VW Golf Tops European Sales Chart in First Half of 2009, Ford Fiesta Finishes Second

Despite the heavy competition from the new Ford Fiesta that increased its sales in Europe by a hefty 34.2 percent to 243,340 units in the first half of 2009, VW's Golf continues to dominate the sales charts in the Old Continent with sales up 12.7 percent to 254,023 units in the same period, according to data released by Jato Dynamics. The rest of the top five list was rounded out by the Peugeot 207 with 193,778 units (-20,6 percent), the Opel - Vauxhall Corsa with 181,751 units (-14.1 percent) and the Renault Clio with 144,512 units (-28.0 percent).

Notably, the first ten places were occupied exclusively by European automakers - okay Opel / Vauxhall (at least for the time being) and Ford are controlled by their American parent companies.

Volkswagen was also Europe's top-selling car brand in the first half of the year with 842,787 vehicles sold, up 0.7 percent over the same period in 2008. Ford finished in second place with 666,548 units, down 3.6 percent over last year, followed by GM's Opel - Vauxhall division with 557,739 units (-16.8 percent), Fiat with 542,115 units (-1.4 percent) and Renault with 520,763 units (-18.4 percent).

Data: Jato Dynamics

Fiat Group to Make an Offer to Buy Carozzeria Bertone

The Fiat Group's appetite for acquiring automakers has yet to lose its edge. Today it was confirmed that Fiat S.p.A will make a 'non-binding offer' for Italian automotive design and contract manufacturing firm, Carrozeria Bertone that could be sold as part of a bankruptcy proceeding. It is reported that the deadline to make bids for the Italian coachbuilder is Thursday, July 16 with court administrators planning to have the sale completed by the end of the month.

Other companies interested in buying Bertone are said to include Chinese automaker FAW, an unnamed Spanish consortium and Italian entrepreneurs Gianmario Rossignolo and Domenico Reviglio.

Aside from the Carrozeria Bertone's design and engineering capability for specialty vehicles and concept cars, the firm also has a manufacturing plant in Turin. According to the coachbuilder's official site, the Grugliasco factory covers a total area of 310,000 sq.m. and has a potential output of around 70,000 vehicles per year.

The maker of the Corvette ZR-1 based Mantide concept supercar currently employs 1,140 people, down from 1,450 at the end of 2007.

Via: Autonews (Sub. Req.)

Fiat 500 Abarth Competizione: Limited Edition Model with a Hefty Price Tag

It's been about a year since Fiat's sporty Abarth firm returned to the Dutch market and to commemorate the event, the brand decided to release a special edition version of the Abarth 500 bearing the Competizione moniker. The model is special in the sense that only 10 will be built with a price tag of €24,995 - that's about $34,800 ahem, ahem... So what will those lucky Dutch buyers get for €3,000 over the price of a standard Abarth 500?

On the outside, the Competizione's features include a black roof top, unique 17-inch alloy wheels finished in black and graphics above the side skirts. Inside, the package adds a set of leather sport seats embossed with the Competizione logo while the standard equipment list now includes a navigation system, climate control, and an upgraded audio system.

In standard form, the 500 Abarth is powered by a 135HP 1.4-liter turbocharged four while Fiat also offers the Essesse kit which boosts output to 160HP.

Via: Autoblog.nl

Fiat gets Adventurous with new Panda 4x4 Edition

The 'evergreen' Panda 4x4 Adventure is the latest addition to the range of Fiat's small off-road model. Available for order across Europe, the new series that comes with an automatic four-wheel drive system is offered with a choice of a 1.2-liter petrol engine with 60 horsepower and a 1.3 Multijet16V diesel that makes 70 horsepower. Prices in Italy start from €14,100 ($19,750 US) for the petrol model and from €16,000 ($22,400 US) for the diesel - now that's what we'd call an 'adventurous' price range.

Aside from the green paintjob and the color-keyed bumpers, the Panda 4x4 Adventure is distinguished by the gray central badges, the 'bronzed' head- and tail lights and the tinted windows plus the matt black finish for the pillars, the roof bars, the side bars and the mudguard arches.

A set of 14-inch rims painted in dark grey and wrapped in 165/70 M+S tires along with the black framing of the rear lights complete the exterior changes of the new Panda 4x4 variant.

Fiat did not release any photos of the interior but claims that the Adventure features a washable and anti-tear technical fabric in black as well as scratch-resistant floor mats.

Mechanical upgraded are limited to the reinforced suspension that allows a maximum load of 445 kg. Fiat said that it also offers buyers of the Panda 4x4 Adventure the option of ordering the vehicle with just the front seats which increased the rear compartment space to 1,000lt.

Agnelli Grandson's Haute Couture Ferrari 599 GTB Blue-Jean Edition

When you're an heir to the Agnelli and Fiat fortune, you can have whatever car you want customized to your own personal - even bizarre- tastes. Take for example this Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano that is said to be owned by Lapo Elkann, the son of Alain Elkann, the writer, and Gianni Agnelli's daughter Margherita. The one-off Ferrari features a special two-tone matte paint job as well as a unique interior trim.

But while we can overlook the 599's unique paint scheme that combines a flat aqua color for the body with a flat dark blue finish for the rooftop, exterior mirrors, alloy wheels and the rear apron - diffuser, there's something definitely wrong with the interior. It's one thing seeing a blue-jean denim upholstery in a Fiat Panda and another in a high-performance and exclusive supercar like the 599.

Lapo, besides being uber-wealthy and constantly featured in gossip columns for his playboy lifestyle, also made world headlines in 2005 after a drug overdose with some middle-aged cross-dressers in a Turin apartment.

Via: Autogespot

Fiat Group and Guangzhou sign Agreement on China Car and Engine Production

Italy's largest manufacturer, the Fiat Group and China's Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) have signed an agreement for the establishment of a 50/50 joint venture that will produce cars and engines for the Chinese market beginning from the second half of 2011. According to the plan, the two parties will invest more than €400 million (about $560 million US) for the construction of a new, 700,000 square metre plant in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province in south-central China.

The Chinese plant will have an initial production capacity of 140,000 cars and 220,000 engines per year but Fiat said that capacity could be increased to a maximum of 250,000 cars and 300,000 engines annually.

The first model to be launched by the joint venture will be Fiat's C-segment Linea sedan while the first engines to come out of the factory will be the Italian firm's 1.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine in naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms producing 120HP and 150HP respectively.

Fiat said that the industrial project is qualified to receive support from the development plan recently established by the Chinese government to promote new investment in six provinces in central China.

Dodge May Sell Rebadged Alfas in the US while Europe Could get Dodge Models as Alfas

In an interview in New York on Wednesday, Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed that one of the first priorities of the partnership is to decide how to handle the Dodge and Alfa Romeo brands, which he sees as American and European counterparts. It sounds crazy but one of the scenarios being examined by Marchionne is the possibility to sell Alfa Romeo models under the Dodge brand in the U.S. and Dodge cars as Alfa Romeos in Europe.

According to the CEO, the two brands share a common identity and therefore should work closer in the near future.

"The level of competition between these two brands is tremendous because they are both going after the same customer," said Marchionne. "Dodge is the American muscle car, while Alfa Romeo is the European muscle car. How we dovetail these two brands is very important."

While we're having a hard time trying to find any current Dodge model that could fit in Alfa's European range - especially if you take into consideration the different needs of buyers on the other side of the Atlantic, we could see several Alfa models including the MiTo making it to the States with the Dodge logo.

But wouldn't such a move dilute Alfa's premium image? Unless that is, Fiat is considering to abandon its plans to re-introduce the Italian firm to American buyers.

In any case, Marchionne said that he wants to make a final decision on the future of the two brands by the end of the July, so it won't be long before we learn more details.

Via: Bloomberg

Fiat 500C Convertible Goes on Sale in the UK

The UK is the first market in the world to receive the new convertible or rather, the closest you'll get to a convertible version of the retrotastic Fiat 500 without chopping the rooftop off at custom shop. The 500C went on sale in the UK today, Thursday, 2 July, priced between £11,300 and £14,100. Customers have a choice of two petrol units, the 69HP 1.2-liter and 100HP 1.4-liter four bangers and a 75HP 1.3-liter turbodiesel, in two trim levels, Pop and Lounge.

Both models have an electrically operated hood, air conditioning, remote central locking, radio/CD/MP3 player, seven airbags and electric door mirrors, while the Lounge adds climate control, ESP stability control, foglights and rear parking sensors.

Fiat Sapor Roadster: Concept Study for a RWD Two-Seater Sports Car

Fiat's link with the Chrysler LLC Group has spurred a wave of speculative reports, product plan forecasts and even design proposals like the Fiat Sapor roadster that was conceived by the crew over at Diseno-Art as an entry-level sports. We see two basic problems with this idea: A. the 500 mini is the only Fiat badged-car set to make it to the States (unless it comes with a Chrysler - Dodge logo) and B. the design itself is very rough, meaning that there's something there, but it definitely needs more work to show its full potential.

According to the designers, the Fiat Sapor's exterior styling is influenced by various Fiat models such as the 124 Spider up front and the X1/9 at the rear. The two-seater features a removable canvas rooftop that stows away into a special compartment behind the rear seats.

As for the roadster's mechanical hardware, the Sapor was designed to feature a front-mounted engine that sends power to the rear wheels. The designers claim that one possible option could be Fiat's 1.4-liter turbocharged four that makes 180HP in the Abarth Grande Punto Esseesse hatch.

Via: Diseno-art