Fiat News

Factory closures are becoming increasingly probable after European car registrations fell to their lowest level in 22 years last month. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) notes the sales slowdown is accelerating and now predicts a slump of up to 10 per cent for the year.In all, just 688,168 new vehicles were registered in August, the lowest total for the month since the EU data was first compiled in 1990. With some factories already running at 50 per cent of capacity, there is talk of Fiat, Ford and Opel closing the doors on some of their most unprofitable production lines.“Something needs to give,” Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said last week, adding that Fiat will outline a blueprint for the “European challenge” when it releases third quarter results later this year. Ford was the biggest loser in August with sales down by almost a third on the previous year, a fact it attributes to a decision not to match rivals discounts during what is traditionally the slowest car sales month on the EU calendar. “There was a lot of short-cycle business and heavy incentives that we decided largely to refrain from, Ford of Europe's marketing chief Roelant de Waard says. The Volkswagen Group's massive product portfolio made it one of the few carmakers to increase sales, led by Audi increasing its share of the luxury car segment. In contrast, Opel/Vauxhall saw a 19 per cent fall in registrations, Fiat was down 18 per cent and both Renault and Peugeot/Citroen were hit with 13 per cent drops. Registrations by country largely reflect those hurting worst from the sovereign debt crisis. Greece and Portugal lead the way with falls of 40 per cent year-to-date, Italy is down by almost 20 per cent and Spanish registrations fell by 8.5 per cent. Ominously for France, registrations this year are down 13.4 per cent, while Germany, which accounts for one in three of all cars sold in Europe, has seen its market contract by 0.6 per cent. The French Government has fiercely resisted factory closures on its turf and criticised Peugeot last month when it announced it would shed up to 10,000 jobs and close a factory in the north of the country. That's not an option for Renault, with the government holding a controlling stake in the French carmaker. 

With the Panda 4x4, Fiat has stolen the running on other manufacturers producing the only A segment four-wheel drive model currently available. The wraps come off at Paris Motor Show this month (September). Panda has been around for almost 30 years and this third-generation, four-wheel drive variant unites off-road capabilities with a refined design and compact, efficient architecture. Fiat says Panda 4x4 is “the superlative expression of the model's great versatility, a “Super Panda”,  ready to tackle mountain mule tracks and the urban jungle.” Sounds serious. The car's functional design is characterised by geometric lines on the front and rear bumpers with aluminium colour cosmetic inserts to underline the presence of metallic protection under the body. Panda 4x4 is equipped with a “Torque on demand” transmission system with two differentials and electronically controlled coupling. This is a permanent four-wheel drive system managed by an electronic control unit which, by analysing vehicle signals, distributes traction on the front and rear axle. The Panda 4x4 features the ESC (Electronic Stability Control) system with ELD (Electronic Locking Differential) function as standard. This system provides additional assistance while driving and setting off uphill on slippery terrain (snow, ice, mud etc.) Two engines are available both with Start&Stop. They are a 900cc TwinAir Turbo two cylinder and a 1.3 MultiJet II diesel four cylinder.  

The compact Doblo is one of the models being considered by the Fiat Chrysler Group after recently taking over the Australian distribution from Ateco Australia.  Fiat Professional says the new XL model expands the appeal of the Doblo. It provides a cargo area of 5 cubic metres and a payload of 1000kg. The XL has a long wheelbase and a new taller roof, which Fiat says gives it best in class dimensions.  

   

The carmaker is following the theme of Mini by expanding its baby 500 model range and Fiat Australia says it "can't wait''. Fiat sells three 500-based models here, including the hot-hatch Abarth, but gets the four-door 500L in August next year followed by the SUV version, dubbed the 500 Fouristrada, in 2014.  The 500 SUV is the equivalent of the Mini Countryman, a high-riding all-wheel drive wagon that's based on a core three-door hatchback design. "We will look at everything that is coming up with a view to establishing its suitability for the Australian market,'' says Fiat Australia spokesperson Lenore Fletcher. The 500 Gucci, a fashion-inspired special edition shown earlier this year at the Beijing motor show, is also on the cards. "Gucci represents a great partnership in style and it's on the cards. We're very interested in taking that for Australia and we see that theme extending to other partnerships with Italian companies.'' Ms Fletcher says Fiat-Chrysler Australia only has held the Fiat distributorship for three months and says business cases were still being built. But cars like a 500 SUV are "of extreme interest''. "The 500 is distinctive and very suited to city life,'' she says. "The bigger 500L is also definitely for Australia - it has great potential here.'' The 500 Fouristrada (Italian for all-road) was shown as a scale model by Fiat recently in Turin ahead of its planned production schedule. It has aggressive wheelarch cladding, a high ground clearance and stronger bumpers than the regular 500 hatch but retains the family nose. The stretched model - now 4.2m long - will be available as a front-wheel drive or an on-demand all-wheel drive and powered by a choice of a 1-litre TwinAir or 1.4-litre petrol and some diesels. The two-cylinder TwinAir engine has already been engineered for all-wheel drive duty in Fiat's upcoming Panda 4x4. A production-ready 500 Fouristrada concept is expected at next month's Paris motor show. Ms Fletcher says she hasn't heard about reports that Jeep may share the all-wheel drive 500 Fouristrada's platform to create an SUV beneath the size of the Compass. Plans for a small Jeep - to be called the Jeepster or Scamp - were confirmed last year by Fiat-Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne who said a small, Fiat-based SUV was among three new SUVs planned to debut around 2013. The Fiat 500 family may also grow with the further additions of the XL seven-seater and a coupe version, the 500 Zagato, which is based on a concept car shown at the 2011 Geneva moor show.  

There are more than 150 carmakers in China, although most are tiny firms producing for local customers. But three of the larger Chinese brands are already established in the passenger-vehicle ranks - Chery, Great Wall and Geely - with Foton and JAC selling trucks, Higer with buses and all looking for future growth. Great Wall is easily the most successful to date, with 4838 sales to the end of May mostly thanks to its utes, with Chery on 696 and Geely not included in the national VFACTS total despite taking a toehold in Western Australia last year. Carsguide has learned of another six contenders and believes they are already negotiating with freelance importers about local distribution. "The Chinese embassy has contacted us about finding local partners for six car companies," a senior source at the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reveals to Carsguide. "We are trying to help. They seem pretty keen." The importer with the strongest Chinese ties, Ateco Automotive, already has Chery and Great Wall on its books and company chief Neville Crichton admits he is looking to spread his influence. Ateco has recently lost the local agency for Alfa Romeo and Fiat, which were reclaimed by their owners at Fiat Chrysler Group, and has previously imported both Suzuki and Kia vehicles before selling the franchises back to head office. Crichton will not discuss his targets but a team from Ateco was one of the Australian groups in China recently for the Beijing Motor Show. There are now seven Great Wall models in Australia but none are passenger cars, at least yet, while Chery has three with the J11 SUV selling best with 374 delivers to the end of May. The Geely importer, John Hughes in Perth, is regrouping before a stronger push with a bigger range of the company's latest models in 2013. Two other brands, JAC and Maxus, are being handled by the import company WMC, which began with Higer buses. JAC is beginning its Australian push with small trucks, planning to follow with vans and a ute in 2013, and likely passenger cars in late 2014. Maxus, which is part of the giant Shanghai Automotive group that includes MG, is starting with vans but has perhaps the greatest potential of all once it commits to a local program with its Chinese cars.  

A new-model armada is being readied across the Pacific for the biggest Chrysler Jeep onslaught in the American company's history in Australia. Fiat is now the driving force at the Detroit brands, after taking a controlling interest during Chrysler Group's bankruptcy, and is planning a consolidation and new-model drive that will sweep through Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Fiat and Alfa Romeo.Some models are already shared - including an ugly Lancia-badged Chrysler 300C in Europe - but the next step is total consolidation that reflects the recent move in Australia to put the operations of the American and Italian brands under one roof at a new corporate headquarters in Melbourne."Chrysler is undergoing a renewal under Fiat. There is a whole lot of product in the pipeline and coming through," says spokesperson, Lenore Fletcher."It's definitely all happening here. We have updates, limited-edition cars and all-new models."The SRT versions of the 300C and Jeep Grand Cherokee are coming up fast and Fletcher says there will be more Fiat models to stretch the appeal of the baby 500 in Australia. Further into the future, Australians can expect a wider choice of cars with more personality and - thanks to Fiat cash - better quality in the American models.Fletcher says recent talk about an uncertain future for the Jeep Compass and Chrysler Town&Country - sold here as the Voyager people mover - that followed comments by Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne might not be relevant for Australia."Those vehicles are just going through their natural product lifecycle. We have not heard anything about them being dropped," she says.There is talk in the USA that Chrysler plans to downsize its people mover lineup, starting with the Grand Voyager, but it showed a full-sized concept at the Detroit Motor Show in January that only reflected a more SUV-type look.Dodge is also uncertain, with a global wind-back on the cards, but even that could change downunder if the macho appeal of the badge can be justified. Fletcher says all product choices for Australia will be made to boost the appeal and sales of the Fiat Chrysler range."There should be no fears that there won't be a terrific lineup from our brands - Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge, and Alfa Romeo and Fiat," she says."Naturally we'll be looking at whatever products become available and evaluating their suitability to the Australian market. We are really at the moment looking at the Chrysler and Jeep line-ups - we're just about to launch the Chrysler 300 - and we're very positive about our volume expectations in the next 12 months."She also emphatically denied any showroom stall in May, despite official VFacts sales figures this week that show a zero against the Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands."Due to systemic issues which occurred during the changeover from local distributors Ateco Automotive to the Fiat Chrysler factory group, no sales were registered on VFACTS for the Fiat or Alfa Romeo brands during May. The relevant figures will be included in next month’s report," Fletcher says. 

Essentially a Fiat 500 under the skin, the new Abarth 695 Maserati comes in a very limited edition of just 499. The high-performance supermini follows in the footsteps of the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari which sold here for $70,000. The 695 Maserati looks like it would be at home on the track. The engine pumps out a 132kW/250Nm from a 1.4 litre turbocharged unit. Acceleration is expected to be less than 7 seconds for the 0-100km sprint. The chassis has also been engineered to cope with this extra power. Front brakes and suspension setup have been upgraded as well as the ‘dual mode’ exhaust which Abarth is saying “delivers an inspiring sound above 3,000 rpm”. It will only be available in the Pontevecchio Bordeaux colour which Maserati also uses in their GT cars. The electronically controlled soft top is made of grey fabric. On the inside it gets beige leather upholstery, while the dashboard and gearbox trim have matt finish carbon lining with the 695 logo. Buyers will however get a carbon fibre kick plate with customised Abarth 695 Maserati Edition graphics, and a plate with the car’s series number from 1 to 499. In the UK it retails around £32,000 and that’s a lot of money for a small car – especially when it’s bound to be more expensive if it hits Australia.