The US market will get reintroduced to Fiat in the form of the Fiat 500, which will have its American version released next year, according to an Inside Line report.

This version may have an identical appearance to its European sibling but it will have a different platform — the Fiat Group’s upcoming A platform shared with the future Fiat Panda and Lancia Ypsilon. Numerous advantages are offered: the higher impact security, an improved noise, vibration and harshness level and reduced weight. Meanwhile, the Euro-spec 500 will not get the new platform. It’s likely because doing so will need assembly line changes and this raises the production cost. The US car won’t need the extra investment since it will be made at a production site that was designed to utilize the new components. A Chrysler plant located in Mexico City will assemble the new car. It’s estimated that production output will eventually reach 130,000 units annually.

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Tags:car news, Fiat, us-bound fiat 500
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Fiat’s 500C Pink continues the theme that was seen on the Barbie edition and the Pink special edition. The 500C Pink, which is based on the base 500C, is a mini-car that has had its roof removed.

More specifically, the 500C Pink is the base car’s “1.2 Pop” trim with a vibrant hue of pink. Standard equipment includes 16-inch wheels, chrome trim, body-colored door mirrors, leather steering wheel, leather gear knob, unique floor mats, pink-themed key cover, split folding rear seat, and Fiat’s Blue&Me infotainment system. Priced at about $20,500 in Europe, the 500C Pink costs $1,800 over the base car. Photo gallery after the jump!

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Camillo Rossotto has been appointed group treasurer by Fiat S.p.A. and on April 1, he will take on the duties of Maurizio Francescatti who has chosen to leave the firm.

This is the latest management shakeup that has taken place under the leadership of CEO Sergio Marchionne. Last January, Fiat named group chief technical officer Harald Wester as head of Alfa Romeo. Several days ago, Laura Soave was tasked to head the Fiat brand for North America. In June 2009, Chrysler completed its bankruptcy reorganization by selling most of its assets to a group led by Fiat, which got a 20% ownership in the US automaker as well as full management control. In 1989, Rossotto joined the Fiat Group’s international corporate finance team. He had worked for Fiat’s finance divisions in Germany, Brazil and the US. Presently, Rossotto is CEO of FGA Capital, a 50-50 joint venture of Fiat Group Automobiles and Credit Agricole. Rossotto graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Torino and an MBA from New York University.

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Chrysler Group has announced that the Fiat brand in North America will be headed by Laura Soave, a former Ford and Volkswagen marketing executive. She will be responsible for reintroducing Fiat to North America.

The present plans call for the Fiat 500 minicar to be the only Fiat vehicle sold in North America. The 500, which will be introduced this December, will be produced in Chrysler’s Toluca, Mexico plant. The 500 will go on sale in some Chrysler dealerships. Soave will report directly to Sergio Marchionne, CEO of both Chrysler Group and Fiat Auto. Similar to the chiefs of the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Mopar brands, Soave will have profit and loss responsibility for the Fiat business in North America. In a statement, Marchionne divulged that Soave has “extensive experience in automotive marketing” and this will “serve as a springboard” for reintroducing the Fiat brand when it arrives in the U.S. and Canada after having been absent for more than 25 years. Soave had most recently served as general manager of experiential marketing, a consumer marketing post, at Volkswagen of America. Before this, she had worked at Ford’s marketing division too.

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Tags:car news, chrysler, Fiat, laura soave fiat usa
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In Brazil, a 3 million reais ($1.5 million) fine has been imposed on Fiat S.p.A. by the country’s Justice Ministry for its failure to recall thousands of Stilo cars built after 2004. There have been complaints about an alleged rear-wheel hub problem.

Fiat posted a statement on its website last Tuesday, saying that the Justice Ministry has ruled for the company to pay the highest fine possible under the local consumer law. The Justice Ministry had cited that the producer didn’t acknowledge that there was such a problem and as a result, it placed the consumers’ health and safety at risk. Fiat said that it would proceed with the recall in order to put to rest any concerns that customers may have. However, Fiat insists that there is no evidence of such a problem in its Stilo vehicles and that is why it would appeal the ministry’s decision. About 60,000 Stilo cars were made in Brazil between 2004 and 2008. The Justice Ministry said that the defect doesn’t concern Stilo cars with an anti-lock braking system. Fiat rolls out about 700,000 cars a year in Brazil.

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Abarth will have on display an upgraded Fiat 500C at the Geneva Motor Show, along with its own version of Punto Evo. The 500C, the first convertible to be launched by the renewed Abarth brand, will go on sale later this year in both Europe and Japan.

Powering the Abarth 500C is a 1.4-liter engine that develops 140 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 206 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm in Sport mode. The transmission system is the Abarth Competizione 5-speed gearbox, which is optimized to handle this much power. Continued after the jump!

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Tags:2010 abarth 500c, 2010 abarth fiat 500c, 2010 geneva motor show, abarth, car news, Fiat, Geneva Motor Show
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Fiat Powertrain Technologies will introduce its next-generation engine — the TWIN-AIR engine — at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

The engine features Fiat’s electro-hydraulic valve management MultiAir system, which when coupled with special fluid dynamics, results to the best fuel efficiency. This two-cylinder turbocharged 1.2-litre 8V motor range is able to deliver between 48kW (65 PS) and 77kW (105 PS). CO2 emissions are low, at only 95 g/km in. Furthermore, maximum torque is available at very low revs per minute. Its compact size means that it is about 23% shorter and 10% lighter compared to a 4-cylinder of equal performance and displacement. The carmaker is considering extra applications for it include hybrid technology or a methane fuel feed. The Fiat 500 will be the first car to get the TWIN-AIR engine. The TWIN-AIR 500, which will be available starting July, produces 63 kW (85 PS) consumes 15% less fuel and has 25% more performance than the 1.2-liter 8v which achieves in the combined cycle 5.1 L/100 km (55 mpg imp / 46 mpg US). When compared to the 1.4 16-valve, which achieves 6.3 L/100 km (45 mpg imp / 37 mpg US), fuel consumption drops 30%.

Tags:2010 geneva motor show, car news, Fiat, fiat twin-air engine, Geneva Motor Show, twin-air engine
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Abarth versions of Fiat’s 500C and Punto Evo will be launched at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. The Abarth 500C will be powered by a 138bhp, 152lb ft 1.4-litre T-Jet engine. A six-speed automated manual gearbox with paddle shifters is fitted as standard.

This much power can enable the car to accelerate from zero to 62mph in 7.9 sec and arrive at a top speed of 127mph. Fiat also made a striking announcement of an upgraded Esseesse model being developed but it will be some time yet before it will be made available. The Abarth Punto Evo is powered by a 161bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged Multiair engine and a 178bhp Esseesse version that will be offered from launch. The standard car is able to accelerate to 62mph in 7.5sec and boasts a top speed of 133mph. Coming in as standard is a stop-start system. Combined fuel economy is 47mpg and its CO2 emission level is at 142g/km. Pricing information isn’t available yet. Nevertheless, fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new Abarth models that will go on sale later this year. Photo gallery after the jump!

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Tags:2010 geneva motor show, abarth fiat 500c, abarth fiat punto evo, car news, Fiat, Geneva Motor Show
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Downsizing is the name of the game and Fiat S.p.A. does it best with its introduction of the new 900cc, two-cylinder TwinAir unit, which goes on sale in the Fiat 500 minicar this summer.

The 85-hp turbocharged engine will be the only two-cylinder engine to be offered in Europe. Watch out for this engine as it makes its debut at the upcoming Geneva auto show. There is only one other car company that offers a two-cylinder engine – Tata Motors. It makes the Nano minicar, which debuted in India last summer and has a 33-hp 623cc engine. Continued after the jump!

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To convert Fiat SpA’s Termini Imerese auto plant in Sicily, Italy is willing to pour in a 450 million euros ($614.3 million) investment, Industry Minister Claudio Scajola told the Senate last Wednesday. Scajola said that he wanted the plant to stay in the auto sector but that there were 14 proposals of various types for the site. In particular, he said that keeping the jobs and saving the industrial presence in Sicily cannot be ignored. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has revealed that the Termini Imerese will be closed in 2011 because it is too expensive to run. The Lancia Ypsilon small car is produced in that factory. Fiat has plans to produce the Ypsilon’s replacement, due in 2011, at its Tychy plant in Poland. Nonetheless, Fiat has expressed its willingness to hand over the plant for free to any serious business activity that would preserve jobs. There is a proposal by Cimino & Associates Private Equity and India electric car maker Reva to build electric cars in the factory. Reva manufactures the G-Wiz electric car, which is sold in the UK.

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