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  • Fiat 695 Abarth Maserati Edition – limited run of 499 units

    In Cars, Fiat, Maserati / By / / 14 comments

    We already have the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari, now comes the Abarth 695 Maserati Edition, the latest limited edition Fiat 500. Limited to 499 units, the Maserati Edition made its debut on the 30th anniversary of the Mille Miglia, which Enzo Ferrari called “the most beautiful race in the world”.

    If the Tributo Ferrari shows off Abarth’s sporty character and racing spirit, this Maserati Edition epitomises elegance and comfort of a GranTurismo, but with the dinky handling of a mini car.

    Based on the open-top 500C, the Maserati Edition is powered by a 1.4 T-Jet turbo engine (Garrett 1446 turbo) boosted to 180 hp and 250 Nm at 3,000 rpm. Paired to the electrically operated manual Abarth Competizione gearbox, this small car is capable of 0-100 km/h in less than seven seconds, while top speed is 225 km/h.

    Brembo 305 mm brake discs with grey fixed four-piston calipers can be seen behind the 17-inch wheels, in Maserati’s trademark “Neptune” design. Koni shock absorbers with FSD valves are also included. Abarth promises “inspiring sound” above 3,000 rpm with the variable back-pressure “dual mode” exhaust, which hexagonal shape tailpipes follow after Maseratis.

    The car here is in Pontevecchio Bordeaux. This Maserati colour is achieved with special three-layer paintwork which reflects light and accentuates the shine of the colour. The soft top is made of grey fabric.

    Inside, the sand beige leather seats have containment strips featuring single-layer padding, while the dash and gearbox trim are finished in a special matte carbon lining. The door panels have a special UV-LUX treatment, which gives them a grey “flocking” effect. The steering wheel has beige leather inserts and a tricolour hub, while the instrument panel has been specifically designed by Jaeger.

    Other details include aluminium pedals sill plates, carbon fibre kick plate with graphics and a plaque. Lastly, the Maserati Edition comes with a JBL ICE system with nine speakers and an eight-channel amplifier. Great ingredients for a desirable little package.

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  • Fiat Linea a.k.a. Punto Sedan gets a facelift

    In Cars, Fiat, International News / By / / 4 comments

    The Fiat Linea, which is a sedan bodied Punto with extended wheelbase for developing countries, has received a facelift. The front end of the Linea is now more rounded in appearance, compared to the “single grille divided in two” look of the original Grande Punto, which it’s based on.

    Lots of chrome for the front end – grille surround, horizontal grille slats, lower bumper U-shaped element – but the Linea manages to not look too tacky. The headlamps and the foglamps are unchanged, as are the tail lamps.

    At the back, there’s a full length chrome strip that matches the chrome side rubbbing strips. The license plate has been shifted to the bootlid, garnished by yes, a chrome bar.

    Inside, the “luxury” theme continues with a cabin colour combo of beige and black. The dashboard has been modernised with rounded A/C vents, a new stereo and gloss black trim. Safety kit includes ABS, ASR and ESP. Already in production in Turkey, the Linea is available as a 78 hp 1.4 petrol, 96 hp 1.3 diesel and 107 hp 1.6 diesel.

    Looks decent enough compared to other sedans that started life as a B-segment hatch, but nowhere near as stylish as Fiat’s latest saloon, the Viaggio.

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  • GALLERY: Fiat Viaggio, the handsome Italian Dodge Dart

    In Cars, Dodge, Fiat, International News / By / / 16 comments

    Here’s the handsome Fiat Viaggio in its full glory, unveiled at the recent Beijing show. The C-segment sedan is based on the CUSW (Compact US Wide) architecture, the most advanced within the Fiat Group now. Also underpinning the new Dodge Dart, the CUSW platform is derived from the one beneath the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

    Described as a “premium class” sedan, the Viaggio will be the only car in its segment to offer exclusively modern turbo engines (1.4L T-Jet 120 hp and 150 hp) in the Chinese market. Two gearbox options are available – Fiat’s latest generation six-speed (dry) dual-clutch transmission and a five-speed manual.

    As the first Fiat-Chrysler joint project, the Fiat Viaggio will be produced in the new GAC Fiat production plant in Changsha, Hunan province.

    A really handsome sedan to these eyes. Style comes naturally to the Italians, it is true! Click here for a look at the Dodge Dart.

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  • Fiat Viaggio world preview at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show

    In Cars, Fiat, International News / By / / 11 comments

    It is not much but here are some teasers of the Fiat Viaggio, which the Italian carmaker says is a totally new model. Fiat will throw off its covers at the 2012 Beijing International Motor Show that is slated to happen next week.

    We know that Viaggio is based on the CUSW (Compact US Wide), which is also the same platform as the Dodge Dart and have the similar DNA to the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

    The four-door, five-seater measures 4,679 mm long, 1,850 mm wide and have a wheelbase of 2,708 mm. Two turbocharged engines are tasked to give the Viaggio some go; both are 1.4 litre T-Jet engines that generate 120 hp and 150 hp, and paired to either a five-speed manual or a Dual Dry Clutch Transmission (DDTC) developed by Fiat Powertrain.

    Although the Viaggio’s lines were put to paper in Torino, the car will be made from July 2012 in Hunan province, or the GAC-Fiat World Class Manufacturing plant in Changsha, to be exact. The Viaggio will hit Chinese showrooms from the third quarter this year.

    In case you are wondering how the Chinese will pronounce Viaggio, well, don’t worry. Fiat is giving the car a Chinese name, Fei Xiang, which means ‘flying’ in English. Fancy that.

     

  • Fiat 500X – the cinquecento goes the crossover route

    In Cars, Fiat, International News / By / / 8 comments

    Fiat is looking to add yet another model to its 500 range, with the latest variant to be a crossover called the 500X. The vehicle, when it arrives, will join the three-door 500 hatchback, the 500 Abarth, 500C convertible and the 500L four-door hatch (seen in the photos), which made its debut in Geneva last month, making it five in the family.

    The crossover, which will sit on a widened version of the Punto platform, will be the longest model in the range at around 4.2 metres long, and is set to replace the Sedici in the Fiat lineup, according to reports.

    Production is slated to begin in December next year at the company’s Mirafiori factory in Turin, making the vehicle the first 500 variant to be built in Italy. It’ll be available in both 2WD and all-wheel-drive versions.

    Engine choices for the European market will be a 900 cc two-cylinder and 1.4 litre petrol mills, as well as a 1.3 litre MultiJet II diesel. The reports add that a Jeep sister model, code-named the B-SUV, will be built alongside the 500X, with production for that one set to begin in the second quarter of 2014.

     

  • Fiat Viaggio sedan for China – a rebadged Dodge Dart

    In Cars, China, Fiat, International News / By / / 22 comments

    Fiat is taking another stab at the automotive gold mine that is China. The Italian company will debut a new compact sedan at the Beijing Auto Show next month and will start making the car in China by July.

    Called Viaggio, which means journey in Italian, the sedan is a rebadged C-segment Dodge Dart, which in turn is based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. At At 4,670 mm long and 1,830 mm wide, the Viaggio is about the same size as a Ford Focus Sedan.

    The Viaggio will also be the first model from Fiat’s 50:50 joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group. The Viaggio will be made at the partners’ new factory in the city of Changsha in Hunan. Fiat hopes the sedan will help boost sales in China to 300,000 units by 2014 from less than 1,500 units last year. Currently, Fiat only sells CBU imports.

    The Viaggio will be powered by locally-built normally aspirated and turbocharged versions of Fiat’s 1.4L engine. There are also plans for a hatchback version, which could be exported back to Europe as a Bravo replacement, sources told Automotive News Europe.

    Unlike some European rivals, Fiat hasn’t had much success in China. It had a loss-making JV with Nanjing Automotive that failed in 2007. Fiat then attempted to tie up with Chery, but it didn’t work out as well. Third time lucky perhaps?

    Click here for more on the Dodge Dart, including a full gallery.

     

  • Fiat 500L: 5-door Fiat 500 to make Geneva 2012 debut

    In Cars, Fiat / By / / 15 comments

    These are the first shots of the new Fiat 500L, the newest member of the Fiat 500 family, with the L in its name meaning “Large”.

    The 500L is bigger and has 5-doors instead of 3, with a cab forward cabin design. Fiat says the 500L has MPV passenger space combined with the feel of a small SUV on the road, along with the dimensions and efficiency of a B segment car.

    I’m thinking – doesn’t Fiat already sort of have a product like this in its range called the Fiat Panda? I suppose the 500L is an Italian take on large versions of modern incarnations of retro classics, like the Mini Countryman.

    The Fiat 500L will make its public debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March, with an initial engine range consisting of two petrol engines – TwinAir and 1.4L as well as a 1.3 liter Multijet diesel.

     

  • Fiat 500L 5-door hatch coming soon, 7-seater on the way!

    In Cars, Fiat, International News / By / / 11 comments

    Fiat’s reborn icon is about to grow in size. The popular retro styled 500 will get a five-door hatchback variant called 500L, L for large. Codenamed L-Zero, the supermini sized 500L will make its debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

    Reports say that the 5dr’s front end is similar to the current 500, although the 500L will sit on a widened Punto platform. The 500L will be around 4,150 mm long, which is about 60 mm longer that the current three-door 500 hatch. European sales start in July, followed two months later by a seven-seat version that is around 10 mm longer than the five-seater.

    Engine options will most probably include Fiat’s TwinAir turbocharged two-cylinder 900 cc engine (85 hp), a 1.4L petrol with 77 hp or 105 hp, as well as a 1.3L diesel with 75 hp or 95 hp.

    The current Fiat Idea small MPV will be discontinued at the end of this year, and the 500L will fill that hole in Fiat’s European range. Continental rivals will include Citroen’s C3 Picasso, Ford’s B-Max and the MINI Countryman. The 500L will be built in Kragujevac, Serbia.

    The modern Fiat 500 has been a success for the Italian brand, finding more than 770,000 new homes since 2007. Last year, Fiat sold over 195,000 units of the 500 worldwide, including 26,000 units in North America, a non-traditional market for small cars.

     

  • VIDEO: Jennifer Lopez stars in Fiat 500C Gucci Edition ad

    In Cars, Fiat, Videos / By / / 3 comments

    Finding a celebrity that embodies what one is selling is a tried and tested formula. It works like this: Perhaps if I spray on more Hugo Boss perfume, than I can be as suave as Ryan Reynolds. Or if she uses SK-II religiously, she’ll be as desirable as Gong Li when she’s 45. The Fiat 500C Gucci Edition is elegant, thinks its maker, so they have chosen Jennifer Lopez to endorse the small car.

    “No matter where you’re from, elegance is hard work. It’s taking style, performance, and originality, and making them look easy,” says Jenny from the Block, who is seen driving an Empire State plated black Fiat around NYC.

    The ad shows what’s special about this 500C – the Gucci badge on the tailgate, the brand’s famous green-red-green stripe on the folding fabric roof, the same stripe on the seatbelts and the Double G logo on the shifter. For girlfriends and wives, those are the equipment that count, not horsepower, torque or an extra cog.

    I know what car I want, if I was a rich girl. Wait, that’s the wrong singer!

     

  • Fiat 500 Pink Ribbon supports breast cancer research

    In Cars, Fiat, International News / By / / 5 comments

    Yet another limited edition, but this one’s for a good cause. The US market Fiat 500 “Pink Ribbon” limited edition was created in partnership with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), which mission is to achieve prevention and a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime by funding clinical and translational research worldwide.

    Only 250 Fiat 500 Pink Ribbon units will be available at Fiat Studios in October. For each sale of the $22,500 car, Fiat will donate $1,000 to BCRF, with a minimum of $50,000 contribution from the carmaker.

    Based on the 2012 Fiat 500 Lounge model, the Pink Ribbon is available in Argento (silver) and Bianco (white) exterior paint colours and features a signature dark pink body stripe with “500″ logo and an accenting “ribbon” in light pink.

    Inside, highlighting this limited edition model are Nero leather front and rear seats with pink accent stitching on the perimeter and signature “500″ logo embroidered on the front seatbacks and a pink ribbon embroidered on the floor mats. Pink accents are also hand-stitched through the leather steering wheel.

    And to match this specially appointed Cinquecento, a pair of uniquely designed Fiat 500 Pink Ribbon key fobs will act as a constant reminder that you’re driving a good cause.

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