“I have a lot of respect for Sergio Marchionne”, said Zetsche, “We often catch up. We have discussed a possible base for a Fiat and Mitsubishi-Fuso partnership.” Zetsche also discussed the importance of the Chinese market for their own brand (”a place where we need to be present”), and praised Mercedes growth at 30,700 units, up 44% on 2007, in a market capable of exceeding 10 million units for the first time.

With thanks to Fulvio.

Via | Il Sole 24 Ore

Abarth’s invitation to the Rimini MySpecialCar 2008 is pleasing as the show can only underline the spirit and hard work of this re-born Italian brand, and the debut of the Grande Punto EsseEsse. With details finally revealed to the public, the SS has been displayed and has undergone test drives by Abarth drivers on an external windy track.

The Punto SS is the height of expression of the little Fiat from which it derives, and represents a full-bodied evolutionary step compared to the Punto Abarth 155 hp. The kit, delivered in a fantastic wooden dismountable box (the lid with badge is perfect to hang in the garage), includes a number of changes: injections, turbines, tubing, base and brake kits, and accessories.

Once assembled by official installers it is then trialled to comply with road rules, has 180 hp and official guarantee. The 20,000km placed as a limit on kit assembly results from a Fiat study, which indicates that within this mileage, even an engine exploited at 100% capacity can still guarantee the trustworthiness to include the modifications. Even if you wanted to buy a new SS it is necessary to purchase and register an Abarth 155 hp, to then convert it with the kit and proceed with updating the documentation.

A taste of the Punto SS on a small stretch helped us discover other aspects: the testing manager, Zampieri, who we know from his driving of the 500 Abarth, certainly didn’t hold back and you can hear all 180 hp. In the first two gears handling wasn’t perfect on the wet testing track, but wheel-base and tyres reacted well even with a differential blocking system that is under trial and not currently commercially available. Balance control is always active but is adequate for the SS, resulting in more permissive and fluid driving even between obstacles where the rear allows for some oversteering without being continually checked by the electronic big brother.

Regarding commercial aspects, Abarth is happy about Punto sales. The 18% female segment is surprising, an interesting statistic given the brand’s target. More than 75% of the Punto’s sold have been white and soon we’ll see a grey version for both the Punto and the 500 Abarth. The 18-inch alloys of the SS will be made in white and silver, the latter particularly for who wants a black car.

The Abarth 500 is the great absence in the Abarth scene, given it’s launch in the Italian market will occur only after the summer holidays. We’ve discovered that the base version of 135 hp will have the same engine as the Punto 155 hp in an underpowered version, while nothing is yet known about the SS and its future developments. In compensation, in addition to the glorious 131 Abarth, showing off is an unassembled Punto Abarth, demonstrating to fans how extensive the technical intervention has been. To more intriguing questions such as a future Bravo Abarth or a bike running off diesel, there has a been a clear “no”, but lips are sealed in regards to the next projects after the Punto and 500.

Abarth hasn’t finished to stupify though, with the biggest surprise being a ride in the official rally Punto S2000 together with the Ligurian driver Pisi: helmet on, well strapped-in and the seat so low the track is hard to see. The driver uses the first two gears with sequential shift and uses the hydraulic handbrake to keep the car turning on itself. For the rest, think of the all-wheel drive and the engine, suffering at low revs and needing an extra push on exiting. The power, handling, fast gear change and agility of the S2000 have always been a benchmark for road cars, but the most impressive thing is the ease with which the drive makes the Punto dance around obstacles: the moves are well-balanced and in cohesion with performance. It’s a shame that it’s put into third for only a moment, without feeling the excitement of a faster speed, and in the blink of an eye it’s time to get out of the seat.

We will be posting the video made while in the front seat of the Punto S2000 and the SS, to share with you this great emotion. The S2000 video gives full vent to the four cylinders, while the “quieter” EsseEsse allows a chat with Zampieri to gain some information on the two-door from Turin.

The managing director of the Fiat group then calmed everyone, underlining that 500 million euro will, however, be invested to acquire the assembly chain required for a new car, substituting the current Lancia Ypsilon with a relative hiring plan of 500 employees. Moreover the colossal 1.1 million euro renewal plan (opening of a second line of production which will increase manufacturing levels to 200,000 cars annually) would have been abandoned in the face of conditions judged “unfavourable”, such as to not reach an agreement on the 430 million euro of public assistance.

With thanks to bibo

Via | ccfa

Jeremy Clarkson’s second job, after his work with Top Gear, is the editorial of the automobile column of the Times: a hilarious space in the authoritative British daily. We’ve already looked at various articles from this said column (Jaguar XF, Fiat Bravo), but today’s article is a little special, because firstly it shows Jeremy at the wheel of a 500 and secondly because before now, no such test has previously been seen (if we can call it such).

St. Moritz: in front of Clarkson’s eyes run images of the Drophead Coupè, Maybach, Phantom and Audi R8 parked here and there in front of hotels and boutiques. Together with the ML 63 AMG they do nothing but contribute to the supercar panorama which people who come to stay here are used to seeing. A panorama in which to stand out, to show off, you don’t need the series listed above, but something with a little extra touch. “Something more appropriate to the place than Princess Carolina,” to use the words of the Top Gear driver.

And that something is the new Fiat 500, which attracted the attention of stars, magnates and the nobility alike, who can be seen walking on the streets of the Swiss city more frequently these days. “The 500 is the best revival job of recent years, from the new Beetle until now. There’s no comparison to the Mini, as this is more beautiful. The 500 is fantastic.”

So beautiful and inexpensive (nearly 7000 euros less than the Mini) it’s make you forget its faults. And it does have faults. The headlights are too weak, as is the 1.2 petrol engine tried by Jeremy, struggling on steeper slopes. And the wheelbase is hard on the road. This is the real difference to the Mini: which is less a toy and more a car. Jeremy says: “The 500 is a car you can use to get from A to B, as long as B isn’t too far away.” And in the end, the 500 is about space and practicality.

The engines of the new Ford Ka are heating up in preparation for its Paris debut. Cologne’s citycar, which will be made in Tychy together with its cousin the Fiat 500, will encounter a competitve sector, where various choices (including that of Turin) expanding throughout Europe will be giving it a run for its money.

Either for the cold or to avoid curious photographers stealing important first details, the new Ka continues to go around all wrapped up, leaving a difficult job to the imagination. The stylistic direction will follow that of the new Ford Fiesta which we saw in Geneva (and which left us with a good impression): Kinetic Design had a spy as seen by photos published almost exactly a week ago.

And under the wrap? Many aspects will be shared with the 500, including the Euro 5 1.4 petrol engine, 100 bhp and 1.3 Multijet bhp. But that’s not all: given the clamour provoked by the Abarth 500, it looks as if Ford could be taking seriously the idea of a sporty range, composed of Ka ST and Ka RS, which would give a new expression to “Abarth” of “Abarth esseesse”.

Via | auto.cz

As Maserati waits for 2011 to see the light at the end of the tunnel, so the Fiat group is also waiting impatiently for 2010/2011 to exploit the developments undertaken by FPT (Fiat Powertrain Technologies).

The first fruit of the wave of new engines will be the 1.8 GDI Turbo petrol, expected to have debuted on the Lancia Delta and the Alfa Romeo Mito/Junior with a vast array of power (between 150 and 250PS) and torque (between 240 and 310 Nm). Next in turn will be the 0.9 SGE twin-cylinder, also off petrol, capable of reaching 120 PS/litre.

Regarding the diesel motor, revealed at the debut of the 1.9 twin-stage Delta, the work will be giving new life to the glorious range of 1.9 and 2.4. The 2.5 will fill the hole (200/240 PS) that will inevitably occur between the V6 3.0 gem (power somewhere between 240 and 270 PS with a torque of between 440 and 490 Nm) and the 2.0 (200 PS and 200 Nm). In addition 2009 will present the debut of the dual clutch system, developed from the C635 family, projected to support up to 350 Nm of torque.

The double design of a hybrid engine aimed at the city-car (combined with a 0.9 twin-cylinder and a dual clutch shift, with emissions decreasing by 28%) and at commercial vehicles (2.3 LTD motor with automatic shift and 35% less CO2 emissions) leaves us to bet on the idea of a future prototype, to be revealed at the right moment and on the appropriate model: we wait with confidence in the surprise effect.

Via | Autoweek.nl

The Polish plant at Bielsko Biala will return to normal service, with Fiat Powertrain claiming to have fully resolved the quality problems and confirming that it will resume production of the cars that have the unit fitted by February the 26th.

The 1.3 Multijet engine is used in all the mainstays of the Fiat Group: the Panda, Punto, Grande Punto, Ciquecento, Idea, Doblo, Lancia Y, Lancia Musa. Moreover, that unit is also used on the Opel Agila and the Opel Corsa.

At a rough estimate, this sudden suspension will result in the loss in production of around 1,000
engines a day. According to a statement from Fiat, it has been necessary to halt production of the engines and of the relevant cars that contain them in order to carry out relevant tests. This necessity has included the suspension of production activity at the Bielsko Biala plant in Poland
(where the Multijets are assembled) as well as at a few production lines of the Mirafiori, Termini Imerese, Melfi, Tychy and Bursa plants.

The problems with the engine (that is currently offered in the Fiat Panda, Punto, Grande Punto, Cinquecento, Idea, Doblo, Lancia Y, Lancia Musa, Opel Agila and Opel Corsa) will not affect the models that have been already sold and no recall has been suggested.

From racing to our everyday roads, but always with a sporty approach. This is the goal behind the debut of the long-awaited Abarth 500, announced for the coming Geneva International Motor Show. The new car was developed by the Fiat Group Automobiles Style Centre in the spirit of the legendary Fiat 500 Abarth of the 1960s, and will be marketed from July through the exclusive Abarth network.

With a strong sporty personality, the new car will be powered by a Fire 1.4 16v petrol Turbo engine, which delivers a maximum of 135 bhp (99 kW) at 5500 rpm and peak torque of 206 Nm at 3000 rpm in Sport mode (in Normal mode, torque is reduced to 180 Nm at 2500 rpm). This brilliant, smooth new engine is also a friend of the environment: like the regular Fiat model it is derived from, the new Abarth will respect future Euro 5 legislation.

Another interesting feature of the 500 Abarth is the fact that it adopts the new TTC (Torque Transfer Control) system, which improves the transfer of drive torque to the wheels, but, above all, ensures that the car behaves impeccably on bends, making it safer and more entertaining even with a sporty driving style. In other words, it is faithful to the phrase coined for the Abarths of the 1960s ‘small but wicked’.

Monday, january 18th, we’ll be in Turin for the unveiling of the new Abarth headquarters. A funny coincidence: the Abarth newsletter sent out friday evening promises that “Monday 18th and tuesday 19th Abarth owns. And you’ll be there”. Attached to the newsletter was the sketch you find above. Enough to hope in the long awaited debut of the 500 Abarth ?

Stay tuned: we’ll be there!

The Fiat Grande Punto has won the prize “Imprensa Automotiva 2007″ in Brazil, one of the most important automotive awards in the country, since it is given by a jury of specialised journalists.

The jury was made of 63 automotive journalists coming from brazilian newspapers, magazines, radio stations and televisions.
The finalists in the category of ‘Best National Vehicle’ were the Fiat Punto, Chevrolet Vectra, Citroën C4 Pallas, Honda Civic and Volkswagen Golf. The Fiat Punto won with a clean 77 % of share.

The small italian car was elected not only for its design, but also for being the only car on sale on the Brazilian market to offer the innovative Blue&Me system and for the good equipment in general. This is the second award in barely two months: in october the Brazilian-built Punto won another award, the “Inter-American Car of the Year”.

Via | ItaliaSpeed

Thanks to the success of the brand new Fiat 500, Fiat has approved a new 275 million Euro investment to expand the Tychy plant, that will have to satisfy the increasing orders for the old-fashioned italian citycar.

In 2008 the polish plant shall produce 40-60.000 units more than previewed, and by 2009 500.000 units per year will be built in Tychy.

Next year the Tichy plant should start assembling the new Ford Ka alongside the Fiat Panda and the 500.

Via | Repubblica.it