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CEO says Volkswagen's buying spree is over

After adding Italian motorcycle icon Ducati to its stable and spending $5.6 billion on the rest of Porsche, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn says he's done shopping for a while.
"We have enough to do at the moment in taking our twelve brands to where we want to be," Winterkorn tells German newspaper Handelsblatt.

Fiat Chrysler's next-generation Uconnect is faster, built on Android

If you're a regular reader of Autoblog, you know that for a long time we've liked Fiat Chrysler's Uconnect infotainment system for its bright, clear, responsive touchscreen interface. Now, according to the company, it will be better than ever with Uconnect 5, the latest iteration of the system. It has upgraded hardware and a revamped graphic user interface (the stuff on the screen). Looking at sample screens shown above, there are characteristics shared with the old system, such as the time, status and shortcuts at the top and the menu icons at the bottom. In the middle, the major change is the addition of home screens that can be customized with favorite menus and readouts that are always available. Each of these home screens can have up to four functions and you can have five pages to flip through. The graphics themselves feature more legible fonts and updated icons. Each car brand will get its own set of icons, colors and textures to help create unique experiences. And while each Fiat Chrysler product will be able to have Uconnect, including Alfa Romeo that has until now lacked Uconnect, each brand has the ability to make small tweaks including the screen orientation. The system will support displays in landscape, portrait or square, so different brands may choose different shapes. Powering Uconnect 5 is a processor Fiat Chrysler says is six times more powerful than what's in current systems. It features 6 gigabytes of RAM and 64 gigabytes of internal storage. The processor also supports screens as large as 12.3 inches with as many as 15 million pixels, or nearly twice that of a 4K resolution TV. The system can display information on up to four screens, too. Uconnect 5's firmware is built on Google's Android operating system, joining a few other automakers in using Android as a base for their infotainment systems. Uconnect 5 brings with it a number of new features. It brings full Alexa integration, so you can use it just like you do at home, provided you have a data plan for the car. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto continue to be standard, but now they can be used wirelessly. You can also now connect two phones via Bluetooth wirelessly so you can access content from both. Navigation gets real time information and updates from TomTom. Users can create five profiles with unique climate, radio and instrument settings, plus one for a valet.

2016 Fiat 124 Spider to debut this year

Those enthused by the prospect of a nimble little convertible but not enamored with the styling of the latest Mazda MX-5 Miata (shown above) have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Fiat version. And now we know it's going to break cover later this year. According to Edmunds, which spoke with the Fiat brand's North American chief, Jason Stoicevich, the Fiat 124 Spider will debut later this year either at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September or the LA Auto Show in December. It is expected to begin reaching dealers in 2016. Fiat has yet to confirm whether it'll offer the 124 in North America, but the chances are looking good. "There is a ton of heritage behind that," Stoicevich told Edmunds. "I think that just kind of puts the bow on the showroom for us and fills it out completely." The roadster would bolster a Fiat US lineup that's made up of versions of the 500: the original hatchback, open-roof 500C, electric-powered 500e, and 500L and 500X crossovers. Fiat offers other models overseas, but is said to be preparing a change in direction even in Europe, aligning its portfolio in two pillars built around the 500 and the Panda. Though the 124 will be based on the MX-5's platform and be built alongside it in Japan, the Italian brand will give the convertible its own bodywork and styling. The Italian version of the MX-5 was originally earmarked to wear an Alfa Romeo badge, but Fiat brass decided that Alfas needed to be developed in-house and built in Italy. The decision was then made to give the Fiat brand the convertible instead, though details on what form it will take and what engines will be offered remain a mystery. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club View 30 Photos News Source: EdmundsImage Credit: Mazda LA Auto Show Frankfurt Motor Show Fiat Convertible 2015 LA Auto Show fiat 124 spider fiat 124