The Abarth Punto Evo and Abarth 500C were the only models occupying the Abarth stand at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, but we think the Punto Evo and the SS certainly make up for the lack of anything else. The Punto Evo is equipped with the 1.4-litre Multiair ’standard’ engine with 165 hp, while the Abarth Punto SS model has 180 hp and more aggressive styling, including 18-inch alloy wheels and brake cooling outlets. The Abarth Punto Evo also debuts with new “manettino” feature in front of the gear stick, which manages the engine, brakes and steering modes in Sport and Normal.

The Abarth 500C is one very chic, hot little cabrio for your city ride, equipped with the 1.4 T-Jet with 140 hp. It’s on show in a black-white colour combo, which is the only alternative to the grey tint seen in the official Abarth 500C pics. It comes with two transmission options: the ‘Abarth Competizione’ five-speed gearbox, or the MTA electro-automatic with steering wheel paddles. According to the press conference, the Abarth 500C will also get its own SS version, but no further information was available. The Punto Evo and 500C will both be available on sale from May this year.

2010 Abarth Punto Evo live pics Geneva

Continue reading: Abarth Punto Evo and 500C live at Geneva

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This week’s 2010 Geneva Motor Show will see the new Abarth Fiat line-up on display with the Abarth 500C and Abarth Punto Evo announced. The Abarth 500C is the first open top version for the tuning company, and will be equipped with the 1.4-litre T-Jet engine with 140 hp and 206 Nm of torque. It comes with either the “Abarth Competizione” transmission with five speeds, or the MTA gearbox with steering wheel paddles.

The Abarth 500C can reach 100 km/hr in 8.1 seconds and has a top speed of 205 km/hr. Fuel consumption is 6.5 litres for every 100 km, while CO2 emissions measure 155 g/km. It has the Torque Transfer Control system (TTC) which manages torque distribution and acts like an autobloc differential.

The Abarth Punto Evo is a strong offering from the company, with the impressive 1.4-litre Multiair featuring with 165 hp and 250 Nm of torque. It has a six-speed manual transmission and reaches 100 km/hr in 7.9 seconds with a top speed of 213 km/hr. With its Start/Stop technology, it complies with Euro 5 norms and consumes six litres of fuel for every 100 km and has CO2 emissions of 142 g/km.

Continue reading: Abarth Punto Evo and 500C: Geneva motor show preview

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The Italians are impatient to see what the next Abarth Punto Evo will look like, perhaps something like the rendering above or the Abarth Grande Punto after the jump. It is only a question of when the new Abarth Punto will be presented, as Sergio Marchionne has already confirmed the Abarth models for 2010: the Punto Evo, the 500C and perhaps even a 500 TC.

The Abarth Punto Evo is sure to have the new Multiair engine with 170 hp, meaning in the future the EsseEsse model will have 200 hp. The 500 TC stands for “Turismo Competizione” and was originally the name given to race cars based on street-legal models.

The big question is why Abarth should focus on just two models and get extreme handling out of the A and B segments represented by the Fiat 500 and Fiat Punto Evo. Frustrated with these tuned versions and lack of style, some Italians are asking where Alfa Romeo is in all this. Alfa represents a true, stylish sports brand with plenty of pedigree, and the Italians want to know why Abarth should be the only brand representing Fiat in the world of racing.

Perhaps Sergio Marchionne knows something we don’t about Alfa Romeo and its future, or perhaps we should wait a little longer and see what comes out of the Alfa-Abarth-Maserati mix. Whatever the case, there’s more than one Fiat/Alfa Romeo fan peeved that the 500 and Punto get the tuned treatment when money could be invested seriously in Alfa Romeo sports style, too. As one comment on Autoblog.it reads: “You can’t ever be a passionate fan of cars until you’ve got yourself an Alfa Romeo.”

Source | Autoblog.it and Caradisiac via Autoblog.com

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For the first time in Fiat’s 111-year history, Italy is no longer the brand’s number one market. The local market has been overtaken by Brazil, purchasing 750,000 cars a year to Italy’s 722,000. If any evidence was needed as to Brazil’s “emerging” market status, the stats speak for themselves. Italy’s purchases decreased by 0.5 percent, while Brazil’s increased by 12.6 percent.

That’s a big number which has left even CEO Sergio Marchionne surprised (figures of this kind were expected for Brazil, but further down the track). What’s more, Fiat seems to be on a winning formula for this South American market, taking out the number one spot for car manufacturers, too. Volkswagen follows, selling 695,395 vehicles and General Motors trails behind a little at 610,836 sales.

The results are not due to one particular model, but a combination of Fiat’s hard work over a number of years to build their presence in the Brazilian market, providing vehicles that customers want to buy, and new car tax incentives from the Brazilian government. By comparison, the Italian car market is likely to experience a slight decrease this year, which could get very costly if the government chooses not to continue scrappage schemes.

Source | Autoblog.it

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As you may well imagine, Volkswagen did very nicely in the European market for 2009, as did Opel and Ford (and there’s no prizes for guessing for which models). There are a couple of surprises though, with Fiat doing very well, but not with the Fiat 500, which makes a nice change, and Peugeot and Renault put in appearances as well. Check out Europe’s top ten cars for 2009 after the jump.

Continue reading: Europe's top ten cars for 2009

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The Fiat 2010 New Year commercial is less about wishing you a Happy New Year and more about showing you the hopes for the Fiat-Chrysler deal for 2010. With a few historic images, very Italian in nature, we’re taken to the Fiat 500 cruising some world famous American sites. It’s a strange video for the local Italian audience, as if they needed convincing about the Fiat-Chrysler deal.

Another European manufacturer focussed on something more ecological for the New Year, with Renault producing a New Year video about its electric cars. With highly recognisable footage from recreation to environmental disasters, the Renault commercial closes with a brief look at the Renault Zoe: one of the family of Renault electrics made up of the Twizy, Fluence and Z.E. See the video after the jump.

Continue reading: Fiat and Renault: New Year commercials on Chrysler deal and electric cars

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As we wait for official photos of the new Alfa Giulietta (the name is still unconfirmed but it appears that Alfa Romeo will no longer use the “Milano” name previously chosen), whose debut was postponed at the last minute, you might think the excitement surrounding the new model would mean parent group Fiat was happy about Alfa Romeo fortunes. Things appear quite the opposite though, with Sergio Marchionne personally ordering a review of brand strategy and calling into question future investments already planned for new models.

Alfa Romeo is facing a full product freeze to arrest declining sales, or a revamp of its line using Chrysler-based models. While the new Alfa MiTo has been a fresh and successful models so far for the brand, it hasn’t been enough to plug the hole created by ageing models and delayed plans for new cars.

The new Alfa Milano, now Giulietta most likely, should have proved to be a key turning point for the brand but its debut was again delayed (we should see the official pics tomorrow). The new car will still be presented to the market and so far interest has been positive. It’s what happens after the MiTo and this 147 replacement that’s important.

Alfa is looking at no investments in new models after the Giulietta debut, making it and the MiTo the only new models in the range, as sales of the 159, Brera coupe, Spider and GT Coupe will continue. That would shelve plans for the new Alfa Giulia, or 159 replacement. The alternative is to use the new alliance with Chrysler to share platforms and build new sedan models. Whichever they choose, it appears that Marchionne is looking for a complete turn-around in the brand, and future Fiat Group investment will depend on it.

Source | Automotive News

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Move over Nick Reilly, there’s a new auto blog in town, this time from the guys at Neubauer. That’s right - you can get all your drooling done for Fiat group and Abarth models at the NDF Paris wordpress site, currently featuring a Fiat Punto Evo video and some lovely pics of a new Alfa Brera on the showroom floor.

In the pics here is an example of what we last saw from the guys - the Abarth 500 SS Speed Grey version. It has the impressive Abarth Essesse tuning kit with 165 hp and a special grey tint. They’ve probably already run out of these as only ten were planned for production, but check out the Neubauer blog for other news.

Continue reading: Alfa and Abarth on the Neubauer blog

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The Fiat Doblo will go to the US under the Ram, Fiat-Chrysler brand, as part of its range of pick-ups, trucks and vans. It is expected that the Doblo will compete with the Ford Transit Connect in that market, though its new name is undecided (we are hoping, though, that its name will get changed).

The Fiat-Ram Doblo will not get produced in the US, however, but will arrive only as an import. A likely production location for the moment is Turkey, as Fiat has a joint venture there with Koc Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi AS. Brasil is also a possibility, where the Doblo already gets assembled for the Latin American car market.

Source | Repubblica

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Fiat could return to the difficult Korean car market after a ten year absence, partnering with Cosmos Automobile as the local import company of choice. Another possibility would be a partnership with Chrysler Korea, which could take priority given the new Fiat-Chrysler deal.

The Korean car market is opening up a little, with the abolition of eight percent of the import tax for foreign vehicles, which is part of the plan of a free trade agreement between Korea and the European Union. While the Fiat Group already makes Ferrari and Maserati models available to the Korean market, it’s difficult to speculate on the possible future success of Fiat models. Could the Fiat 500 once again prove to be the foot-in-the-door to an overseas market?

Source | Quattroruote via Autoblog.it

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