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

Some car trivia for the weekend was required as we get down to the business of Christmas cheer, and in this gallery we take a look at all the Car of the Year models from 1964 to today. This year, the humble Volkswagen Polo took out the title, marking the 47th since the award was incepted. The Car of the Year award is judged by seven European car magazine titles: Autocar in the UK, Stern in Germany, Vi Bilägare in Sweden, Autovisie in the Netherlands, L’Automobile Magazine in France, Auto in Italy, and Autopista in Spain.

The first Car of the Year back in 1964 was the Rover 2000, and things have come a long way since then. The Car of the Year must be a new vehicle that is available to at least five European markets in the year in question. Criteria such as design, comfort, performance, safety, practicality, ecology and economy, price and overall driveability are considered.

Perhaps surprisingly, the brand that has received the most awards in the history of the Car of the Year is Fiat, with a total of nine models, and that’s not including other Fiat Group brands such as Alfa Romeo or Lancia. Following Fiat, the company with the most success has been Renault, winning six times. The Volkswagen Polo for 2010 marks only the second time that Volkswagen has won the prize. After the jump is the full list of Car of the Year models from 1964 to 2010.

Car of the Year 1964 to 2010

Continue reading: Pics: Car of the Year 1964 to 2010

The presentation from Fiat-Chrysler on future plans for the Chrysler brand and models has been comprehensive, if a little confusing, and confirms much of what was already thought. The Fiat 500 will be the first Fiat group model to reach American shores, late next year, with dedicated sales teams and “salons” in Chrysler showroooms.

The hope is that the cute little Fiat 500 will hold much of the same fascination for the Americans as the Mini, with its retro style winning hearts. It will be followed by the Fiat 500 cabrio in 2011 and the Abarth 500 in 2012, in a logical progression which will be the first introduction to the US market and distribution channels for Fiat.

As for Chrysler models, there will be a number of “special editions” launched to get the last few models off the production line. The 300, Town and Country, Sebring and PT Cruiser will transform into a sports edition, fashion edition, ocean edition and final edition respectively, to tie the models over before new production, style and models kick off later next year and into 2011.

Continue reading: Fiat-Chrysler plan: Fiat 500 confirmed to US

As already announced, the Fiat Panda will soon debut on the US market, and the Cross 4×4 city car will appear with the Jeep brand, and will be sold under the name “Phoenix”. Expected for 2011, the Jeep Phoenix is planned for success with an off-road look, practical use and different enough from the rest of the Jeep range.

Here are the first Fiat Panda reconstructions of the stars and stripes version of the Italian car. Seeing one of the originals on mountain roads in Italy, she’s difficult to recognise. Time will tell if the choice is a hit or not.

Source | Autoblog.com

Continue reading: Fiat Panda takes on Jeep Phoenix guise for US market

The Alfa Romeo and Fiat models that will appear in the US after the Fiat-Chrysler deal have been revealed in an announcement from Robert Manzo, Executive Director of Capstone Advisory Group. The Fiat and Alfa models in the US will be the Fiat 500, the Panda, the Grande Punto, and the Alfa Romeo MiTo and Alfa Milano. These will be the first to be assembled in Chrysler facilities in the US.

The MiTo, Milano and Fiat 500 were already considered ideal for the American market, while the decision to export the Grande Punto and Panda is more surprising. These will be dressed in the Jeep brand and available only in 4×4 versions. Tom LaSorda, outgoing co-president of Chrysler has added that a future Chrysler will be based on the Fiat C-Evo platform.

In further news, the documents proposing the Fiat-Chrysler collaboration include future possible engines and transmissions to be built in America, with the debut models being the four cylinder 1.4 litre T-Jet and the new 3.0 litre V6 diesel. The adoption of the new twin clutch sequential DDC shift is also planned, substituting the Getrag automatic shift currently in use on nearly all the Chrysler models.

Source | Autoblog.com

Continue reading: Fiat-Chrysler agreement reveals US Fiat and Alfa Romeo models

The Chinese are well known for their efforts in adopting style and design across all products from other parts of the world, and hear we see a Chinese car copy of the Fiat Panda. Apparently the model pleases the local market, with Italy’s Repubblica newspaper reporting that the “Peri” will be produced and distributed in China after a High Court decision in Hebei rejected attempts to block the copy.

While perhaps questionable, the Fiat Panda Chinese copy will be restricted to that local market, with European exports prohibited and fines in place for any models that reach Western shores. With no further appeal possible, the Chinese “Peri” will be produced across the Asian territories.

As noted by the Repubblica, if the Fiat Panda copy is allowed, the Chinese could create a carbon copy of the entire list, composed of clones. After the jump is a digital comparison of the vehicles; the Chinese Panda’s future on the Asian market will be interesting to follow.

Continue reading: Great Wall Peri: Chinese Fiat Panda copy gets production go-ahead