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Fiat boss Elkann being mentored by... Bill Ford?

Fiat Chairman John Elkann has been turning to an unusual source for advice on the car business. While speaking during an interview with The Detroit News, Elkann said he often asks Bill Ford Jr. for advice on how to proceed with the turnaround at Chrysler. "It's great to have the opportunity to share this with someone like Bill, who has experienced many things and gone through many things ... especially linked to Detroit." Elkann said.
As the Agnelli family heir, Elkann has inherited a long and fruitful friendship with the Ford family. While Giovanni Agnelli built his first Fiat four years before Henry Ford created his first vehicle, it was Ford that showed Agnelli the benefits of mass production and helped pave the way for what would become the Fiat empire.
Giovanni's grandson, Gianni, helped mentor Bill Ford when he was elected chairman of Ford Motor Company. Now, Ford is returning the favor by helping Elkann navigate the automotive industry's tumultuous waters.

How Fiat explains its disastrous J.D. Power quality scores

Back in the '60s and '70s, Fiat didn't exactly have an enviable reputation for quality. Of course, lack of quality and a tarnished brand reputation eventually saw the Italian automaker flee the market, only to return with the 500 and the larger 500L in the last few years. However, if J.D. Power's Initial Quality Survey for 2014 is to be believed, modern Fiat products haven't improved quite as much as we might have hoped. Fiat thinks that there is a very simple explanation for its poor performance on the annual list, though.
J.D. Power's IQS looks at flaws among autos in the first 90 days that customers own their new vehicles. In 2014, Fiat wasn't only dead last, it was at the back of the pack by a significant margin. The company's cars tallied 206 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) compared to a national average of 116 PP100. Even Jeep, the survey's second-to-last finisher, had 146 PP100. Fiat's performance was pitiful.
However, it can all be explained, at least according to US Fiat boss, Jason Stoicevich, who spoke with Ward's Auto. He qualifies the results by stating that the survey came at a particularly bad time for the brand. It produced very few 2014 500 models to allow extra time to introduce the updated 2015 version. That meant that about 91 percent of its vehicles surveyed were examples of the 500L, "which is a new car where there are always quirks to work through," said Stoicevich to Ward's. With only one model providing data, it skewed the results. Of course, that's all well and good, but it suggests that the larger 500L is even more problematic than the overall brand's 206 problems per 100 vehicles.

SEMA-fied Fiat 500Ls are ready for mountains or beaches

Fiat may be struggling with its 500L, but that hasn't stopped the Italian brand from bringing a pair of the larger five-door 500s to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
First up is the Fiat 500L Adventurer (pictured above). Painted bright white with a Vibrance Bright Orange roof and Satin Black body accents, the 500L Adventurer's color scheme does well on the car's body. The 18-inch wheels look sharp, although we aren't enamored with the 500L graphics on the car's doors. The cabin sports black, perforated suede and leather from Katzkin, while the exterior's contrasting orange reappears on some of the interior elements. Underhood, a Mopar cold-air intake has been fitted, while a cat-back exhaust aids breathing even more.
The Fiat 500L Thalassa (right) is the the car that looks like a creamsicle, with its Vibrance Orange body and white roof. Fiat claims it was going for a beach cruiser theme, which explains the surf boards and the Woody Wagon-inspired wheels. It's given a modern twist, though, with a lowered ride height and smoked head and taillights.