Car Automotive and Design

Showing posts with label Fiat. Show all posts

Angry Woman Thrashes on Motorcyclist During One of the Craziest Road Rage Incidents Ever!

If you still don't believe that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, then we'd advise you to take a look at the following video that was shot in Brazil.

We can honestly say that it’s one of the craziest and most dangerous incidents of road rage that we have ever seen. Period.

Reports emerging from Brazil say that, according to the police report, the said incident took place on February 23. It all started when a woman driving a Fiat Palio Adventure allegedly cut off the motorcyclist at a red light.

From there on, a passenger in a following vehicle catches the entire episode on film. Apparently, some words and/or looks were exchanged and the motorcyclist kicks the front fender of the Fiat. That was a bad move because the woman immediately runs her car onto the motorcyclist knocking him down! Sounds crazy right? Wait, you haven’t heard the half of it!

Extinct Species: Remembering Five Former Italian Car Makers

Two weeks ago, while wandering around the brand new Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena, I came across a particular brand of automobile that is a rarity to find. Located in the lower half of the Jan Kaplický designed building’s modern showroom was a 1961 Stanguellini Junior.

As I studied the contours of its red bodywork, I couldn’t help but think about all of the once great Italian names that have faded into a distant memory.

In the spirit of the Enzo Ferrari Museum, which aims to educate visitors about Modena’s rich racing heritage, I decided to take a moment to write about some of the many Italian automobile brands that are now a part of the past.

Fiat to Halt Production in Two More Plants Due to Hauler's Strike, Says it's Reaching a Breaking Point

Adding to the Fiat Group's long list of troubles in Europe is the prolonged vehicle transporter strike in Italy. The company issued a statement today saying that it will temporarily suspend production at two plants in the country.

These include the Cassino plant (from March 27 to 29) and the Giambattista Vico plant in Pomigliano d'Arco (from March 26 to 27), where the all-important new Panda (currently being launched across Europe) is produced.

"The vehicle transporter strike involving only a minority of drivers' associations, which has now been in effect for more than a month, is causing major disruption for the automotive sector in Italy," Fiat said in a statement.

Fiat Management to Meet with Italian Prime Minister to Discuss its Future

It’s no secret that Fiat is in dire straits right now. Its CEO, Sergio Marchionne, is counting on increased productivity and U.S. sales, but he’s also prepared to close down two Italian plants if push comes to shove.

According to Reuters, Marchionne and Fiat Chairman (and Gianni Agnelli grandson) John Elkann will meet with the Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and, subsequently, with Labor and Industry Ministers, Elsa Fornero and Corrado Passera, today to discuss the group’s plans concerning its local operations.

Monti is no stranger to Fiat as he has is a friend of the Agnelli family and was on the company’s board from 1988 until 1993. However, it's the first time that he will meet with its management as a Prime Minister.

Fiat Airs Brand New "Baby" Commercial for the 500 in the States

The Fiat brand is slowly abandoning the banal Jennifer Lopez ads for its 500 city car and moving towards sexier and cheekier spots like the overly successful "Seduction" clip featuring Catrinel Menghia with some 8.3 million views on Fiat's Youtube channel and "House Arrest" with Charlie Sheen and Catrinel Menghia that has garnered around 1.8 million views in two weeks.

Coinciding with the broadcast debut of "House Arrest" this evening on local and national TV stations as well cable channels, is another new commercial for the 500 named "Baby".

The new 30-second ad shows two young men in the front seats and a baby boy in the back pulling by a 1967 Imperial, at which point the toddler joins his fingers in the traditional Italian way and says something to the stunned driver (our Italian readers can help with the translation).

Fiat Open to Talks with Volvo for a Possible Partnership

With the European market in a recession, Fiat is actively looking to form some kind of cost-saving alliance with another manufacturer.

After GM turned down Fiat's offer for Opel opting to tie-up its troubled European operations with PSA Peugeot Citroen instead, the company's CEO Sergio Marhionne (who denied having spoken to the French before GM did) is now open to courting Volvo.

Fiat Designer Walks us Through the Styling of the New 500L Small MPV

The Fiat Group had two major world premieres in store for us at the ongoing 82nd Geneva International Auto Salon. The first was the Ferrari F12berlinetta and the other the Fiat 500L - two very different cars that are equally important to each of their brands for different reasons.

The new 500L marks the first expansion in the Italian brand's 500 range promising to combine styling elements of the three-door hatchback with a larger five-door body style that can accommodate rear passengers and their luggage with greater comfort .

The five-seater model seen here will go on sale in Europe later this year and is also expected to arrive in North America next year. If you follow the break, you'll find the video presentations of the car from the Geneva Show.

The New Fiat 500L Smiles for the Camera in Geneva [with Video]

After many failed attempts to gain at least some ground in the larger categories, the Fiat brand is refocusing its attention on the A-, B- and C-segments. At the Geneva Motor Show, the Italian company lifted the covers off a new model named the 500L, which in some way replaces the Idea.

Fiat's latest car may borrow the name and the looks of the 500 (and to some extent, the Mini Countryman as well…), but underneath the skin you'll find the larger platform of the Punto.

Fiat Drops First Promo Video of 500L

One day before its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, Fiat decided to release the first video of the 500L, the mini MPV-like addition to its 500 range.

With the “L” standing for “Large”, the five-door 500L is indeed significantly larger in all dimensions than the diminutive three-door hatch. That’s because, despite its “500” designation, its underpinnings are sourced from the B-segment Punto.

Charlie Sheen Stars in New Fiat 500 Abarth “House Arrest” Commercial

A vast luxurious house, lots of beautiful women partying and Charlie Sheen. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Fiat decided to take advantage of the former Two and a Half Men lead, Hollywood megastar and serial troublemaker by using his “bad boy” image for its latest commercial.

The TV commercial promotes the 2012 500 Abarth, which Sheen is driving fast inside said house to the applause of his guests. Sheen rides the Abarth indoors as he wears an ankle monitor and is under house arrest – which is the name of the spot .

GM and PSA Peugeot-Citroen Officially Form an Alliance, Fiat Still Wants In

Well, that didn’t take long, did it? Only a week after the first report that General Motors and PSA Peugeot-Citroen were discussing a possible alliance in order to cut their costs and improve their performance in Europe and other regions, the two companies announced today that they have reached an agreement.

The global alliance between the world’s number one car manufacturer and Europe’s number two automotive group involves two main topics: the sharing of platforms, powertrains and modules, and a joint venture for the sourcing of US$125 billion worth of parts and services from suppliers.

GM will acquire a 7 percent stake in the French group, which is slightly higher than the 5 percent originally reported, but still enough to make it the second largest shareholder behind the Peugeot Family Group.

Marchionne Says Fiat May Close Two Italian Plants if U.S. Export Plans Fail

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne may have succeeded in signing a deal with the Italian worker unions, yet decreasing demand in the struggling European market may still force him to take extreme measures.

And while Marchionne does not expect the situation in Europe to improve “at least until 2014", on the other side of the pond, he said that Chrysler's plants are already at full capacity, necessitating imports from the group’s factories in Canada, Mexico or Europe to satisfy a third of U.S. demand.

Therefore, as he told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, it’s a perfect opportunity for Fiat’s Italian plants to increase their production and make up for the drop in local demand by exporting models to the States.

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