Fiat Punto Evo Multiair GP 1.4

Fiat Punto Evo: redefining the limits of style… Really? Photograph: Simon Stuart-Miller

Fiat Punto Evo Multiair GP 1.4

Price £14,085

Top speed 115mph

Acceleration 0-62mph in 10.8 seconds

Average consumption 49.6mpg

CO2 emissions 134g/km

Eco rating 7/10

Bound for sixth gear

In a word Spirited

Have you ever asked yourself what "spirito di punto" actually means? Not its literal meaning, of course, which is obvious to even the most English of linguists, but its "brand" meaning, if you like. The Fiat Punto ads that first featured the phrase toyed with preconceptions about the different driving habits and interests of males and females, but surely no one outside a media studies course would argue that the marketing line was intended as a postmodern critique of consumer sexism.

It might be said that the words evoke a sense of liberation, but then it's hard to think of a more constricting idea than the "spirit of point". The point is it's pointless, although very effectively pointless. They sound good, the words, yet they are best left unexamined.

Fiat Punto Evo bows, looks good

We never really considered ourselves the Fiat Punto kind, but the 2010 Evo variant strikes a chord, and for a little guy it comes with a lot of kit. The Blue&Me interface will be available on all trim levels, providing control of all the car's major functions, along with a mobile phone, MP3 player and touch-screen navigation. On top of that will be rain sensors, ESP with Hill Holder, engine start-stop and adaptive cornering fog lights.

There will be two chassis options: Grande Punto and Sporting, which both come with a "sport chassis" and "more assertive looks;" and Comfort. There are five engines to choose from: four of the firm's new MultiAir, and MultiJet II diesel models, from a 1.3-liter, 75-horsepower MultiJet to 1.4-liter, 135-hp MultiAir turbo, and a vanilla 1.4-liter, 77-hp gas variant. A sixth engine choice, the 1.6-liter MultiJet with 120 hp,

Chrysler builds cars the Fiat way

There's a new look, commitment and enthusiasm at a refurbished Jeep plant in Detroit and it is a model being replicated across Chrysler Group LLC's 28 North American plants.

Chrysler has spent $700 million on the new Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Jefferson North assembly plant where it is being built. But the investment represents more than the traditional tooling and promises that accompany the launch of a next-generation vehicle.

Cars are now being built the Fiat SpA way. After Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy June 10 and formed a partnership with Fiat, CEO Sergio Marchionne ordered all Chrysler plants to adopt Fiat's World Class Manufacturing system, designed to improve quality and productivity by eliminating waste and bottlenecks.

Fiat will bring convertible, 4-door versions of 500 to U.S.

Fiat is bringing a convertible 500 to the U.S. in 2011, and then a four-door version at some point after that.

Fiat plans to bring a four-door version of the small 500 car to the U.S. sometime after introducing it in Europe later next year.

Automotive New s reported Monday that the four-door version of the car is code-named LO. It will be classified as a small minivan in Europe because it has a hatchback and a high roof:

Fiat plans to bring the 500 to the U.S., but has not decided how many Chrysler dealerships will sell the car. A convertible version is expected to reach the U.S. in 2011.

Fiat’s Compact architecture to underpin 700,000 Chrysler vehicles in the U.S.

Fiat SpA’s new Compact vehicle architecture, which will debut on the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta hatchback, is scheduled to underpin 700,000 Chrysler group vehicles a year in the United States and 300,000 in Europe by 2014. Fiat and Chrysler are currently working on a widened version of the architecture, known as Compact Wide, which will underpin at least seven new models for the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands.

According to Automotive News, the first Chrysler Group vehicles to get the Compact Wide architecture will replace the PT Cruiser and the Dodge Caliber in 2012.

Fiat Linea Price

Fiat India Launched much awaited Fiat Linea for Indian Car Lovers. Fiat Linea will be available in both Multi Jet diesel and Fire petrol engine versions.

Fiat Qubo 1.3 16v Multijet Dynamic

Fiat Qubo 1.3 16v Multijet Dynamic

2010 Fiat Punto Evo Price

Pricing for the forthcoming Fiat Punto Evo has just been announced by Fiat Group Automobiles UK.

With a starting price of £10,995 OTR the new car, which goes on sale in the UK in January, represents outstanding value for money. At the top end of the Punto Evo range, the highly specified Sporting 1.4 MultiAir version costs £15,295 – an OTR price that includes sports seats, cruise control, side skirts, air conditioning, sports suspension and 17-inch alloy wheels as standard.

Available with a choice of five low emissions, Euro 5 engines, all fitted with Start&Stop as standard, the new Punto Evo comes in five different trim levels – Active, Dynamic, GP, Eleganza and Sporting.

Among the advanced engine line-up are two power units featuring Fiat’s new MultiAir technology. The full list includes: 1.4 8-valve petrol, 1.4 16-valve MultiAir petrol (105bhp and 135bhp) and 1.3 16-valve MultiJet diesel (75bhp and 95bhp).

Standard equipment in the entry-level Active model includes ABS anti-lock brakes with EBD, driver, passenger and knee airbags, radio/CD/MP3 player, power steering, electric mirrors and Blue&Me infotainment.

Dynamic trim level adds such equipment as side and window airbags, leather steering wheel and air conditioning, while Eleganza models get alloy wheels, cruise control and rear parking sensors as standard. The GP specification includes rear spoiler, dark tinted headlights and foglights.

Fiat Warns Of Likely Car Plant Conversion

Italian carmaker Fiat SpA (F.MI) Friday said it is sticking to plans to convert a plant in Sicily, despite protests from workers.

Union workers at the Termini Imerese plant have been protesting all week, demanding that Fiat provide more certainty on the future of the plant, which the firm has said is the most costly to operate of all of its plants.

After the workers occupied the town hall, politicians vowed to raise their concerns with Fiat in the coming weeks.

But Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said Fiat is sticking to plans to convert the plant by 2012.

"Keeping all of the plants open and doing all these necessary things are... demands that are no longer feasible in a world that has drastically changed," he told reporters at an event at Fiat's research centre in this town near Turin in the country's northwest. "We can't turn back to a reality that no longer exists."

Marchionne said a single Fiat plant in Brazil made more cars than its six plants in Italy combined over the year. He has yet to say what he wants Termini Imerese to do if not cars.

He and other Fiat officials are to hold meetings with union and government officials in the coming weeks to discuss their plans for Fiat in Italy. Their plans are a likely extension of the one presented in Detroit Nov. 4 to revive Chrysler Group LLC, its U.S. partner.

Marchionne is also expected to discuss the possible extension of Italy's car scrappage scheme when he meets with the government next month.

With several of these schemes expiring across Europe, analysts fear that demand will fall once more, making 2010 a difficult year for carmakers already struggling to survive the industry's worst crisis in decades.

Fiat will keep Alfa Romeo, sees U.S. role

In an interview with Reuters, Montezemolo dismissed a suggestion by analysts with asset management fund Sanford Bernstein that Volkswagen AG could be the right buyer for the money-losing brand. He also said Fiat doesn't need an Asian partnership to match recent tie-ups by European competitors with Japanese automakers.

"We will present the new Alfa that substitutes the 147, and we think there are also very important opportunities for Alfa Romeo in the United States," Montezemolo said.

Alfa's aging 147 hatchback will be replaced early next year by the Giulietta, a car that may be Alfa's last new model. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has ordered a strategic review of the brand to consider whether to freeze substantial investments after the introduction of the Giulietta or to refresh Alfa's lineup using Chrysler Group platforms. Those platforms could be used to replace the aging Alfa 159 sedan and wagon and the discontinued 166 flagship sedan.

Alfa's new-car sales have declined steeply in the past decade as its range became older and new products were delayed.

Last year, Alfa sold 103,000 new cars, down from 203,000 in 2000. The brand has lost between 200 million and 400 million euros a year in the past 10 years, according to industry sources. Fiat does not release separate financial results for any of its brands.

Marchionne is expected to announce the future of Alfa early next year, when the Italian automaker presents its 2010 to 2014

Fiat 500

Fiat 500 Pop 1.2

NEVER let it be said that little cars are born to be boring.

Fiat has proved without doubt that small is very definitely beautiful with its iconic 500 that hit the streets in 2008 exactly 500 hours after the start of the New Year.

The 500 is a nostalgic take of Dante Giacosa's iconic Fiat 500 of July 1957 and it was a very feeling strange getting behind the wheel of the new car because I can compare it to the original which I drove in the mid-1960s.

It is certainly not easy mixing the old with the new, but there are rules for success. Firstly any such interpretation must have modern handling, technology, safety, performance and ease of ownership.

It must also reflect the character of the original and just make you smile.

And that has been achieved without doubt with the 500. As soon as you see it you know that it is special.

Open the door and take in the 1950s styling cues and you know that you have a car that you will never treat as plain ordinary. This model, a basic 1.2 Pop featured a white steering wheel and trim with a painted red body colour dash. It really felt the part.

But where it does not feel like the original is in the technical department because it a benchmark in terms of safety and technology in its now highly competitive market segment.

Fiat says it represents a company blueprint for a future which embraces a modern approach, new brand strategies, radical innovations in customer relations and a lasting process of expansion.

An ambitious statement but the 500 certainly proves that Fiat means business. Its products have suddenly become much better built in addition to being far more attractive.

Fiat may get mileage from Chrysler after all

Fiat 500 Fiat

While some analysts think Chrysler is unsalvageable, others are now taking the view that Chrysler is a turnaround story in the

Maybe, just maybe, Fiat Group SpA's link with Chrysler Group LLC will translate into dazzling stock market success.

While some investment analysts think Chrysler is unsalvageable, and therefore of no use to Fiat, others are now taking the view that Chrysler is a turnaround story in the making, one that could lift the Italian auto makers' fortunes.

In a Nov. 20 note, UBS said Fiat's partnership with Chrysler in the near term is worth €1 ($1.49 U.S.) a share to Fiat, equivalent to 10 per cent of the Italian auto maker's latest share price.

"We continue to see value in Fiat as an agent of transformational change and not owning Fiat is akin to a risky bet against structural change in European autos," UBS analyst Philippe Houchois and his colleagues wrote.

The most bullish endorser of the Fiat-Chrysler partnership is Adam Jonas, Morgan Stanley's European auto analyst. In a report published last month, he rated the shares a "buy" because the "current share price massively under-appreciates the substantial call-optionality that Fiat shareholders have with the tie-up with Chrysler."

Fiat, led by Italian-Canadian CEO Sergio Marchionne, owns 20 per cent of Chrysler, for which it paid nothing, and can boost it to 35 per cent under certain conditions, such as producing a car in the United States that achieves 40 miles a gallon. Mr. Marchionne and his team took management control of Chrysler in the summer.

Fiat shares, listed in Milan, have been among the industry's best performers, with one-year return of almost 108 per cent and a 6-month return of 28 per cent. The equivalent figures for France's PSA Peugeot Citroen are 94 per cent and 23 per cent. UBS downgraded Fiat to "neutral" from "buy" on Friday, not long after Fiat shares topped €11, more than three times their 52-week low. They closed the week at €10.

Mr. Marchionne's turnaround plan for Chrysler assumes the U.S. auto market will rebound to 14.5 million sales in 2014 - a figure analysts consider credible - from 10.5 million this year and that Chrysler's market share will rise to about 14 per cent from less than 10 per cent this year. Chrysler will rely on Fiat's small-car platforms to overhaul Chrysler's clapped-out fleet of passenger cars and small SUVs. The first Fiat-inspired cars are to reach Chrysler showrooms in 2011.

Mr. Jonas, of Morgan Stanley, thinks the synergies of combining the Fiat and Chrysler platforms and other business operations, such as purchasing, could average €1.7-billion a year starting in 2011.

In October, he valued Fiat's stake in Chrysler, plus the synergies, at €8.5 a Fiat share, raising his target price for all of Fiat to €16.80 a share.

Fiat Engine to Be Made by Chrysler to Increase Stake

Chrysler Group LLC, in a step that will help Fiat SpA increase its controlling stake, plans to invest $179 million in the next five years at a Michigan factory to build the Italian company’s 4-cylinder, 1.4-liter engines.

The production of as many as 250,000 engines annually will add 155 employees, according to documents Auburn Hills, Michigan-based Chrysler filed with the state for job-creation tax credits.

The fuel-efficient engine would be used in the Fiat 500 subcompact next year and satisfy a requirement for the Turin, Italy-based automaker to expand its 20 percent stake in Chrysler. The confirmation is the first of Fiat technology being added to a Chrysler facility.

“That’s good news,” said Serge Escude, an analyst with Cassa Lombarda in Milan who has a “hold” rating on Fiat shares. “It’s rather quick.”

Fiat can acquire an additional 5 percent stake each time it reaches one of three targets, including building a fuel- efficient engine in the U.S. Fiat may get as much as 30 percent ownership by the end of March 2011 and the remaining portion at the end of 2011, said Adam Jonas, a Morgan Stanley analyst based in London.

Chrysler is under Fiat control after emerging from a U.S.- backed bankruptcy this year following a government bailout. The U.S. Treasury owns 9.85 percent of Chrysler, Canada has 2.46 percent and 67.69 percent belongs to the United Auto Workers union retiree medical fund, according to bankruptcy documents.

Expansion Targets

The other goals the U.S. government set for allowing Fiat to increase ownership are producing a car in the U.S. that gets at least 40 miles per gallon and reaching sales targets for Chrysler vehicles outside North America.

The plant, in Dundee, Michigan, builds 4-cylinder engines ranging from 1.8 to 2.4 liters. In August, Chrysler bought the stakes in the engine-plant business that it had shared with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. The operation is called the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance.

2010 Fiat 500C

2010 Fiat 500C PICTURES


2010 Fiat 500C PICS


2010 Fiat 500C PHOTOS


2010 Fiat 500C IMAGES


2010 Fiat 500C WALLPAPERS

2010 Fiat Bravo crossover

The new Bravo is an important model in Fiat’s revamped lineup and is key to the Italian carmaker expanding into more diverse markets. The one model will not only be spawning wagon and crossover variants, but possibly a new cabrio and MPV as well. This latest rendering reveals what the crossover version will likely be styled like when it finally hits the roads in late 2009.
The crossover is being co-developed with sister brand Alfa Romeo, which is developing its own premium version to tackle the upcoming Volkswagen Tiguan and Audi Q5. Unlike its rivals, the Bravo crossover is expected to be available in both FWD and AWD configurations and could even be big enough to seat seven.
Key features of the crossover will be its raised ride height, protective underbody panels and plastic side cladding and a new front bumper with integrated fog lights. Basic styling will be very similar to the Bravo hatch on which it’s based, but a longer wheelbase and wider track will undoubtedly give it more presence.
Production of the new model will be handled by Fiat’s Miafiori plant, which is currently under utilized producing the Multipla MPV. Even with the Bravo crossover, there will be still room for further models at Miafiori, so expect to see the aforementioned convertible and MPV versions of the Bravo be given the green light.

Fiat Punto Creative with extra equipment out in Brazil

The Creative version gets a bouquet of equipment to keep it fresh

A new variant of the Fiat Punto is launched in Brazil, in fact two new variants — the Punto Creative I and the Punto Creative II.

According to the Brazilian blogger, a new Punto with 1.6 ltr 16 valve flex engine is being tested in Brazil but the Creative I and II are the variants of the existing 1.4 ltr SAFIRE version.

MP3 CD radio, electric rear panel, knife type key, alloy wheels, rear spoiler and creative stickers are the goodies added to the Creative I.

Fiat Should Add Italian-Made Electric Cars to Plan, Union Says

Italy’s biggest carmaker, should add electric models and hybrids in exchange for continued government incentives, the company’s largest trade union said.

While Fiat is already introducing Multi Air gasoline engines that cut consumption and emissions by at least 10 percent, it could go further, Giorgio Airaudo, a leader of the Fiom CGIL metalworkers’ union, said yesterday in an interview.

“It makes no sense for us to confirm production of old products,” Airaudo said by phone from Turin, where Fiat is based. “The government needs to link incentives to innovation.”

Unions are concerned Fiat may shift production of new models to North America following its alliance with Chrysler Group LLC. Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne has urged Italy to retain payments for scrapping older cars and buying more efficient ones to buoy sales amid the economic slump.

Airaudo, whose union is the country’s biggest, with 370,000 members, said that while Industry Minister Claudio Scajola is right to say Fiat’s plant in Termini Imerese, Sicily, should stay open, the site could be put to better use.

The carmaker said in June it plans to continue production of the Lancia Ypsilon at the factory through 2011 and then use it for “other, non-automotive, production.” The plant is Fiat’s smallest in Italy and employs 1,400 people.

“Over time a lot of investment has been made in that factory and I’m told the quality of production is good,” Scajola said yesterday in Dubai.

Workers from Termini Imerese occupied the town’s city hall on Nov. 18. Scajola visted them the next day and said he’ll take up their concerns when he meets with Marchionne on Dec. 1. to review Fiat’s production plan.

Five Plants

Fiat, Italy’s largest manufacturer and biggest private employer, runs five auto plants in the country, with the workforce totaling 31,000. Marchionne plans to cut production in line with shrinking demand. Fiat says it loses 1,000 euros ($1,493) on every vehicle produced at Termini Imerese.

The company should bring electric-car technology to Italy through its link with Chrysler, Airaudo said.

“There’s no reason to limit the development of electric cars to the U.S.,” he said. “We should be developing new technology that we can sell in Europe.

Fiat already uses electric technology for its delivery vans, a segment where it sees the most demand. Lou Rhodes, who heads Chrysler’s electric vehicle development, has been charged with overseeing the same segment at Fiat, a Fiat spokesman said.

Fiat 500 is top ten selling car in the UK

The Fiat 500 should be highly successful car when it launches in the USA. Sales numbers in the UK for the car have been quite favorable as the car was a top ten selling car in the month of October.

This was in accordance with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders who reported that the Fiat 500 sold 2,989 units last month. This was an improvement of 993 in sales for the Fiat 500 compared to last year.

“This is an incredible result for the Fiat 500 which we are, of course, delighted with,” says Andrew Humberstone, managing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK Ltd. “Interest in this car has been sky high ever since we launched it here less than two years ago.

“The popularity of this superb vehicle speaks for itself and, with the launch this summer of the fantastic 500C, and the option of Start&Stop bringing further environmental benefits to the range, we’re sure we will see the Fiat 500 making even greater inroads into the UK small car market.”

In relation to the USA, Chrysler plans to introduce the 500 as their first car amongst many others which will grace US roads. Chrysler made this announcement recently and the car should hit sometime late 2010.

The Fiat 500 will be a great competitor to the MINI Cooper and some could argue that it is more stylish than the BMW made MINI.

Fiat cars amongst the greenest in Australia

Italian motoring giants Fiat has become the first car maker to have its entire range represented in the top five greenest cars available in Australia.

The popular Fiat 500 offers Australia's best fuel economy in one version and the second highest green rating in another version, followed by the Fiat Punto in third spot and the Fiat Ritmo rounding out the top five 'Top Performers' in the Australian Government's Green Vehicle Guide with its newly launched Fiat Ritmo Dynamic 1.4.

Fiat's performance in the Australian Green Vehicle Guide mirrors the marque's performance in Europe - it has been the number one performer in having the lowest range average for carbon dioxide emissions across its range based on total sales for the second year running.

Andrei Zaitzev, General Manager for Fiat in Australia said: "Fiat's belief is that to make a real impact on Carbon Dioxide emissions, every model in the range has to be pulling its weight and making a real contribution,"

"It is simply not good enough to have one model in the range that has good emissions and fuel economy covering for other poorly performing models. This is why at Fiat we have choice of the benchmark JTD-Multijet diesels and the remarkable, compact Fire and T-Jet petrol engines in all our cars, so which ever Fiat a customer chooses, whether its petrol or diesel, they will be driving a car that makes the best possible contribution to cutting carbon dioxide emissions."

It is safe to say that Fiat has set the new benchmark for green vehicles in Europe and Australia.

Fiat "500C By Diesel"

The Cinema Against AIDS Gala in favour of AmFAR (the American Foundation for AIDS Research), the association in charge of fund-raising for the fight against AIDS, is to be held on 21st May 2009, during the 62nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The charity auction, now in its seventeenth edition, will be taking place at Hotel du Cap in Antibes this year.

Bill Clinton will be the most eagerly awaited guest of this edition and will be hosting the auction alongside the event’s godmother Sharon Stone and film producer Harvey Weinstein.

A large number of significant items will be up for grabs during the most eagerly awaited Gala of the film festival: these include an exclusive Fiat “500C by DIESEL”, resulting from the joint effort of Fiat and the lifestyle brand by Renzo Rosso. This cabrio model, a one-off car that is not available for purchase, combines two apparently distant worlds: fashion and motoring. As a matter of fact, they share some important concepts, such as talent, creativity, appeal and innovation, the winning ingredients of Italian style, which is famous all over the world.

[Source: Fiat]