Fiat Video Teases 500 Abarth “Bad Boy's” Arrival in the States

The American division of the Fiat Group is trying to create some buzz around the arrival of the most potent version of its retro-styled city car to date, the 500 Abarth, with a new video teaser.

Fiat's 23-second spot starts out by asking viewers "Does this country need another outcast?" and "Does this country need another rebel and another bad boy?", with the actual 500 Abarth only making a quick appearance towards the end.

Well, look at this way; at least it's not another minute-long video tribute to Jennifer Lopez…

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Fiat Introduces Subtly Updated 2012MY Sedici Crossover in Europe

The last time Fiat performed upgrades to its Sedici small crossover was in 2009, but the Italian company still has a few mild improvements planned for the 2012 model year.

The visual tweaks for the 2012MY Fiat Sedici mainly consist of the redesigned exterior mirrors that incorporate turning signals and are finished in a metallic gray hue, the introduction of a Purple Rebel color (pictured above), fresh alloy wheel designs and new upholstery for the interior.

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New 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Reaches U.S. Shores, will Debut at L.A. Show

The Fiat Group may be constantly delaying Alfa Romeo's return to the U.S. market but at least it's keeping its word with the 500 range.

After the regular three-door hatchback and the rolling soft top 500C, Fiat is now introducing the most stimulating (from a driver's perspective) version of the series, the sporty Abarth model, which will be making its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show on November 18.

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Fiat Tunes Into the New 500 for the SEMA Show

A pair of fancied-up Fiat 500 hatchbacks will be making their way to Las Vegas next week for the 2011 edition of the SEMA aftermarket show.

The Italian company released a single picture of the 500 Titanium while we only get some initial details on the firm's second concept, the 500 Carbon.

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Fiat Group Loses Big in Europe, Hits a 20-Year Low Mark in Italy

Just two days ago, we reported that Fiat Group CEO, Sergio Marchionne, said that he would make the North American market Alfa Romeo’s top priority.

Now the Italian automaker’s boss admits that his company is facing huge troubles in Europe as in the first nine months of 2011, the company's sales decreased by 12% compared to the same period last year, with its share in the European market dropping from 8.2% to 7.3%.

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Italian Sushi: Fiat Coupé Conversion with a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 1,000HP V6 and AWD

Let's just imagine you're faced with this problem: You love the Fiat Coupe's punk rock styling but don't feel the same for its front-wheel drive layout. On the other hand, you're crazy about the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4's potent and technologically advanced powertrain but can't stand its notoriously bland looks.

We'll assume that any logical person would try to find an answer by looking into another vehicle, but not these guys. Welcome to insane tuning world of Russia's Totalcar that decided to create a vehicle that promises to deliver the best of both worlds.

We're still short on the full details as this is an ongoing project, but here's the skinny: the Russian tuner took the Mitsubishi's 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine and all-wheel drivetrain and somehow managed to fit it all under the beautiful body of the Chris Bangle-designed (yes, the same person who styled the BMW E65 7-Series) 1990's Fiat Coupé.

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Marchionne Gives North America Priority Over Europe for Alfa Romeo's Future Plans

Fiat-Chrysler CEO, Sergio Marchionne, announced that he will appoint a boss for the Alfa Romeo brand exclusively for the North American market. This is because the Italian carmaker’s return to the US after a 17-year absence will be his top priority, relegating Europe, in which Alfa’s sales are disappointing, to second place.

“We are going to target the US market first and work our way back to Europe”, Marchionne said in an interview with Autonews Europe. “We have run market tests on the desirability of the Alfa brand in the US and, not withstanding our long absence from the market it’s still one of the best brands in the world. I think we need to go back and grab it.”

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Fiat Debuts New Jennifer Lopez Ad Featuring…the 500 Cabrio

The North American division of Fiat has launched its second commercial about Jennifer Lopez featuring the new 500 Cabrio. And no, we're not the ones to get it wrong here but Fiat's advertising agency which seems to have got its priorities confused.

While we get to see more of the Fiat 500 Cabrio than the first online ad with J. Lo, the commercial, title "My World" continues to focus on the "actress, entertainer, philanthropist and entrepreneur" with her song "Until it beats no more" playing on the background.

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Lil' Monster: Romeo Ferraris Fiat 500 Abarth Stradale Packs 300HP

The first photos of Romeo Ferraris Cinquone Stradale hit the web on Saturday giving us a taste of the limited production model.

We're still waiting for the Italians to share the full details but in a previous email, Romeo Ferraris told us that its over-the-top Fiat 500 Abarth will be an "extreme" street-legal version of its racing model powered by a highly modified 1.4-liter turbo engine delivering 300-horsepower.

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Romeo Ferraris Preparing Insane Fiat 500 Abarth with 300-Horses

Once upon a time, not too long ago, 300-horsepower was considered sports car territory. For example, in 1989, the BMW 850i Coupe came with a 300HP V12 under its long hood while the Ferrari 348's V8 also churned out 300HP. Heck, up until 2009, the Ford Mustang GT was powered by a 300HP V8.

Nowadays, 300HP has become something like Five Dollar Foot-long subs with even the smallest of cars like the Fiat 500 reaching the magic output number with a little help from the tuning industry.

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Alfa Romeo Lays Out Product Plans Until 2014, Readying a New RWD Saloon with a V6 Engine

Out of all the mainstream brands included in the Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC portfolio, Alfa Romeo has the most potential to achieve a global reach and bring in some much needed cash and sales. The Italian company's boss Sergio Marchionne is well aware of this and that's one of the reasons he doesn't want to sell Alfa Romeo to Volkswagen, despite Ferdinand Piechs' persistent efforts.

However, one of the most pressing problems with Alfa Romeo is the constant delays, be that for the successors to models like the 159 series or the company's long-awaited return to the U.S. market.

Suffice it to say, there's no way of being sure that the Fiat Group has managed to sort out the time schedule-related problems when it comes to Alfa Romeo. Nevertheless, at a recent event for investors, the Fiat Group introduced an updated plan for the Milanese brand, which it hopes will revitalize Alfa Romeo through the presentation of new models.

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Former Chrysler CEO Nardelli Says Cerberus Could Have Saved the Automaker

It's been two years since Bob Nardelli stepped down as Chrysler CEO while the company was still owned by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP, for which he still works, but the 63-year-old exec still has the hots for the Detroit carmaker.

During an interview with The Detroit News on the sidelines of a recent Dow Jones conference in New York, Nardelli said that the Obama administration didn’t have to give Chrysler away to Fiat as he believes Cerberus could have done a better job of saving the automaker.

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