Fiat News

The Punto Abarth brings the badge back on sale in its home market later this month and is set for a mid-2008 arrival. The Abarth model will be offering 116kW at 5500rpm and peak torque of 206Nm (just 500rpm earlier) from a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol 16-valve four-cylinder engine. Fiat also says there's a powerboost mode that increases torque to 230Nm at 3000rpm and tightens up the steering for a sportier drive. Hooked up to a six-speed manual, the Italian marque is claiming a 208km/h top speed and 0-100km/h time of 8.2 seconds. The interior has been tweaked for sports-oriented drivers and has been trimmed with black and red leather. The brakes behind the 17-inch alloy wheels have been upgraded to cope with the extra performance and Fiat says the track is up by 6mm, with a redesigned nose including larger air intakes. The Abarth also gets a body kit for better aerodynamics and four-wheel disc brakes (the front discs are ventilated and have Brembo calipers). The MacPherson strut front/torsion bar rear suspension has been lowered by 10mm and sports-tuned, with the anti-roll bar widened to 19mm. The front springs are 20 per cent firmer. The stability control system is standard and cannot be deactivated. Australian pricing and specification will be announced when it goes on sale mid-way through next year.  

And when that project has its origins in the family's homeland, it's all the more special.

Car names are apparently a minefield of hidden meanings, which would do justice to an automotive Da Vinci Code. That's if you believe the assertions of various regular posters who populate online forums, slanging away at each other's favourite badge.On the Australian sites, there's naturally a lot of the Red vs Blue from the Holden and Ford camps.Holden stands for “Hope Our Luck Doesn't End Soon,” according to somebody called FPVgal, who also claims Ford means “First On Race Day,” only to be corrected by Monaro05, who says it actually means “First on Recall Day”.You thought BMW was an acronym for Bayerische Motoren Werke, not so, it seems. Bought My Wife, Big Money Waste, Bavarian Manure Wagon; take your pick. In crime-ridden South Africa, it's Break My Windows. Audi goes All Unnecessary Devices Installed, or Accelerates Under Demonic Influence, having driven the scorching RS4, we'd agree with the latter.Chevrolet has a long list, but all along the theme of Condition Hopeless, Entire Vehicle Relies On Lousy Engineering Techniques.Any Dodge is apparently Dead On Day Guarantee Expires.Fiat? Fix It Again, Tony.A Honda fan claims it stands for Hallmark Of Non-Destructible Automobiles, but is swatted down with Hang On, Not Done Accelerating, by one who's obviously never had their foot on the pedal of the ballistic little Civic Type R.Hyundai is tagged with Hope You Understand Nothing's Driveable and Inexpensive; Kia gets Kick It Again.There's more. But some of it isn't suitable for a family website and some might even be rejected by the upstanding editors of Bikini Babes With Big Pistons.Luckily, it's all in cyberspace, so no real blood is ever spilled. But the only other public entertainment that comes anywhere near offering this amount of fantasy, insults, threats, lies and exaggeration is the coming federal election campaign.Happily, that promises to have even less basis in reality. 

Just a week after US President George W. Bush told a Sydney media conference about how battery cars that didn't look like golf carts were being developed, the real things were displayed at the world's largest motoring show.General Motors showed off its Flextreme from its European subsidiary Opel. It's a small commuter car with an electric-diesel hybrid that can travel 55km on a single charge before switching to fuel. It is a concept car, meaning it may or may not go into production.Volvo will also unveil its plug-in hybrid concept at the show. Called the Recharge and based on its C30 hatchback, it uses four separate electric motors to power each wheel, augmenting a 1.6-litre four-cylinder Flexifuel engine.Meanwhile, Volvo said a fully charged model can travel about 100km before it needs to be recharged. And it is not a slug. It can reach 0-100km/h in nine seconds on the way to a top speed of 160km/h.VW is claiming fuel consumption of as little as three litres per 100km for its spiritual successor to the original people's car, the Beetle.The Up concept is a miniature four-seat city car powered by a rear-mounted two or three cylinder engine,  the first rear-engined car VW has made since the original Beetle. VW said the car would be low-priced and a fuel miser. It has claimed 3.5litres/100km with a target of reducing that to less than 3litres/100 km.That's better than Australia's current best the Toyota Prius hybrid at 4.4litres/100km, the Citroen C4 diesel at 4.5litres/100km and the Honda Civic Hybrid at 4.6litres/100km.It is also better than the new-age Fiat 500, which will have a diesel model with a claimed consumption of 4.2litres/100km and the next generation Smart car.VW boss Dr Martin Winterkorn said: “This is VW reinventing the Volkswagen. It is what the brand stands for — mobility for everyone.”Dr Winterkorn said show visitors' reaction to the car would decide whether the Up goes into full production.Volkswagen Group Australia managing director Jutta Dierks said: “If the philosophy stays the same as it was for the original Beetle, to be a car affordable to everyone, then it will certainly be a good fit into our market.” Volkswagen Up2 or 3-cylinder engine Fuel economy of 3.5l per 100km.Available in 2011.GM FiextremeElectric-diesel hybrid.Can travel 55km on battery power before switching over to diesel fuel. Volvo RechargeFour electric motors plus a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine.Can travel 100km on battery power before re-charge needed.Top speed of 160km/h. 

Cars will inevitably be taxed according to their exhaust emission ratings, the Australian motor industry has conceded.Conservationists are calling on South Australia to take the lead in slapping a tax on vehicles where the fee rises according to the amount of emissions. The tax would be at new-sale time or on annual registration renewals.The Motor Trade Association acknowledged the growing interest in vehicles that are less harmful to the environment.“At some point, governments will tax vehicles on their emissions and greenhouse gas,” MTA state executive director John Chapman told The Advertiser .“We are not advocating that, but it will come.”Mr Chapman said the swing to smaller cars and the flattening off of large-car sales was due to motorists' concern about fuel economy.“People are more environmentally aware and wanting to know how we can reduce the (environmental) footprint and what they can do,” he said.Mr Chapman said motor vehicles were only a partial contributor to greenhouse gases “but our industry needs to be concerned about these issues.”Some countries already have vehicle taxes depending on each model's carbon dioxide emissions.In Australia, each new car must carry a sticker on the windscreen showing its officially-rated fuel consumption in litres/100km and its “greenhouse” C02 emissions in grams/km. The latter figure determines levels of taxing overseas.The Conservation Council in SA wants a similar system here.“It has to be user pays,” said council chief executive Julie Pettet. “If you are responsible for pollution you are going to have to pay.”Ms Pettet said such taxing should not be just punitive but also reward those doing the right thing such as using public transport. She added the taxes should be a federal activity.   Top-rated Toyota Prius: 1.5-litre petrol and electric (4.4litre/100km)Fiat Punto: 1.4-litre petrol (5.7)Peugeot 207CC: 1.6-litre petrol (5.8)Citroen C3: 1.6-litre petrol (6.2)Mercedes-Benz A150: 1.5-litre petrol (6.7)Holden Astra: 1.8-litre petrol (7.4)Honda Civic: 1.8litre petrol (6.9) 

Being top of the class is just as important for carmakers as it is for school students.Which is why the failure of the Honda Civic hybrid and Skoda Fabia to score the maximum five-star rating in the latest European New Car Assessment Program results may not please their parents.Both small cars achieved a four-star rating out of a possible five, which is above average but not excellent.By comparison, there are plenty of other five-star small cars available, including the latest Peugeot 207, Toyota Corolla, Holden Astra, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Citroen C4 and Fiat Punto.For the Civic and Fabia, the devil is in the detail.The Fabia lost a point for containing dangerous structures in the dashboard, which presented an injury risk to adult occupants.It also lost two points for child protection and scored two stars in the ever under-performing pedestrian protection category.The Civic hybrid lost a point for adult protection because the driver's airbag did not prevent the dummy's head from connecting with the steering wheel.However, it performed far better for child protection and pedestrian protection.The Civic hybrid is the second environmentally concerned car tested by Euro NCAP.The first was the Toyota Prius in 2004, which managed a five-star score for adult occupant protection. The latest results have been eagerly anticipated because European fleet buyers and consumers are increasingly seeking vehicles with lower CO2 emissions and higher safety scores, to benefit from the growing use of tax incentives.Euro NCAP's secretary-general, Adrian Hobbs, says consumers may ask themselves whether high safety scores and a hybrid powertrain can go hand in hand.“Honda and Toyota have shown they are rising to the challenge in their efforts to meet concerns about safety and global warming,” he says. “It is now up to other manufacturers to follow in their footsteps.”The front-impact test is conducted at 64km/h into an offset deformable barrier, the side-impact test at 50km/h, the pole test 29km/h and the pedestrian tests 40km/h.

BMW is considering developing a new car smaller than its Mini model as part of a review of its market position and car portfolio.If built, the vehicle will help the German car maker lower its mostly large-engined fleet's average carbon dioxide emissions as the European Union pushes ahead with CO2-cutting laws.According to three people with knowledge of the project, BMW has ordered initial work on prototypes of a low-emission car smaller than any of the company's models.“BMW is considering a small car under the Mini,” one of the people said. “It's very serious.”The car maker, which is based in Munich, declined to comment on its plans but is expected to give an update on an ongoing strategic review of its operations when it announces its quarterly results tonight.It is, however, unlikely to give any concrete details of the supermini idea or others it is mooting, believed to include acquisitions or platform-sharing with other manufacturers.BMW is solidly profitable, but the controlling Quandt family is keen to improve the company's performance as it faces stiffer competition from Volkswagen's Audi brand and DaimlerChrysler, which will soon be relieved of its loss-making US unit, Chrysler.According to people familiar with the project, BMW will be unlikely to use its brand for the new car, which might be built on the same platform as the next-generation Mini.German media has carried unconfirmed reports recently that BMW might team up with Mercedes on making a small car.The super-small city car or “fun car” segment is growing rapidly in Europe as regulators push for lower-emission cars.Fiat claims to have sold all its 60,000 current-year production for the revamped 500 supermini, which it launched last month.EU regulators are pushing car makers to reduce their average CO2 emissions by 25 per cent by2012.BMW has recently introduced several low-emission new models in its 1 Series range and is believed to be eager to avoid the mistakes made by Mercedes on its Smart city car, on which it has lost billions of euros since the car's launch in 1998.And Land Rover is considering developing a vehicle smaller than its Freelander sport utility vehicle, according to the head of the Ford subsidiary. 

That newly reincarnated bastion of mini-motoring, the Fiat 500, arrives in Australia from March. As thousands of car enthusiasts converged on the centre of Fiat's home city Turin this week to mark the launch of the new Cinquecento, the car's Australian pricing and basic specification were announced. The reborn 500 will be available here with the current top-of-the-range engines. The 1.4-litre petrol and 1.3-litre direct-injection turbo-diesel as seen in the bigger Fiat Punto. Pricing will be in the mid-$20,000 range. It is expected that the 'hottish' Abarth version, with a 110kW 1.4-turbo engine, will arrive late in 2008. A convertible will follow in 2009. A video of the Abarth Cinquecento being tested on the Nurburgring, with a tasteful exhaust burble clearly audible, has been airing on YouTube. But suggestions of an appearance at this year's Sydney motor show were quashed by the importer, Ateco Automotive. Although the 500 is sure to add some spice to Fiat's local passenger car range which; currently consists solely of the Punto; the reception in its home city has been hyperbolic. Some 200,000 people have converged on the Turin city centre. Perhaps more impressively, in excess of 12,000 orders for the 500 were placed on a single day. Hundreds of old 500 models, including the original Topolino (Little Mouse) from the 1930s and the spiritual predecessor of the current 500, which was manufactured between the 1950s and '70s, were driven across the European continent to the Fiat fiesta. It's a daunting prospect to anyone of more than average height who has ever folded themselves into an old 500 for a trip further than the shops. This weekend, 30 other Italian cities will donate their fabled main squares to presentations of the new 500, including the Piazza del Popolo in Rome and Piazza del Duomo in Milan. But this outpouring is more about the future than the past. Fiat's Polish plant, which currently produces the Panda and Seicento (600), is being readied for the new minicar, which will be joined next year by its Ford sister vehicle, the Ka. At that point, the Polish facility will be producing more than 500,000 cars per year. Minicars have always been logical means of mobility in Europe's congested cities. Now in Sydney's ever-worsening traffic conditions, the appeal of an inexpensive, economical, environmentally friendly but stylish car is suddenly appealing. Developed by the Fiat Style Centre and manufactured in the Tychy plant in Poland, the new 500 is a three-door model with ultra compact measurements: 355cm long by 165cm wide; 149cm tall with a wheelbase of 230cm. If the bigger potholes that pockmark NSW roads can be avoided, the 500 promises to be a fun drive, especially with the 1.3JTD which is good for 66kw and a fat 200Nm. The new 500 incorporates design aspects of the old model. It is seen as a competitor for BMW's lower-end Mini range and the Smart. Fiat officials say its dealers have already ordered 23,000 of the new model against the 58,000 sales target for this year, and 120,000 on a full-year basis. Australians are sure to be well represented among buyers.  

As Australia's new car juggernaut rolls on towards the magic million sales mark, the number of available models continues to swell. Already recognised as one of the most diverse and competitive car markets in the world, Australian importers continue to add to the mix.With half the year nearly gone, buyers have taken almost 500,000 new vehicles into their garages with some of the traditional biggest selling months still to come.At least three new marques will arrive in Australian showrooms in the second half of  the year; Hummer, Mahindra and Skoda,  testament to the vibrancy of what is, in world terms, a minor market.However, it is the expanding model range within existing brands that will drive the Aussie market over the million mark for the first time.Over the next six months more than 50 new or revised models will arrive in Australian new car showrooms. Here's a look at what's coming soon:ASTON MARTINDip your lid in style in September with the V8 Roadster, a gorgeous extension of the Vantage. AUDI Audi starts its end-of-year program in September with the R8, the biggest, baddest Audi in the garage The Supercar looks with enough performance to keep most on their toes. Also on the cards for October is the A5, Audi's first coupe since the TT. An all-new platform which comes as a front-wheel-drive and quattro. In November the V8 4.2 TDi may answer some questions for the Q7, including on fuel economy. BMW You'll have to wait until October for the new M3, but the latest offering from the M garage has something special. It's the first V8 for an M3. CHRYSLER A Sebring convertible, topless cousin of the sedan launched in early 2007, arrives in December. DODGE The Nitro SUV joins the Caliber for Dodge next month and the US marque backs that up with its Avenger sedan in August. FIAT The baby Ritmo, sold as the Bravo in Europe, will be Fiat's second passenger offering in Australia when it lands in October. Expect petrol and diesel. FORD The rush to oil-burners continues with the Focus getting the honour of being Ford's first passenger diesel next month before the Focus CC, the drop-top concept that set hearts aflutter at Frankfurt two years ago lands in October. The other big news for Ford is the return in November of the Mondeo for a third tilt at Australia. HOLDEN The key second-half model from the General is the VE Ute, bringing all the developments in the VE sedan to the working man's Holden. HONDA The Civic Type-R is razor-sharp styling built around a high-revving fun package. Next month. HUMMER The iconic offroader from the land of the large truck opens its Aussie account in October, a couple of months later than anticipated as a result of production delays for the H3. Surprisingly agile with real offroad ability. HYUNDAI An important second-half for the Korean marque. It starts with the popular Santa Fe SUV finally getting the 3.3-litre V6 from the Sonata to give it some extra punch. In October, the new Elantra hatch joins the sedan in the Aussie line-up after a wait of almost 12 months. JAGUAR An October styling refresh for the marque's luxury sedan, the XJ, is all from the Big Cat this year before a big 2008. JEEP The second of Jeep's non-Rubicon Trail-rated soft-roaders arrives in August to join the Compass for duty around town. KIA The Carens compact people mover has never really taken off here. The new generation is a little bigger and more stylish. It will be powered by a four-cylinder petrol or diesel engine with five- or seven-seat capacity. On sale in October. LAND ROVERThe baby Freelander gets a complete makeover for this generational change. New engines and a new family look all go on show in July. MAHINDRAIndia's workhorse ute, the Pik-Up, starts to roll out to Australia in July. MAZDA A new generation and a new look for the little Mazda2. Sharper styling is the key to this one's October debut. At the same time Mazda will add a diesel option to its top-selling Mazda3 range. MERCEDES-BENZThe key model for Mercedes this year is the meat-and-potatoes C-Class. Bigger, brighter and ready to meet the masses it is available from July. Also on Mercedes' new-model list is an upgraded ML500 and R-Class in September, both getting the 285kW V8 engine. October is a big month for the three-pointed star with the crackingCL65 AMG (a bi-turbo V12 with 450kW and 1000Nm) and the more sociable S320 CDi, which marries diesel with uber-luxury. MITSUBISHI You have to love a fighter. Australia's “other” family car, the 380, wins a minor refresh with some interior updates from next month. In August the automatic turbo diesel, traditionally the model's top seller, completes the Triton range while in October the point guard for the red-hot Evo X (due late in the year), the new Lancer, promises look-at-me-styling and more punch than the current model. NISSANThe baby Micra finally gets the green light for Australia with an October date with sales. In November the X-Trail, a core model for Nissan and the compact SUV that set the benchmark for those who actually can go off-road, gets a full generational change. The Dualis arrives in December. A softer option to the X-Trail, it sits on a similar platform but is more plush. PEUGEOT It's all about size for the French manufacturer. In July the 207CC, the previous generation of which set the standard for accessorising small cars, is back and promising to reclaim the crown. Its far more focused and athletic sibling, the GTi arrives in August with its turbocharged 1.6-litre engine. The station wagon derivative of the base 207 goes on sale in October. PORSCHEThe 911 turbo cabriolet proves Porsche's belief that if you can go fast in a sedan you should be able to go just as fast in a cabriolet. In September you can prove it for yourself. RENAULT August sees the Megane diesel join the Renault fleet, while the Clio Sport returns in November in an all-new guise. SAAB The new 9-3 will highlight Saab's first all-wheel-drive system in a completely renewed model range. All models arrive in November. SKODA Launches into Australia with a two-pronged attack in October. The Octavia medium-sized hatch and the quaintly named Roomster compact MPV will carry the flag initially. SMARTIn September the next next-generation smart ForTwo arrives, a little bigger and a little smarter. SUBARU The new Impreza is one of the most polarising styling departures of the year. In basic and WRX fettle the hatch arrives in September. A cult car heads mainstream and the jury is out. SUZUKIIf it ain't broke ... A freshen-up for the car that put punch back in Suzuki's local range, the brilliant Swift is in showrooms in October with the sedan version of the SX4 “tall hatch” joining the stable in September. TOYOTA The first product from Toyota's new “hot shop”, the Aurion TRD, arrives in August with a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 with sports manners and a load of plastic kit. Also in August is the generational change for Kluger with the SUV getting a substantial facelift and the 3.5-litre V6 from the Aurion. November brings the Landcruiser 200 Series and a TRD version of the HiLux. VOLVO The highlight for the Swedes in the second half of the year is the all-new generation of the XC70 due in November. About the same time the C30 will get the in-line five-cylinder diesel. VW A hot version of the Passat, the R36, is heading Down Under in November. 

The Linea, which was launched in Europe last week, is designed for the European market with smaller 1.4-litre and 1.3-litre engines and a manual transmission.Fiat Australia spokesman, Edward Rowe, says the company is keen on the new sedan. “We have put our hand up for it, we'd like to have it here as part of our range,” he says.But the Linea isn't likely to arrive in Australia until the end of next year.Fiat has recently signed a deal with the Chinese group Chery Automobile to supply Fiat with 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre engines with an automatic transmission.These drive-trains have been sourced specifically for the Linea model, which will make it more suitable for the Australian market.It is expected to arrive for sale here some time between July and the end of next year and is expected to sit just above the Punto in price. The car is currently manufactured in a plant in Bursa, Turkey, but will also be manufactured in Brazil, India, China and Russia at a later date. But in the meantime, Fiat has confirmed two more models will join the Punto in Australia. The Bravo is next on the list, with the launch set for September.It will be followed by the new version of the legendary Fiat 500. This will be launched and go on sale overseas at the beginning of July to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the launch of the original Bambino.But there will be a wait until Australia gets the revived Bambino. The debut of the car Down Under isn't expected until the model makes its official launch here in March next year, although there is a possibility it could make its debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October.A special edition of the model was announced last month for the European market, in connection with the International Milan Furniture Fair.Only 500 of these opening-edition models will be available, with some to be customised by the Italian designer, Cappellini.But as these are only left-hand-drives, no limited-edition models will be offered in Australia. Rowe says Fiat initially committed itself to launching 19 new models across its brand in five years, which includes Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia.