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Weekly Recap: Chrysler forges ahead with new name, same mission

Chrysler is history. Sort of. The 89-year-old automaker was absorbed into the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate that officially launched this fall, and now the local operations will no longer use the Chrysler Group name. Instead, it's FCA US LLC. Catchy, eh? Here's what it means: The sign outside Chrysler's Auburn Hills, MI, headquarters says FCA (which it already did) and obviously, all official documents use the new name, rather than Chrysler. That's about it. The executives, brands and location of the headquarters aren't changing. You'll still be able to buy a Chrysler 200. It's just made by FCA US LLC. This reinforces that FCA is one company going forward – the seventh largest automaker in the world – not a Fiat-Chrysler dual kingdom. While the move is symbolic, it is a conflicting moment for Detroiters, though nothing is really changing. Chrysler has been owned by someone else (Daimler, Cerberus) for the better part of two decades, but it still seemed like it was Chrysler in the traditional sense: A Big 3 automaker in Detroit. Now, it's clearly the US division of a multinational industrial empire; that's good thing for its future stability, but bittersweet nonetheless. Undoubtedly, it's an emotion that's also being felt at Fiat's Turin, Italy, headquarters as the company will no longer officially be called Fiat there. Digest that for a moment. What began in 1899 as the Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino – or FIAT – is now FCA Italy SpA. In a statement, FCA said the move "is intended to emphasize the fact that all group companies worldwide are part of a single organization." The new names are the latest changes orchestrated by CEO Sergio Marchionne, who continues to makeover FCA as an international automaker that has ties to its heritage – but isn't tied down by it. Everything from the planned spinoff of Ferrari, a new FCA headquarters in London and the pending demise of the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016 has shown that the company is willing to move quickly, even if it's controversial. While renaming the United States and Italian divisions were the moves most likely to spur controversy, FCA said other regions across the globe will undergo similar name changes this year. Despite the mixed emotions, it's worth noting: The name of the merged company that oversees all of these far-flung units is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Obviously the Chrysler corporate name isn't completely history.

New Fiat 500 Abarth confirmed, reveal coming in November

Though it's been absent from America for a few years, the Fiat 500 continues on overseas. But the line has been strangely split. The main 500 is a recently redesigned car from the ground up, and is electric only. Meanwhile, the 500 Abarth has survived, but it's still mostly the same car introduced more than a decade ago. And the obvious question has been, will there be a new one? The answer is yes. And we're going to see it soon. The past couple of weeks, Abarth has been sharing teasers about a new product. Two of those teasers were very explicit. On Monday, it announced the product would be a new 500 Abarth, and it would be shown on November 22. And on Tuesday, it showed a glimpse of the car, which is shown at top (original teaser post below). This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Looking closely, we can see that this new Abarth is based on the electric 500. It has the same headlights that are split by the hood about 75% of the way up. It also has the circular turn signals with body color inserts. Combined with the vivid lime green and humming, electrical noises in the background, we have to assume that the new Abarth will be battery powered. Assuming the electric Abarth follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, it should have more aggressive styling, sportier suspension, and likely extra horsepower.  We won't have long to learn more with the reveal just a couple of weeks away. It's also likely going to fuel our desire to have the Fiat 500 return to America, since it offers a lot of style and solid range for not a lot of money. A part of us holds out hope that Fiat will bring it here, since according to the L.A. Auto Show press conference schedule, Fiat has a conference. We genuinely don't know what will be announced, but it sure would be great timing to announce the electric 500 for America and then drop a hot version a week later. Or it could just be a 500X update. We'll find that out even sooner. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Autoblog Short Cut: Fiat 500 Abarth Hot Lap

2013 Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio

To no one's surprise, I was stoked about the Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio. I've always enjoyed the exquisitely flawed driving dynamics of the 500 Abarth hardtop, and the idea of being able to fold the top back and take it all in with some fresh air blowing around was really appealing. That super awesome exhaust note would no doubt be even more audible without a huge chunk of sheetmetal and glass in the way, and even with the slight weight penalty (33 pounds versus the hardtop), the Cabrio should still be just as tossable as ever.
So when the Fiat arrived at my door, I slid the roof back and stowed the normal press car paperwork in the glove box so it wouldn't fly about during what ended up being a genuinely spirited drive. I had a great time, and my subsequent days with the 500 Abarth Cabrio were just as enjoyable. Sunshine, Italian supercar-like rumble, and hilariously fun dynamics. Awesome.
But then I remembered my paperwork in the glovebox. And when I examined the fine print, my jaw dropped. The bottom line: $31,100, including $700 for destination. For a Fiat 500. Ouch.