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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.

Certain Chrysler owners eligible for buyback program

Certain car owners whose Chrysler vehicles contain dangerous defects will soon have a way to get rid of their lemons without losing money. As part of an agreement with federal regulators, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has agreed to buy back more than 500,000 vehicles susceptible to veering out of control without warning at above market-value prices. The deal mainly covers certain models of RAM trucks, the Dodge Dakota pickup and Dodge Durango SUV. Further, owners of more than 1.5 million Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokees at heightened risk for lethal fires are eligible to trade in their vehicles at above market value or, alternately, get a gift certificate if they prefer to have repairs made. Chrysler has "a heavy responsibility to make sure the products they make are safe for the traveling public," said Mark Rosekind, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "... Here, we are sending an unambiguous signal to industry that if you skirt the laws or violate the law, or don't live up to the responsibility that consumers expect, we are going to penalize you." The buy-back and trade-in options for motorists come as part of an unprecedented penalty NHTSA slapped against Chrysler for violating federal motor-vehicle safety laws. Chrysler will pay a $105 million fine, the highest ever levied by the regulatory agency. In addition to the buy-backs, Chrysler also agreed to an independent monitor for three years. Investigators had outlined problems in the company's conduct in 23 recalls that affected more than 11 million defect vehicles. As part of a consent-order agreement, Chrysler acknowledged it did not notify vehicle owners of recalls in an effective manner and did not notify NHTSA of safety problems. Though those recalls affected millions of drivers, the buy-back and trade-in options are only for a small portion of the vehicles involved. Because Chrysler struggled to fix the problem and no repair was apparent, Rosekind said the buy-backs are reserved "for customers who didn't have a remedy." Buy-backs are for trucks and SUVs affected by three recalls that occurred in 2013 (recalls 13V-038, 13V-527 and 13V-529), that addressed a rear-axle pinion nut that could come loose and cause a loss of vehicle control. Those recalls covered 579,228 vehicles, including 2009-2012 Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500 trucks, 2009-2012 Dodge Dakotas, 2009 Chrysler Aspen and the 2009 Dodge Durango.

Chinese Jeep production confirmed with Fiat, Guangzhou agreement

Fiat has just finalized a deal originally set up in January between it and China's Guangzhou Automotive Group to bring Jeep production to China. It remains unclear which models will be built, although we're wagering that it'll be the 2014 Cherokee. What we do know, now, is where production will take place.
According to Automotive News, Guangzhou originally wanted production to take place in its home assembly plant in its namesake city. Fiat has battled to send production to a joint venture facility established between Guangzhou and Fiat in the town of Changsha. The joint facility won out, and now the factory, originally built in 2010 with a 140,000-unit capacity, will see Jeeps rolling out of it.
Currently, the GAC-Fiat factory produces the Fiat Viaggio, a jointly developed product that is closely related to America's Dodge Dart. And while it remains unclear as to which model will join the Viaggio on the assembly line, that model is understood to ride on Fiat's Compact platform. The only Jeep to share those underpinnings is the new Cherokee, so there's not much connecting of dots needed to see why this scenario would make sense.