fiat

FRANKFURT--The Chrysler brand will handle U.S. distribution of the Fiat 500 minicar, said Peter Fong, Chrysler brand CEO and head of sales for all Chrysler Group brands.

Fong said the 500 most likely will have a dedicated corner in Chrysler-brand showrooms. The limited volume planned for the 500 prevents creation of a dedicated retail network.

About 80 percent of Chrysler dealers now offer all three of the group's brands: Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep.

Fong said no decision has been made on how many dealers will sell the 500. The plan is for the 500 sedan to be built … Read more

For years, style was absent without an excuse from American subcompacts. But the days of slab-sided, no-frills hatchbacks may soon be history.

For decades, something was missing in the small cars designed, built and sold in the United States. It was gone for so long that most American consumers probably didn't know what it was.

But to Ralph Gilles, Chrysler Group's chief designer, the missing ingredient was obvious. U.S. subcompacts lacked emotional appeal.

"Small cars of the past were not necessarily done with passion," he said.

Generations of Detroit designers seemed to say: No one buys a small car for its styling, so why bother? Uninspired, appliancelike econoboxes? What else did you expect?

American subcompacts had none of the attributes found in the cool, quirky and even elegant small cars created elsewhere in the world, from the original BMC Mini to the first Peugeot 205 to the modern Citroen C3.

U.S. automakers were forced to churn out small cars to raise corporate average fuel economy averages, so they could keep selling big trucks. Small-car design? An oxymoron.

But consumer preference has shifted -- the result of higher gasoline prices, new fuel-efficiency standards and concern about climate change.

"Small cars and vehicles powered by four-cylinder engines have been on a steady increase since 2004," said Ford Motor Co. sales analyst George Pipas.

U.S. fleets must average 35.5 mpg by 2016, compared with 25.3 mpg this year. Combined with stricter emissions standards, it means the number of small-car nameplates for sale in the United States will increase.

And when a market segment gets crowded, automakers must rely on styling to set their vehicles apart from the crowd.

"It's not business as usual for small cars here anymore," said Moray Callum, Ford Motor's design director for cars.

The expanding lineup of new small cars means styling will get a lot more creative and appealing, just as it did with mid-sized cars recently. (Think of the modern Chevrolet Malibu, the new Ford Taurus and the current Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.)… Read more

BALOCCO, Italy -- Chrysler Group may incorporate Fiat's new MultiAir fuel-saving technology in some gasoline engines, Fiat sources say.

Fiat S.p.A. considers the variable valve timing system a breakthrough. The company says MultiAir improves power by about 10 percent and reduces fuel consumption 10 percent.

The MultiAir system provides direct control of air and combustion in engines, cylinder by cylinder and stroke by stroke, without using the conventional throttle. That saves energy wasted in traditional systems.

Fiat will offer its first MultiAir engine in Europe this month on the Alfa Romeo MiTo small hatchback.

The sources say … Read more

What do you get when you cross the super-cute Fiat 500 with a dash of Abarth tuning and a coat of Scuderia Red paint? You get Ferrari's special edition, the 695 Tributo Ferrari.

The 695 Tributo is the result of a collaboration between Ferrari and Abarth, Fiat's in-house tuning division.

Starting with the 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine, the 695 Tributo's power plant sends 180 horsepower through a six-speed automatic transmission with F1-style paddle shifters to the 17-inch Ferrari-inspired alloy wheels. This is still a Fiat, so power will reach the ground through the front wheels. Red … Read more

A judge has determined that violating terms of service is bad, but it's not tantamount to unauthorized access of a computer system. Good news for jailbreakers and hackintosh perpetrators. Also Opera 10 is out. I know. I know. But some of you really do care.

Confirmed: eBay has a deal to sell Skype http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10322833-94.html http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2009/09/a_new_chapter.html http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090901005931&newsLang=en… Read more

Two months worth of Twilight talk has resulted in this homage that we lovingly refer to as "goth-lite." Take a walk on the dark side with the Gadgettes and special guest Natali Del Conte.

Skull phone shows just how wild and crazy you are

Report: U.S. military developing robots that eat human flesh

Gory intercom system a savagely funny concept

Meet the black Wii

iKey's AK-39 wearable keyboard is about as weapon-like as it sounds

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters… Read more

Has the U.S. auto industry finally hit bottom? U.S. will get a new small SUV from BMW--and perhaps a new mini Miata. Plus, we take you for a ride in a really nice car that could be so much better.

• How Toyota's geared CVT works -- see an animation

• Fiat's 500 will come to the U.S., but not stablemates

• See BMW's new fuel, weather and stocks screen

• Diesel cars that have been yanked from production

• BMW 7 Series will come in xDrive and M flavored versions… Read more

Hummer and Saturn get new parents, new mini cars are coming to the U.S., we learn what consumers really want in car tech, and we roll in a new hybrid sedan we really like.

• Fiat 500 coming Chrysler stores

• Hummer sold, Humvee is not!

• Saturn sold to Roger Penske

• Mitsubishi i-MIEV electric car goes on sale soon

• Belkin FM transmitter uses GPS to find open frequencies

I hope you've enjoyed all of this week's video of amazing World Rally Championship racing. I thought a good way to close this series would be this tribute video dedicated to the history of WRC and how it's changed throughout the years--how the cars have changed, and it even includes historical data at the end detailing what cars have won the title and in which year. It's great for knowledge hounds as well as anybody who just wants to see some fine automobiles kickin' up dust and sliding on the asphalt.