1971 Fiat 500l Jolly on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Fiat takes Tipo name out of mothballs for new sedan

Fiat has announced that it is bringing the Tipo name back. The nameplate, which was last used two decades ago, is set to be applied this time to a new four-door sedan. It will be available across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East – but looks unlikely to be offered alongside the 500 family here in America. Unlike many European sedans in its class, the Tipo has been designed from the get-go with a three-box shape, rather than as a hatchback adapted to carry a trunk. The result, Fiat says, is a more harmonious form than some of its targeted competitors. It will be offered with a choice of four engines – two burning gasoline and two diesel – producing between 95 and 120 horsepower, driving through either an automatic or manual transmission. The design was previewed in concept form as the Aegea Project at the Istanbul Motor Show this past May. We knew at the time that it would likely adopt a different name for production, and now that name has been confirmed. It will not only be assembled in Turkey – where Fiat carries out much of its manufacturing – but also had the bulk of its development work carried out there as well. The last time the Tipo name was used was between 1988 and 1995 for a small, boxy hatchback designed by Ercole Spada. That Tipo was eventually succeeded by the Bravo and Brava, which were ultimately replaced by the Stilo – only to be replaced by another Bravo hatchback in 2007. And now, of course, it's a Tipo again – progress. Related Video: Great anticipation for Fiat's new Compact Sedan: TIPO is its name Expectation for the name of Fiat's new Compact Sedan was high and the wait is now over. A name steeped in history for the new three-box sedan which was revealed in May at the Istanbul Motor Show as the first chapter of the 'Fiat AEgea' Project. Sales of the car will start in Italy in December and be gradually extended to the other EMEA region countries. TIPO: this will be the name sported on the livery of the new Compact Sedan in all EMEA region countries except for Turkey, where the project name turned out to be so successful that it was decided to keep it for the car as well. The symbolic name has been used by Fiat since its earliest days and is now making a comeback on a global model designed to tackle the challenges of the future.

Fiat opens doors at Abarth factory on Google Street View

Google Street View has emerged as a great tool for checking out locations along your driving route, and even scoping out places you don't have a chance to go yourself. And that includes some great automotive installations. The online tool has taken us inside museums, race tracks and factories around the world, but while it has not to date allowed us virtual access to a European automotive factory, Fiat is out to correct that wrong by letting the Street View team inside Officine Abarth.
The new Abarth Virtual Tour allows online visitors to see the complex in Turin where it makes its hot hatches, including the lifts where the mechanics go to work, the paint spray booth, and a variety of technical workshops, as well as a display of historic Abarth models, a 360-degree view inside and out of the extreme Abarth 695 Biposto and even inside a reproduction of founder Karl Abarth's office. Scope it out for a visit inside Italy's premiere hot hatch studio.

Fiat to list on New York Stock Exchange?

Citing the ever-nebulous "two sources close to Fiat," Reuters is reporting that the Italian automaker and owner of the Chrysler brand is likely to list itself on the New York Stock Exchange. The move could reportedly happen as soon as 2015, marking the end, at least in the minds of investors, of Fiat's 115-year base in Turin, Italy.
The Italian government is not likely to react favorably to Fiat's potential move from Italy to the United States, despite initially positive reactions to Fiat's landmark final purchase of Chrysler, the third-largest automaker in the US. Fiat spent $3.65 billion to buy out the 41.46-percent stake in Chrysler that had been owned by the United Auto Workers' VEBA trust fund.
With little sign of a swift European recovery, Fiat has little choice but to focus on markets outside its traditional home, and a listing in New York could potentially be a boon for investors. According to International Strategy and Investment analyst George Galliers, speaking to Reuters, "People [would be] more likely to think of the entity in the same context as they do Ford and GM" if it were listed on the NYSE.