2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Edition/like Brand New/12k Miles/$3k In Extras/loaded!!!!!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Marchionne on Alfa's US return, Dodge Dart's powertrain weakness and minivan plans

As a reporter covering an auto show, the one opportunity you never want to miss is going to the Sergio Marchionne press briefing.
"This undertaking to bring Alfa back is a one-shot deal... We are not going to do this twice."
There just aren't that many real characters left in the auto industry. Marchionne, who sits atop both Chrysler and Fiat, is not only one of the smartest execs in the business, but also the most frank. Herein, a sample of the quotable always-sweatered executive:

Fiat Chrysler target 850k sales in China by 2018

Behind the vanguard of numerous Jeep models, two Chryslers, a smattering of Fiats and Alfa Romeos and local production through a joint venture with Guangzhou Automotive Group (GAG), Fiat Chrysler wants to increase sales in China more than six-fold by 2018. The group sold 130,000 cars in China in 2013, the aim for 2018 being 850,000 cars.
Ultimately it's expected that the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cherokee, Wrangler, Renegade, the coming Grand Wagoneer and a sub-Renegade-sized crossover will either be built in or exported to the People's Republic. The Chrysler Town & Country and 300 will join the export list in 2016 and 2018 respectively, according to a report in Automotive News.
With a number of those vehicles not in production or perhaps even envisaged yet, and others not due on the local market until 2018, it will be interesting to see how Fiat Chrysler plans to achieve the target in the specified timeframe. The joint venture with GAG builds two products now, the Dodge Dart-based Fiat Viaggio launched two years ago - supposedly designed just for China - and the just-launched Fiat Ottimo, a hatchback version of the Viaggio. Fiat projected 300,000 Viagio sales in its first two years, that number has been adjusted downward to 94,000 and there doesn't appear to be an analyst alive that sees a good future for Fiat in China's overrun mainstream market. Still, last year's 130,000 group sales in China is a huge jump from 2012 sales of 66,000 units, but less than half the 300,000 units it projected.

New Fiat Panda Cross looks adorable

We have never gotten the Fiat Panda in North America, but the little city car has represented the entry level into the Fiat range in Europe since 1980. Unlike many of these foreign subcompacts, it was also offered in the 4X4 trim level with a higher ride height and all-wheel drive. The Italian brand will take that idea even further at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show on March 4, with the new Panda Cross.
The Panda Cross is meant to be a city car that drivers can also take off-road if need arises. Its all-wheel drive system comes with a standard electronic-locking differential to manage torque delivery, and drivers can lock the diff, at speeds under 30 miles per hour, to improve traction further. The mini off-roader comes with either a 1.3-liter diesel four-cylinder with 80 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque or the 900cc turbocharged two-cylinder with 90 hp and 107 lb-ft. Both engines have standard stop/start and are mated to a six-speed manual.
Fiat has put most effort into the Cross' exterior to make it look ready to get muddy. It has a redesigned front bumper with integrated fog lights and a titanium-painted air dam, meant to look like a front skid plate. The rear is also reworked with chrome tailpipes and another titanium-painted faux-skid plate. It promises the modifications aren't entirely aesthetic, but improve approach and departure angles while off road. While Fiat has not released any images of the interior, it promises a mix of fabric and fake leather seats, and copper-color trim on the dash.