2013 Fiat 500c Lounge on 2040-cars

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Fiat 500 Gucci Edition returns, priced from $23,750*

Are you sad you missed out on the limited-edition Fiat 500 by Gucci the first time around? Well, fear not. You, too, can once again channel your inner Jennifer Lopez and pick up one of the co-branded little hatches starting this spring - but just like last time, Fiat will only be offering the Gucci 500s for a limited time.
Fiat will offer Gucci versions of both the hardtop 500 and cloth-top 500C, priced from $23,750 and $27,750, respectively, not including *$800 for destination. That's a pretty big price jump over the $18,500 500 Lounge hardtop - you could get the higher-output Turbo or Abarth models for the same or even less cash - but seeing as how Fiat had no trouble moving any of the Gucci-branded 500s last time they came to town, we're sure these will still fly off dealer lots.
And it's not like you don't get some fancy content for that coin. There's a new interior environment that either can be done up in all black, or a black/white contrast, to match the exterior color choices of, well, black or white. There are high-quality leathers used throughout the cabin, as well as satin chrome accents. Outside, the signature Gucci green/red/green stripe runs along the beltline on hardtop models, and along the cloth top on the 500C. Gucci badging is found on the door frames, accented with chrome mirrors and door handles. And of course, there are unique 15-inch aluminum wheels with the interlocking "GG" design on the center caps.

Maserati confirms Levante SUV for 2015, Alfieri for 2016

The Maserati share of the big Fiat Chrysler event today was expected to be something of a snooze, at least relative to the very busy Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Alfa Romeo portions. But the truth is there was plenty to pay attention to where the premium Italian brand was concerned. After all, moving from its 15,400 unit sales in 2013 to a target of 75,000 global sales in 2018 is going to take some doing.
One piece of big news is a shakeup in the existing ranks. 2014 will mark the final year of production for the GranTurismo (and its soft-top counterpart), meaning Maserati will be limited to just its Quattroporte and Ghibli sedans until the Levante SUV arrives in 2015, confirming previous reports. The first SUV to wear the trident, the Levante will only be available with all-wheel drive, but it will boast a Porsche Macan-smiting pair of V6s, with 350 and 425 horsepower, respectively.
Things get back to normal in 2016, as Maserati resumes sports car production with a road-going version of the Alfieri Concept from the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. Again, this is confirmation of a previous report. That car will be joined by a convertible variant in 2017. It seems like Maser is taking aim at, well, everything with the Alfieri, offering a 410-hp, V6-powered variant that dispatches its power to the rear wheels, to go along with 450- and 520-hp versions of the Alfieri's V6 that will only get their power to the road through an all-wheel-drive system.

Fiat celebrates 30 years of Panda 4x4 with Antartica edition [w/poll]

Typically, 4x4s are rather large affairs, but the Fiat Panda stands resolutely against the trend. And what's more, it's done just that for 30 years now, over the course of which Fiat has rolled out three successive generations and sold over 400,000 examples of the little off-roader that could. So to celebrate three decades of the Panda 4x4, Fiat is rolling out this special edition.
Called the Fiat Panda 4x4 Antartica, it's set to debut next week at the Frankfurt Motor Show alongside a new Black Code trim for the Freemont (known to us as the Dodge Journey) and an anniversary edition Abarth 595. Fiat has based this special edition on the Panda 4x4 Rock and upgraded it with two-tone paint, 15-inch diamond-finish alloys, orange trim, fog lights, tinted glass and special badging. Inside, it's got gray and orange upholstery, and European buyers can order it up with either the 85-horsepower 900cc TwinAir engine or the 75hp 1.3-liter diesel.
A limited run will reach European showrooms by the end of the year. But we wonder... should Fiat consider bringing the Panda Stateside to share floor space with the diminutive 500? Have your say in our informal poll below, and feel free to read through the press release, too.