15 million euros just a year after the company was formed became an issue as Macron and Le Pen campaigned ahead of the April 24 runoff vote. Polls show purchasing power and inflation are a top voter concern. Stellantis was formed last year through the merger of PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Centrist President Emmanuel Macron, perceived by many voters as being too pro-business, called the pay package “astronomical” and pushed for a Europe-wide effort to set ceilings on “abusive” executive pay. “ItÂ’s shocking, itÂ’s excessive,” he said Friday on broadcaster France-Info. “People canÂ’t have problems with purchasing power, difficulties, the anguish theyÂ’re living with, and see these sums. Otherwise, society will explode.” Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who enjoys support from many working-class voters, called for bringing in more workers as shareholders. “Of course itÂ’s shocking, and itÂ’s even more shocking when it is the CEOs who have pushed their society into difficulty,” she said Friday on BFM television. “One of the ways to diminish this pay, which is often out of proportion with economic life, is perhaps to allow workers in as shareholders.” Stellantis continued to back the package despite a 52.1% to 47.9% vote rejecting it at an annual shareholders' meeting chaired from the Netherlands, where the company is legally based, on Wednesday. The company, citing Dutch civil code, noted that the vote is advisory and not binding. The company later said in a statement that it took note of the vote, and will explain in an upcoming 2022 remuneration report “how this vote has been taken into account.” In the 2021 report, the company identified peer group companies that it used as a salary benchmark, including U.S. companies like Boeing, Exxon Mobile, General Electric as well as carmakers Ford and General Motors. Stellantis, whose brands include Peugeot, Fiat, Jeep, Opel and Maserati, reported net profits last year had tripled to 13.4 billion euros ($15.2 billion). The French government is the third-largest shareholder in Stellantis, with a 6.15% stake through the Bpifrance Participations S.A. French public investment bank.

2016 Fiat 500X First Drive [w/videos]

Fiat's return to the US market four years ago is already cooling off. Neither the Lilliputian 500 or its larger sibling, the 500L, have caught on with mainstream customers. Both were designed years ago for European roads, which are tight and crowded. That's the antithesis of America's driving ethos. Fiat knows this, and its answer is the 2016 500X. It lays the brand's curvy design over a crossover-style package with available all-wheel-drive. There's more room for cargo to suit our national preference for extra space. The 500X still has Italian charm, but it feels more at home on US roads than other Fiats. Put simply, the 500X isn't a transplant, it's made for American buyers (even if it's assembled in Italy, alongside the Jeep Renegade). We were skeptical that the 500X could turn around Fiat's fortunes, but this cute crossover had a way of winning us over. Maybe it was the bright arancio paint (Italian for "orange") of our test car, the most expressive of the 12 exterior hues. Even in the shadowy indoor setting where our test drive begins, in Culver City, CA, this car stands out. In stark contrast, the black and grey interior is subdued and tasteful. Out test car is a Trekking model, the middle of five trim levels, fitted with the optional 2.4-liter engine. This naturally aspirated four-cylinder is a 'free' upgrade from the standard 1.4-liter turbo, but mandates the addition of a nine-speed automatic transmission for $1,500. Taking off through morning traffic, we head for the Santa Monica Freeway. At the entrance we're pitted against an older Toyota Camry in an on-ramp drag race. We lay on the throttle to put the Tigershark engine's 180 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque into full use, and leave the Camry in the dust. As we head north toward Malibu, we can already tell that the 500X feels like a different kind of Fiat, more substantial. It fills the lane. There's an upright driving position, and we feel confident cruising along at 70 miles per hour. Okay, so the 500X can handle an interstate, but what about an open road? We make our way to the Pacific Coast Highway, California's State Route 1, a logical place to test Fiat's claim of being more in step with American buyers. There are stoplights. People wander across the street towards the beach. Cars pass us and we pass them. Subtract the ocean air and surfers, and this road is what a lot of US motorists deal with every day. The 500X is all up for it.

Chrysler nets $1.6B income in Q4, Fiat profit up 5%

Chrysler announced its 2013 financial results today and unveiled its new name and decidedly bank-like logo. Amid the announcement, Chrysler posted big gains in income, while Fiat didn't perform to analysts' expectations.
For 2013, Chrysler had revenue of $72.1 billion, up 10 percent from 2012. Net income reached $2.8 billion, a 65-percent increase. It was the company's third straight year of annual profits.
In terms of unit sales, Chrysler sold 2.4 million cars worldwide in 2013, up 9 percent. According to Automotive News, 1.8 million of those vehicles were sold in the US, a 14-percent increase. The sales growth boosted Chrysler's US market share to 11.4 percent, up 0.2 percent.