Fiat Rumored to Bring Bravo Successor to the U.S. Market

The launch of the Fiat 500 in the U.S. market has whetted the Italian company’s appetite, as according to reports, Fiat is now considering the addition of a second model to its North-American range, the successor to the Bravo. As we wrote last month, the next-generation Bravo will take the shape of a small crossover with Fiat looking to emulate the success of Nissan's Qashqai.

The 500's early sales figures have exceeded the firm’s expectations despite initial concerns about relaunching the Fiat brand in the U.S. with such a small car. The partially open-top 500C was added to the range recently, with more powerful Abarth versions to follow in the very near future.

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Designer Imagines what a 2012 Fiat Dino Could Look like

After the axing of the Fiat Coupe in 2000, the Italian brand's range was left without a coupe. And that's where British designer Peter Norris steps in with a new study that envisions a future sports car model for Fiat. However, this concept would not necessarily make a successor to the affordable Fiat Coupe, as the car carries a Pininfarina badge, thus hinting to a more luxurious model.

The study is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive luxury sports car that aims to embody the essence of the Italian thoroughbred. Judging from the drivetrain layout, this concept would be more of a successor to the 1960's RWD Fiat Dino rather than to the late 1990s FWD Fiat Coupe designed by Chris Bangle.

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Top Gear Spotted in Italy with Three Hot Hatches

If there is one television crew that is almost impossible to go by unnoticed (at least by the male population) anywhere they go in the world, it is the hosts of BBC’s widely popular Top Gear program. This time, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond were spotted in the medieval town of Lucca in Tuscany, central Italy. Read more »

Lancia Releases More than 70 New Photos of the 2012 Ypsilon

In typical Fiat Group fashion, despite the fact that the new Lancia Ypsilon received its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show close to three months ago, the company waited until today to release a full gallery of pictures. There are more than 70 photographs showing the Italian supermini mostly in its natural habitat, the city. Along with the new images, Lancia also offered new information on its entry-level model, which will be launched from June in major European markets and from September in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where it will wear the Chrysler logo. Read more »

Chrysler Group Repays US and Canadian Government Loans in Full

The Chrysler Group announced the repay of U.S. and Canadian government loans totaling $7.6 billion (€5.39 billion), more than six years ahead of schedule. More specifically, the Detroit automaker made a payment of $5.9 billion to the U.S. Treasury (UST) and $1.7 billion to Export Development Canada (EDC) to retire the loans granted in June 2009. EDC is the holding company through which the Canadian federal and Ontario provincial governments provided loans to Chrysler Group. Read more »

Audi-fied Fiat Uno Turbo is a Hideous Eyesore

Along with Peugeot’s award winning 205 (remember the Rallye and the GTi?), the Fiat Uno is considered one of the finest superminis to come out of Europe in the 1980s. And the fact that both models remained in the market with small changes for more than a decade is a testament to that. The Uno’s clean and modern lines were the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro's ItalDesign, which has now passed into the hands of the ever-growing Volkswagen Group.

The Uno Turbo with its 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine developing 105HP at launch and 118HP in the refreshed model was the flagship version of the range. And as with any other hot hatch, the Uno Turbo was subjected to numerous modifications, be that in design or performance. That said, we’re accustomed to seeing the Uno Turbo in strange outfits, but what we have here is beyond words…

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Fiat 500 by Gucci Priced from £14,565 in Britain

Having launched a new spicy campaign for the 500 by Gucci starring Russian bombshell Natasha Poly, Fiat is now beginning to announce pricing for individual markets. Today, the Italian released details for the United Kingdom, where the limited edition model designed by Gucci will be offered with two gasoline engines, a 1.2-liter unit priced at £14,565 OTR and a 0.9-litre TwinAir, which won the International Engine of the Year accolade and costs £15,765 OTR.

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Some Like it Very Hot: Fiat’s New Campaign for 500 by Gucci

Russian model Natalya Sergeyevna Polevshchikova, more commonly known as Natasha Poly, is the new face (and legs…) of Fiat’s advertising campaign for the limited edition 500 by Gucci. The blonde temptress from the land of hot spies, beautiful ballets and Vodka, is dressed in a one-of-a-kind black leather ensemble and is all over the 500’s ultra compact body [sic...].

The campaign was imagined by Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini, who was also responsible for the design of the special edition 500. Fiat said the single and double-page advertisements will appear in publications throughout the year.

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Fiat’s 0.9-Liter TwinAir Scoops the “International Engine of the Year 2011” Award

And the big winner of the 2011 edition of the coveted International Engine of the Year is…Fiat’s 0.9-liter twin-cylinder gasoline engine also known simply as the TwinAir. A jury comprised of 76 journalists and industry experts from 36 different countries were convinced by the 875 cc unit's low emissions, high fuel economy and impressive output for its size, awarding it four awards: “Best New Engine 2011”, “Best Green Engine 2011”, “Best Sub 1-Liter Engine” and the “International Engine of the Year 2011” overall award. Read more »

Belmondo’s Chase Scene from Le Professionnel (1981)

Georges Lautner’s 1981 action-thriller Le Professionnel is about a French Secret Service agent betrayed by his employers and left to rot in an African prison camp. After breaking out and returning to his native France, the agent (played by Jean-Paul Belmondo) begins plotting his revenge against the people who set him up. In this scene, Belmondo is attempting to outfox the French Secret Service agents following him.

Belmodono’s car is the red Fiat 131 Supermirafiori while his rivals are driving a black Peugeot 504. There are a couple of 180 degree turns, a handful of nice pit manoeuvres and the prerequisite shot of the Eiffel Tower for the non-Gallic viewers. The chase eventually moves to the grounds of the Palais de Chaillot, where we discover just how overused that, “driving a car down some stairs,” thing was before Jason Bourne got around to it.

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Fiat Tries to Revive Bravo Sales with Better Equipped and Lower Priced MyLife Version

Fiat's slow-selling Bravo compact model has received a new version, called “MyLife” that comes with some minor styling updates, additional standard features and more competitive prices. On the outside, the Bravo MyLife sports a glossy black finish for the upper and lower grilles, B-pillars and fog light framings, plus new 16-inch two-tone wheels and chromed door handles and grille borders. The Golf-sized hatchback is available in two colors, Distinct Grey and Superb Red. Read more »

Fiat Launches TwinAir Lineup for the 500 and 500C with Bespoke Styling and Equipment Features

The Italian carmaker has announced the market launch of the new 500 TwinAir version, available for both the three-door and convertible models. From now on, the TwinAir name not only designates the innovative two-cylinder turbocharged engine, but also a new line of models. The 500 TwinAir lineup comes with bespoke styling elements and upgraded equipment features. Read more »

Yugo…Grale Replicates Lancia’s Iconic Delta HF Integrale [with Video]

If you grew up in the late 1980s or early 1990s and were an avid automotive enthusiast, chances are you fondly remember the great Delta HF Integrale, arguably the last super exciting (from a driver's perspective) Lancia model.

And while Lancia has turned a new page in its history, tending to the needs of customers enamored with fashion catwalks instead of rally courses, there are plenty of drivers out there who cherish the original spirit of the Italian brand. Some, however, have taken their love of Lancia to the extreme turning mundane Yugos, itself a by-product of the Fiat 127, into Integrale replicas.

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Chrysler Reports Net Profits for the First Time Since Emerging from Bankruptcy

On Monday, the Chrysler Group LLC reported its first quarter gains since exiting bankruptcy almost two years ago in June 2009. The Auburn Hills-based automaker, which is now operated by Fiat S.p.A., said net income totaled $116 million in the first quarter of 2011 compared to a net loss of $197 million in the same period last year.

At the same time, the company’s revenues grew 35 percent from $9.7 billion in Q1 2010 to $13.1 billion in Q1 2011. In addition, the automaker said it had $9.9 billion in cash reserves at the end of the first quarter compares to 2.5 billion in December 31, 2010.

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Chrysler Group to Repay $7.5 Billion of Government Loans by the End of June

In order to pave the way for Fiat to reach 51 percent ownership of the Chrysler Group, the Auburn Hills-based automaker announced today that it intends to repay in full the loans provided by the U.S. and Canadian governments back in 2009 ($7.53 billion in total).

The Chrysler Group said it plans to complete the repayment during the second quarter of 2011 (ending in June). The company will use money from a new term loan facility plus a new issue of debt securities that will be sold to institutional investors in a private offering along with proceeds from Fiat’s recent cash infusion to increase its stake in Chrysler.

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Lucarelli-Monza Crafts Extreme Fiat 500 Abarth with RWD and Mid-Mounted 230HP Engine

There are tuners and there are tuners with some taking the easy way out going for a quick fix while others take up the challenge to create something truly unique. Italy’s Lucarelli-Monza belongs to the second category of tuners. The Monza-based tuning house has revealed details on its newest creation called the 500 Abarth Motore Centrale R230.

As its name implies, the heavily modified Italian hatchback gains a new layout with a mid-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. Of course, such a radical change is not an easy task with the company having to re-engineer the entire vehicle.

Among other changes, the rear seats of the production model were dropped to create space for the engine while there’s also a new rear suspension set-up and a high-performance braking system with 335mm front- and 305mm rear- discs coupled with four-piston calipers.

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2012 Fiat 500C Debuts in New York, Priced from $19,500

Fiat’s newly introduced 500C may not be a convertible in the real sense of the word, but the Italian company that holds the fates of Chrysler hopes to capture the attention of sun-seeking buyers with its panoramic canvas-top mini, which made its US debut at this week’s 2011 New York Auto Show.

Scheduled to go on sale this May, the new 2012 500C will be offered in two trim levels, the base Pop that is priced at $19,500, and the better-equipped Lounge, priced at $23,500. According to Fiat, the 500C is the only four-seat cabrio in the U.S. market. However, Fiat’s definition of a ‘cabrio’ is loose -to say the least- given that the 500C comes with full frame doors and columns, simply adding a rollover canvas top in place of the metal roof.

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Fiat to Replace Slow-selling Bravo with a Small Crossover in 2013

Following in the footsteps of Nissan and its Qashqai small crossover that proved to be a success for the Japanese automaker, Fiat has decided that the Bravo's replacement won't be a conventional hatchback as initially planned, but a high-riding C-segment hatch.

The decision was made at the end of last month and the new car will launch in 2013, according to inside sources quoted by Autonews Europe. The Fiat Bravo didn't make it in the list of Europe's 10 best sold compact cars in 2010, whereas the Nissan Qashqai placed fifth, with 216,091 units. In comparison, Fiat sold 44,850 Bravos, while the segment leader, Volkswagen's Golf, enjoyed sales of 501,671 units.

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Steve Truglia Loops the Fiat 500 at AutoRAI [with Video]

At this week's AutoRAI show in the Netherlands, sponsor Shell partnered with stuntman Steve Truglia to put on a very Hot Wheels performance. Truglia drove a Fiat 500 through a 22-piece loop that stands 11 meters tall and made it look easy. See for yourself in the video after the jump.

According to the Dutch press release, the 500 was gutted and modified with a roll cage, new fuel tank, and an integrated limiter to ensure the right speed. Check out the stunt and interviews in the video below.

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Fiat Crafts Furniture Pieces Inspired by the Original 500

At this week’s 50th Furniture Fair in Milan, Italy, Fiat previewed the “Fiat 500 Design Collection”, an initiative by the firm’s marketing boss Lapo Elkann and furniture maker Meritalia. The collection is a tribute to the original Fiat 500 and includes a sofa, a table and a console, all inspired by the 1970's Fiat 500. Each of the three pieces sports a plate that says: “Lapo and Meritalia pay tribute to the Fiat 500”. Read more »