Fiat News

The American shell is just the same, but the Freemont has an Italian heart that reflects the future of transatlantic development deals between Fiat and Chrysler.It comes to Australia with a starting price of $27,000 driveaway, as well as smaller engines and a five-seater cabin - with seven on call - that provides clear space around the Journey and a new opportunity for Fiat.The Italian brand claims the Freemont is the most fuel efficient vehicle in its people mover class, thanks to the 2-litre turbodiesel that starts at $32,600. The Freemont is not the most imaginative model spawned by the Fiat-Chrysler Alliance, with Maserati set to tap the Jeep well for its upcoming SUV and also picking up parts from the 300C, but it shows the new thinking at the company"This is the start of our new product offensive. You have to start somewhere," says Clyde Campbell, the president of Fiat Chrysler Group Australia."This was readily available and we thought we should give it a go. We think it will do reasonable volume, be a good contributor." Campbell, who has led the re-branding the re-positioning of Fiat and Alfa Romeo in Australia, says there is a lot happening at the Italian-American conglomerate."The thinking behind the Fiat-Chrysler alliance, which has become more than an alliance, now, is that they can share from what each other does well. We'll see it in multiple platforms."Fiat is good at small engines, so the Freemont gets launched here with a four-cylinder petrol and a good little diesel engine. Dodge and what Dodge stands for is probably not a 2-litre petrol."The Freemont is a mid-sized people mover with a flexible cabin that brings five seats and up to 1461 litres of cargo space - third-row seating costs $1500 - with Base, Urban and Lounge trim levels but even the starter car getting remote central locking, 17-inch alloys, aircon and power steering, rear parking radar, tyre-pressure monitoring and a 4.3-inch touch screen for an infotainment system including Bluetooth audio streaming."There's a lot of value. And there are a lot of trim levels, compared to the Dodge," says Campbell. But it's the planning around the Freemont that shows where Fiat-Chrysler is going."Chrysler builds it and ships it. But they fit it with the Italian engines," Campbell says. And he says there is much more action planned for 2013."We've got other Fiat product coming this year. We're going to re-launch the Punto and launch the Panda."We've already re-positioned Fiat and Alfa here with lower prices and more models. Now it's the product."This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover 

Though Italian car maker Fiat is a giant player in Europe it has been sadly under represented in Australia until very recently. That’s probably because the previous importer seemed to concentrate on the halo marques in the Fiat empire – Ferrari and Maserati – at the expense of the affordable models.That situation suddenly changed midway through 2012 when Fiat’s head office took over the Australian arm of the company from its previous private importer.As further background to this story, Fiat took control of American car maker Chrysler during the fallout from the GFC, something that has helped both car makers; Chrysler now has the capital to keep itself and Jeep operating. Fiat has picked up the American company’s expertise in SUVs.The fastest growing of a multitude of vehicle segments in Australia is that of medium SUVs, and Fiat has thrown its Italian hat into the arena with the Freemont. Though Freemont is more people mover than SUV, the looks lean in the latter direction and we can see Aussie buyers comparing it with the big range of SUVs now on our market.It seems there’s no better way to grab the attention of Australian buyers than with low price tags. Hence the introduction of the Fiat Freemont with a price list that starts at just $27,000 driveaway. Fiat Freemont is available in three specification level: Base, Urban and Lounge.The entry-level ‘Base’ is far from being a stripper, it has 17-inch alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone air-conditioning and keyless entry and start. Then there are automatic headlights; rear-parking sensors; an alarm system with an anti-intrusion feature; and tyre pressure monitoring system.Interestingly, built-in booster seats for children are standard, an excellent idea for the people mover buyers. The so-called base ‘Base’ even has Fiat’s Uconnect infotainment system with a 4.3-inch touchscreen CD/MP3 and integrated telephone with voice command and Bluetooth audio streaming. There are USB and Aux inputs.Added to the extensive features of the Freemont Base, the mid-range Fiat Freemont Urban also has a larger screen, at 8.4 inches, for its Uconnect infotainment system. It gains a DVD player; automatic temperature control in the air conditioning; six-way electronic adjustment for the drivers’ seat, a leather-wrapped gear-lever and Sunscreen glass.The range-topping Fiat Freemont Lounge gets satellite navigation; 19-inch alloy wheels; accent-stitched leather upholstery and premium door trims; heated front seats; chromed roof bars; an Alpine audio system with a subwoofer and 368-watt amplifier.The Fiat Freemont comes standard with a five-seat layout. A seven-seat configuration is available as an option, this includes three-zone climate control. The second row of seats can slide forward by up to 100 mm from their rear most position, giving parents easy access to children sitting in the second row. All seats, including the front passenger seat, can be folded down to create a flat load area.Theatre-style seating in seven-seat Freemonts ensures good visibility for those travelling in the back seats. The options list includes a ‘Rear Seat Video Group’ that has a second row overhead screen and wireless headphones.Fiat Freemont is powered by either a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine or a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel. The 2.4-litre petrol engine produces 125 kW of power, and 220Nm of torque at 4500 rpm. The diesel has up to 125 kW, and 350 Nm between 1750 and 2500 rpm.Both engines drive the front wheels (despite its appearance, the Freemont isn’t offered with 4WD) via either a six-speed automatic transmission when the petrol engine is fitted, or a six-speed manual with the diesel.

Europe's most popular car, the Panda high-riding hatch is expected down under as early as September this year

  

Findings by research company Jato show Europe is on track to achieve its 2015 target of 130g of carbon dioxide per kilometre for new cars ahead of schedule, after a fall of almost 3 per cent last year.The 2012 figure of 132.3g/km includes nine mainstream brands that already get 130g/km or better while 40 per cent of new cars sold in Europe emitted 120g/km or less.Fiat is the star performer in terms of average emissions but the German luxury trio of Audi, BMW and Mercedes are reducing quickest as they focus more on small cars.The picture in Australia is very different. Figures from the National Transport Commission released today show Australian emissions are reducing slightly faster with a 3.7 per cent fall last year. However, we remain a long way behind Europe with a 2012 result of 199g/km, down from 206.6g/km the year before.The reason, according to Neil Wong of the NTC, is Australia's preference for larger vehicles with automatic transmissions, compared with Europe's fondness for small manuals.Given the government's intention to introduce mandatory emissions targets in 2015, the NTC report contains an informative comparison between buyer types. Private buyers averaged 191g/km against 206g/km for business purchasers and 212g/km for government fleets.In other words, if the expected 2015 target of 190g/km is introduced, then government will have to set its house in order -- or ordinary consumers will need to make up the difference. One thing governments might consider -- in the absence of local purchasing obligations, of course -- is to steer clear of Australian-made cars. Average CO2 for them was 210g/km.Another alternative would be to abandon the idea of mandatory targets all together. They can influence what carmakers offer but do little to change showroom preferences. The NTC report calculates that if we had all bought vehicles with best-in-class emissions last year, the national average would be 40 per cent lower (119g/km). 

Mumbrella reports the Advertising Standards Board has declared the ad too sexual. As opposed to, say, every ice cream commercial ever made.And those Kia commercials that should be outlawed on the grounds of being insanely annoying. 

Italian design house Pininfarina will unveil a new concept car honoring the late Sergio Pininfarina at next month’s Geneva Motor Show, with the first teaser image released by the company today.It’s still too early to gauge any details, apart from the concept’s sultry hue, but we know that it will be called the Sergio and that it has been designed with exclusivity, innovation and passion in mind.Sergio Pininfarina, son of Pininfarina founder Battista Farina, passed away in his home in Turin, Italy, in July, 2012.He originally started working for the family design business in the 1950s and during his reign was responsible for some impressive cars, including the Fiat 124 Spider, Peugeot 406 Coupe, the Ferrari Testarossa and more recently the Ferrari Enzo and Sintesi concept.Last year Pininfarina used the Geneva show to unveil the Cambiano concept, a stylish sedan powered by a extended-range electric drivetrain consisting of a diesel engine, lithium-ion battery array and four electric motors.Given the description of the latest Sergio concept, we have a feeling Pininfarina is planning something a little sportier this year.www.motorauthority.com  

Fiat has teased the first footage of the Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio, due to be unveiled at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show at the end of November.