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Volkswagen Group said to be interested in Alfa Romeo, but Fiat wont give it up so easily!

August 28, 2010 at 9:03 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Cars, Fiat, International News, Volkswagen

It seems that VW may be looking to buy an Italian brand, if reports from Autonews is to be believed, despite there being word in the past that VW already had all the brands it can handle. Two VW executives have said that VW are “seriously interested” in buying Alfa Romeo.

Another unidentified manager at VW also revealed to Automobilwoche: “Alfa is a globally recognized brand with sporty genes and a great tradition. If such a treasure could be had, we must not hesitate… too long.” This comes despite Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn stating: “Our appetite for buying in Italy is fully satisfied.”

As much as VW would like to buy the Italian brand, parent company Fiat aren’t interested in selling. A high-ranking Fiat exec revealed to the publication, “We have no intention at all of selling the brand to Volkswagen,” opting to stick to the turnaround plan Fiat (and Chrysler) has laid out for Alfa Romeo.

This would involve selling 500,000 Alfa Romeos a year, which is said to be an ambitious target if still under Fiat. ”Maybe Alfa could get to a half million unit sales a year, but only after the brand is sold to Volkswagen,” said one analyst from Credit Suisse automotive research department.

”Alfa plans to sell 85,000 units in the United States in 2014, therefore Fiat’s plan really means it wants to boost sales in Europe from 100,000 units to more than 400,000. I do not see how they will be able to steal so many buyers from their German competitors, “ said another analyst in Milan, laying out the facts.

Unfortunately no one really knows the Alfa’s financial predicament at the moment, as Fiat doesn’t separate financial results for its brands, but sources say that Alfa has lost between 200 million and 400 million Euros a year over the past 10 years. Thus if Fiat’s turnaround plan for Alfa doesn’t work, VW could be a viable option for the company.

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The Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari – inspired by Scuderia

August 6, 2010 at 9:31 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Fiat, International News

Fiat released the special edition 500 based Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari in right hand drive recently, confirming that the UK market will get 152 units of the 430 Scuderia inspired £29,600 baby hatch.

The Abarth 695 comes with a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine with 180 hp and 250 Nm, good for 0 to 100km/h in just 7 seconds and a top speed of 225 km/h. Fuel consumption is 5.4L/100 km so you can have your cake and eat it. The engine is mated to an electro-hydraulic Abarth Competizione transmission. Other goodies include sports tuned suspension and 284 mm multi-section discs with fixed four-piston calipers by Brembo. There’s a Sport button on the dash which activates a more racy setting for the gearbox, ECU and steering.

The most eye catching thing is the Scuderia Red paint scheme with white racing stripes along with carbon fibre caps, 17 inch Corsa Grey wheels covered in high performance tyres, additional air inlets and “Record Monza” variable back-pressure “dual mode” exhaust which comes to life at 3,000 rpm.

The yummy cabin features sports seats finished in black leather with the shell and seat base in carbon fibre, while the instrument panels feature Jaeger craftsmanship inspired by Ferrari. The steering gets red leather inserts and a tri-colour hub on which the gearshift paddles are mounted. The floors are given aluminium-like carpets along with Abarth emblazoned aluminium pedals.

This is one desirable small car that’s bound to be a collectible. Enjoy the high res pictures after the jump.
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First official images of the new Fiat Uno supermini

May 5, 2010 at 3:32 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Fiat, International News

This is Fiat’s new Uno supermini that will first go on sale in Brazil, followed by other South America countries. The car is new, but the name is not – the original Uno is the Punto’s predecessor and was sold from the 1980s till the mid-90s.

Like most old Fiats, production soldiered on in developing nations and the Uno is very popular in places like Brazil. If my memory serves right, the five-door Uno was brought into Malaysia by Torino Motors at the turn of the century – it’s no surprise that not many were bought, as the car looked like a relic that time travelled into the new millennium!

Anyway, this new car measures 3,770 mm long, 1,643 mm wide and 1,490 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,370 mm. Boot space is 280 litres. This puts its size between the Panda and the Grande Punto, although it could be a different case in positioning. Word is that Fiat also plans to make and sell this car in Europe and Russia, but nothing has been confirmed. Initial cars will roll off Fiat Brazil’s Betim plant.

The new Uno will come with a choice of two new Flex Fuel petrol engines – a 1.0-litre unit with 75 bhp and a 1.4-litre unit with 85 bhp. As it’s a low cost model, you won’t find Fiat’s nice Multiair engines in this range. Both powerplants are paired to a five-speed manual gearbox. There’s a pseudo-SUV style variant badged as “Way” that comes with 4X4 style body cladding and raised ride height, but the range is FWD only.

The original Uno featured sharp lines; this one is round and appears cuddly. The distinctive design cue here are the three slats that make up the car’s “grille”. The Uno should be a spacious car to sit in, judging from the high-roof look, and while the interior is relatively spartan, the design is rather cheery and stylish. One of the pictures show a net on the front passenger seat that secures loose items; a good idea. More images after the jump.
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Brand new Fiat Uno revealed thanks to leaked images

April 26, 2010 at 10:52 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Fiat

This is the all new Fiat Uno which is expected to go into production in 2012. Images of the new Uno were leaked out and we can now have a full view of it. The design is all right to me although it looks like it’s sitting a little too high – or does this mean that there could be a crossover variant?

Rumor has it that this new model utilizes a shortened version of the platform used in the Grande Punto. It should be as long as a Mazda 2. The new Uno will be first built at the company’s Betim plant in Brazil. Continue reading to view another image.
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VIDEO: Fiat 500C “Cool Bikini Contest”

March 30, 2010 at 12:15 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Fiat, Videos

Fiat 500C

For some reason, Fiat thought it was a good idea to produce this video called the “Cool Bikini Contest” set in a cold Amsterdam winter background. Those girls must have been freezing – it’s no wonder they had to keep dancing! But I don’t really know what this has to do with the Fiat 500C – more of a ‘viral video’ where people just wanna watch the scantily-clad women and it so happens that the 500C can be seen in the background.
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Abarth bringing its 500C and Punto Evo to Geneva

February 25, 2010 at 3:39 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Cars, Fiat

Abarth, the legendary scorpion badged tuner, will bring two new models to Geneva, based on Fiat’s latest products.

The 500C is the open-top version of Fiat’s successful retro car. It isn’t a real convertible per se, as its retractable roof slides off between fixed roof rails and the B and C-pillars of the hatchaback are retained. Abarth’s take comes with a 140 bhp 1.4-litre turbo paired to a five-speed robotised manual ‘box with shift paddles, endowing the cute little car with a 0-100 km/h time of 7.9 seconds. There are also bigger rims and brakes, sports suspension, chunkier body work and a two-tone paint scheme.

The second model is the Punto Evo, Fiat’s recently revised supermini. Abarth’s hot looking version has a 165 bhp 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo, while there’s a 178 bhp Esseesse version for those who want more. Not quite a match for the Renaultsport Clio on paper, but still a lot of firepower for a small car.

Galleries of both cars (with some cool sketches) are after the jump.
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FPT to showcase 2-cylinder turbo at Geneva

February 25, 2010 at 1:39 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Fiat, International News

Fiat’s powertrain division FPT will be introducing its two-cylinder engine at Geneva early next month. At first I thought FPT was the first to bring back the two-cylinder engine back to cars in this modern times but then I remembered that Tata did it first with the 35 horsepower Bosch-powered 2-cylinder 624cc engine in the Nano.

The TWIN-AIR 2-cylinder engine will produce 85 horsepower via turbocharging, and it is part of a new range of small engines producing from 65 horsepower to 105 horsepower. The engine’s CO2 emissions are rated at 95g/km. At Geneva, it will be installed in a Fiat 500, and a production 500 with this engine will be launched in ‘next July’ (does this mean July 2010 or 2011?). It consumes 15% less fuel and has 25% more power than an 8 valve 1.2 litre, while comparisons with a 16 valve 1.4 litre shows a savings of 30% and the same performance.

In terms of installation space, the engine is 23% shorter and 10% lighter. Fiat says because of its small size, the engine is very suitable to be coupled with a motor-assist or mild hybrid type of electric motor positioned between the engine and the transmission. This way the motor will be able to further improve economy via harvesting wasted energy through brake energy regeneration and using the same energy to help the TWIN-AIR engine through electric motor assist.

Look after the jump for Fiat’s full press release and more pix.
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Abarth Punto Evo to take on Renaultsport Clio

January 27, 2010 at 10:20 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Fiat, International News

We previously showed you the facelifted Fiat Punto supermini which ditches the mini-Maserati looks and adds “Evo” to its name. Now here’s an early image of the hot version of that car, tuned by the legendary Abarth.

According to reports, Abarth will work on Fiat’s 1.4-litre Multiair engine to produce 170 bhp in the regular performance model and around 200 bhp in the top Esseesse variant, right smack in Renaultsport Clio territory. The current standard model is rated at 150 bhp, while the Esseesse makes 180 bhp, so the use of Multiair tech adds on about 20 horses to the Scorpion badged Punto Evo.

Italy’s hot hatch flag carrier is also rumoured to come with Fiat’s new dual-clutch gearbox. The same sources also say that the Abarth Punto Evo’s rear lights are LEDs, and that it should debut next month in Italy for around €19,000.

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Fiat 500 by Diesel debuts new diesel engine

January 26, 2010 at 2:12 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Fiat, International News

Not many expect to see a car launched at a fashion show, but then again there aren’t many cars as fashionable as the Fiat 500. Another day, another limited edition. This time, the Fiat 500 by Diesel breaks cover at the Bread & Butter fashion show in Berlin. The collaboration between Fiat and the famous clothing brand by Renzo Rosso also shows off the “Midnight Indigo” blue hue and the 1.3 Multijet II engine with Start&Stop for the first time on a 500.

The deep blue colour is inspired by denim. “The use of a micaceous rather than a metallic shade offers at first glance the feeling of iridescent colour which varies according to the light, very similar to stone washed fabrics,” said the press release. This, plus a finer texture of paint creates a 3D-like effect, it adds.

The 500 by Diesel is distinguished by exclusive features such as the 16-inch alloys, a rear strip with fake air intake and Diesel logo, yellow brake calipers (only on the 1.4) and satin chrome painted trim. The cabin comes with dark denim style fabric with yellow stitching, the fifth pocket with the Diesel brand, the head of the famous Mohican on the gear lever knob and more satin chrome on the dashboard.

Besides the Multijet II (75 bhp/95 bhp), buyers can choose between 69 bhp 1.2 and 100 bhp 1.4 petrols. Almost 6,000 units have already accounted for, out of the 10,000 available. One more image after the jump.
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Fiat Punto Evo gets second-gen Multijet engines

January 25, 2010 at 1:38 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Fiat, International News

The Fiat Grande Punto is as good looking today as it was four years ago, but Fiat has seen fit to give its supermini a new look and a new name. The Punto Evo, sporting a new front and rear design as well as a much-needed interior refresh, was previewed at last year’s Frankfurt show and now goes on sale in the UK.

There are five trim levels and five Euro 5 engine choices, all with Start-Stop tech: a 77 bhp 1.4-litre, two 1.4-litre Multiair units (105 bhp, 135 bhp) and two new 1.3-litre Multijets (75 bhp/190 Nm, 95 bhp/200 Nm). The second generation Multijet employs a balanced solenoid servo valve to better control fuel injection, now managing eight injections per cycle. The new Injection Rate Shaping system optimises combustion at higher loads for improved emissions, economy and lower noise. The big advantage they have over the outgoing Euro 4 engines is up to 25% improved torque delivery at low revs, with fuel consumption as good as 24.4 km/l. As usual from Fiat, there’s a Dualogic AMT ‘box in addition to the manual.

All but one trim level can be had with Fiat’s Blue&Me TomTom system. With a 4.3-inch touch screen, the portable unit allows access to mobile phone, audio, trip computer and navigation systems. It can be controlled via Bluetooth and voice recognition besides the car’s steering wheel buttons. Blue&Me TomTom also includes Fiat eco:Drive, which monitors the driver’s style and environmental impact in ‘real-time’. This is a cheaper solution than an in-dash system, there are no unsightly wires and you can use the GPS function when on foot.

More pics after the jump.
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