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2020 Fiat 500X Sport Design Driveway Test

The Fiat 500X received a big update for 2019 with a new 1.3-liter turbocharged engine. As such, it's no surprise the 2020 Fiat 500X only sees minor updates, but one of them is rather striking, the introduction of the Sport trim level. However, it's only an appearance change, so it doesn't drive any better than the base model. The changes are impressively effective at evoking sportiness, though. All of the fender flares and side skirts are changed to body color, giving the car a lower, wider look. This is aided by the revised front and rear bumpers. At the front, the bumper gets larger grilles, and at the rear is a faux diffuser and vent design instead of a faux skid plate finish. Adding a bit of contrast are satin grey metallic accents on the front bumper, door handles and mirrors. The same color is applied to the large 19-inch alloy wheels. The look is smart and sporty all around, and really helps distinguish the 500X in a sea of tiny crossovers cosplaying as more rugged SUVs. Our particular example also came with the optional contrasting black roof. It's $445 and seems worth it, particularly with one of the bright gloss colors such as our Rovente Red — Italia Blue or Bianco Gelato are also acceptable alternatives. It highlights those bright colors effectively and adds some visual interest to the package. Fiat also added some interior touches to complement the sporty character. The Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel and Alcantara wrappings on the instrument cluster are both immediately noticeable. And, with how common Alcantara has become in high-end sports cars, these are effective at conveying a sporty feeling, as do the paddle shifters that the package also adds. The dashboard's satin gray paint is another highlight that matches the exterior accents. While body color panels would be brighter and more cheerful, this satin paint feels more premium than gloss paint when running your hands across it. The embroidered 500 logo in the seats is another premium-feeling accent. These are appreciated in a cabin where there are less prominent plastics that feel especially low rent. Now, the Sport trim is easily our favorite looking version of the 500X, but there's an added cost for the improved looks. It's $2,305 above the base trim, not including the two-tone paint, and it really only nets you the appearance items and the shift paddles.

Chrysler officially rebrands as FCA US LLC

Detroit's third-largest automaker has had a lot of names over the years. It was founded as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, a name it held until 1998 when it was bought by ze Germans in 1998 to form DaimlerChrysler AG, then it went independent in 2007 under the name Chrysler LLC before being retitled once again as Chrysler Group LLC in 2009. And now the automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, MI, is getting yet another new name. Announced today and effective immediately, the company formerly known as Chrysler will now be called FCA US LLC. That's a lot of letters, but they make a lot of sense, too: FCA stands for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the US telling us this is the company's American division and the LLC tells us it's a limited liability company – a legal classification similar to (but not quite the same as) a corporation. The announcement comes shortly after the company decided to phase out its long-serving Pentastar logo. The sum total is that the once-independent industrial giant is now formally part of a larger European parent company, owned by Fiat and (for taxation purposes, anyway) based in the Netherlands. What the company formerly known as Chrysler wants to emphasize, however, is that FCA US LLC will remain based in Auburn Hills and retain its "holdings, management team, board [and] brands." Chrysler Group LLC Announces New Company Name: FCA US LLC U.S.-based Automaker's New Name Aligns With Global Parent December 16, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler Group LLC, the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker, today announced that it has changed its company name to FCA US LLC. The name change is effective immediately and follows the naming convention of its global parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA), which officially adopted its new name in October when it listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The name change to FCA US LLC does not affect the company's headquarters location in Auburn Hills, Michigan, its holdings, management team, board or brands. FCA US, together with parent FCA, continues to work toward the business plan presented on Investor Day in May 2014. Additionally, the Company remains proud of its joint heritage. FCA US continues to build upon the solid foundations first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925 as well as a rich Fiat heritage that dates from 1899. FCA US employs more than 77,000 employees worldwide, with 96 percent of its workforce based in North America.

The next steps automakers could take after sales drop again in April

DETROIT (Reuters) - Major automakers on Tuesday posted declines in U.S. new vehicle sales for April in a sign the long boom cycle that lifted the American auto industry to record sales last year is losing steam, sending carmaker stocks down. The drop in sales versus April 2016 came on the heels of a disappointing March, which automakers had shrugged off as just a bad month. But two straight weak months has heightened Wall Street worries the cyclical industry is on a downward swing after a nearly uninterrupted boom since the Great Recession's end in 2010. Auto sales were a drag on U.S. first-quarter gross domestic product, with the economy growing at an annual rate of just 0.7 percent according to an advance estimate published by the Commerce Department last Friday. Excluding the auto sector the GDP growth rate would have been 1.2 percent. Industry consultant Autodata put the industry's seasonally adjusted annualized rate of sales at 16.88 million units for April, below the average of 17.2 million units predicted by analysts polled by Reuters. General Motors Co shares fell 2.9 percent while Ford Motor Co slid 4.3 percent and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's U.S.-traded shares tumbled 4.2 percent. The U.S. auto industry faces multiple challenges. Sales are slipping and vehicle inventory levels have risen even as carmakers have hiked discounts to lure customers. A flood of used vehicles from the boom cycle are increasingly competing with new cars. The question for automakers: How much and for how long to curtail production this summer, which will result in worker layoffs? To bring down stocks of unsold vehicles, the Detroit automakers need to cut production, and offer more discounts without creating "an incentives war," said Mark Wakefield, head of the North American automotive practice for AlixPartners in Southfield, Michigan. "We see multiple weeks (of production) being taken out on the car side," he said, "and some softness on the truck side." Rival automakers will be watching each other to see if one is cutting prices to gain market share from another, he said, instead of just clearing inventory. INVESTORS DIGEST BAD NEWS Just last week GM reported a record first-quarter profit, but that had almost zero impact on the automaker's stock. The iconic carmaker, whose own interest was once conflated with that of America's, has slipped behind luxury carmaker Tesla Inc in terms of valuation.