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The USPS needs 180,000 new delivery vehicles, automakers gearing up to bid

Winning the New York City Taxi of Tomorrow tender was a huge prize for Nissan, even though the company is still working through the process of claiming its prize. The United States Postal Service has begun the process to take bids for a new delivery vehicle to replace the all-too-familiar Grumman Long Life Vehicle, and that will be a much larger plum for the automaker who wins it, perhaps worth more than six billion dollars. The Grumman LLV is an aluminum body covering a Chevrolet S-10 pickup chassis and General Motors' Iron Duke four-cylinder engine. The USPS bought them from 1987 to 1994, and the 163,000 of them still in service are a monumental drain on postal resources: they get roughly ten miles to the gallon instead of the quoted 16 mpg, drink up more than $530 million in fuel each year, and their constant repair needs like the balky sliding door and leaky windshields have led the service to increase the annual maintenance budget from $100 million to $500 million. A seat belt is about as modern as it gets for safety technology, and the USPS says that assuming things stay the same, it can't afford to run them beyond 2017. Last year it put out two triage requests for proposals seeking 10,000 new chassis and drivetrains for the Grumman and 10,000 new vehicles. The LLV is also too small for the modern mail system in which package delivery is growing and letter delivery is declining. The service says it doesn't have a fixed idea of the ideal "next-generation delivery vehicles," but it listed a number of requirements in its initial request and is open to any proposal. Carriers have some suggestions, though, saying they want better cupholders, sun visors that they can stuff letters behind, a driver's compartment free of slits that can swallow mail, and a backup camera. The request for information sent to automakers pegs the tender at 180,000 vehicles that would cost between $25,000 and $35,000 apiece, and it will hold a conference on February 18 to answer questions about the contract. GM is the only domestic maker to avow an interest, while Ford and Fiat-Chrysler have remained cagey. Yet with a possible $6.3 billion up for grabs and some new vans for sale that would be advertised on every block in the country, we have a feeling everyone will be listening closely come February 18. We also have a feeling the LeMons series is going to be flooded with Grummans come 2017. News Source: Wall Street Journal, Automotive News - sub.

2016 Fiat 500X configurator is live, $20,000* to start

Fresh off an entertaining commercial during the 2015 Super Bowl, Fiat has unleashed the configurator for its all-new 500X CUV. And like its brother, the Jeep Renegade, the 500X starts cheap, but can get expensive in a hurry. Prices for the base 500X start at an even $20,000, not counting a $900 destination charge. That'll get you the front-drive-only, base-level Pop trim, with a 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, six-speed manual transmission, 16-inch steelies with wheel covers, a four-speaker stereo and unlike its Jeep-branded sibling, standard air conditioning. Next up is the $22,300 Easy, and its standard nine-speed automatic transmission and 2.4-liter four-cylinder. 17-inch wheels come standard, as does a 5.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with six-speaker stereo and Bluetooth connectivity, a Dynamic Selector Traction Control system, cruise control and remote start. For those that want to butch up the 500X's cutesy interior, the $23,100 Trekking trim adds a more aggressive front fascia with integrated fog lights and brawny 17-inch wheels. In the cabin, "premium" cloth seats replace the standard thrones. The luxurious Lounge trim starts at $24,850 and adds a 6.5-inch touchscreen with navigation, standard heated and powered cloth seats, optional leather seats, a heated steering wheel, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a 3.5-inch color display in the instrument cluster, a rear-view camera and four different interior color options. At the very tip-top of the range, we have the Trekking Plus, starting at a lofty $28,100. Adding basically everything from the Lounge trim with the aesthetics of the Trekking, if you really want the best 500X available, this is your CUV. This was the priciest model we could configure, hitting $33,500 with all-wheel drive, the $2,600 Trekking Plus Collection 2 (forward collision warning, auto high beams, lane departure warning and a dual-pane sunroof) and the stylish, $1,000 Giallo Tristrato paint. The prices listed above are for front-wheel drive only – adding all-wheel drive bumps up the 500X's price by $1,900. Beyond that, there are a plethora of option packages available on everything from the Easy to the Trekking Plus, meaning you'll be able to drive your out-the-door price beyond even what's listed here. These packages, like on the Renegade, will add everything from luxury features, like a heated steering wheel/seats and a panoramic sunroof, to safety items, like blind-spot monitoring and a rear-view camera.

Ferrari families have 'agreement' to prevent takeover

With its initial public offering already a massive success, Ferrari is now officially a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. While anyone can buy those shares, don't expect investors to take control away from some of the top owners of the Prancing Horse anytime soon. To maintain their power, Enzo Ferrari's son, Piero, and Exor chairman John Elkann will sign a deal guaranteeing themselves nearly half of the automaker's voting rights, Bloomberg reports. As part of this arrangement, shareholders that agree to hang onto Ferrari stock for at least three years would receive additional voting rights in the company, and that would give Piero and Elkann a combined 48.7 percent of the automaker by banding together. While not quite complete control, the move should be enough to prevent a takeover of the business. "We have an agreement among the families to protect our interests in Ferrari," Piero said to Bloomberg. This agreement won't really become a concern until next year because only 10 percent of Ferrari will be traded for now. FCA will distribute another 80 percent to its shareholders in early 2016, and Elkann's Exor will be getting the largest portion of the Prancing Horse in the spin-off. Meanwhile, Piero holds the remaining 10 percent but has absolutely no intention to sell his stake in his father's business. The newly public Ferrari will push to grow volume with a goal of moving 9,000 vehicles annually by 2019. To reach that 30-percent boost, expect to see a new model every year, and some of them might use a new, modular platform that's reportedly under development. Related Video: