Russia's Severstal to produce more Fiat cars; wants Fiat stake

MILAN (AFX) - The Russian group Severstal is studying the possibility of producing more Fiat models than the three already agreed and is interested in buying a stake in the Italian car maker, the daily Finanza & Mercati said without giving a source. The Russian group may have already started building up a stake in Fiat SpA, it added. Earlier this year, Severstal agreed to assemble three of Fiat's car models -- The Albea, Doblo and Palio -- as well as import and distribute in Russia all vehicles of the Fiat brand. Tags: fiat cars

The New Fiat Sedici

The new Fiat Sedici, which goes on sale in the UK on Saturday 22 April, is Fiat Auto’s first entry in the compact SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) market. In a steadily growing segment, the market share for vehicles with off-road capability has risen from 1.7% in 1992 to the current level of over 6% for the entire European fleet, and the compact SUV arena continues to attract increasing public interest.
The new Fiat Sedici - Italian for sixteen, in reference to its innovative 4x4 drivetrain - represents an intelligent evolution of the all-wheel drive genre, combining genuine off-road ability with all the versatility and practicality demanded by the modern family on the move.

Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro in conjunction with Fiat Centro Stile, the new Sedici is the end-product of a recent collaboration between Fiat Auto and Suzuki. Built at Suzuki’s advanced new Hungarian production facility, the new compact SUV made its international public debut at the recent Winter Olympic Games, held in Fiat’s home city of Turin in February.
The new Sedici, priced from £12,495 on-the-road, will be available from launch in two trim levels – Dynamic and Eleganza - and powered by a spirited 107 bhp 1.6 litre, 16 valve petrol engine mated to a five speed manual transmission. Later this year the range will be extended by the arrival of a second powerplant - Fiat’s proven 120 bhp 1.9 MultiJet turbodiesel, allied to a six-speed manual gearbox.
Successfully combining SUV off-road performance with the dynamic agility of a front-wheel drive hatchback, the Fiat Sedici is fitted with a new, on-demand 4x4 system which features an electrically controlled centre differential and three driver-selected operating modes - 2WD, AUTO and LOCK - activated by a three-way transmission control rocker-switch housed in the centre console.
Via a central, electromagnetically controlled multi-plate clutch that transfers engine torque to the wheels with the most grip, the Sedici driver can easily and quickly select a transmission configuration best suited to the most diverse of driving conditions; conventional front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive with torque automatically modulated between front and rear axles, and, at speeds up to 37 mph, full-time four-wheel drive with an ideal, 50:50 torque split between front and rear wheels.
This simple, intuitive, electronic solution does away with the need for any cumbersome and intrusive transfer box gearlevers, whilst providing optimal traction and driving safety whatever the conditions.
Within a compact design that is lower and shorter than average for SUVs in this segment, yet boasts a generous 2500 mm wheelbase, the new Fiat Sedici’s spacious, flexible cabin meets the diverse demands of today’s active family, with numerous practical storage facilities, a full-width, top-hinged tailgate, and 60:40 split/folding and reclining rear seats which may be stowed compactly to increase the flat-floor luggage compartment volume from 270 to 670 litres.
The new Fiat Sedici’s comprehensive equipment specification has been carefully considered to enhance the comfort and safety of those on board, with ABS anti-lock brakes and EBD electronic brakeforce distribution, four airbags, remote central locking, electric front windows, air conditioning and an eight speaker radio/CD player fitted as standard across the range.
This generous standard equipment package is boosted by a range of innovative, safety and comfort enhancing options such as tinted rear windows, leather upholstery, a Safety Pack incorporating full-length curtain airbags and ESP (Electronic Stability Programme), an MP3 player, a 5-disc, centre console mounted CD changer and Fiat’s unique Connect NAV+ satellite navigation system.
With innovative engineering, sharp styling and practical versatility, the new Fiat Sedici will appeal to those drivers who demand genuine all-wheel drive ability without the associated size, weight and dynamic penalties. The Sedici is expected to attract some 1000 buyers within its first 12 months on the UK market, with the Eleganza model accounting for over 80% of sales, and an equal overall split between petrol and diesel engine choice.
Tags: fiat cars

Fiat Punto Makes Grande Start

Tags: fiat cars

its first full month of UK sales, (March), Fiat Auto’s new Grande Punto has already proved to be a spectacular success with UK customers. So much so that Fiat Auto is currently the fastest growing volume brand in the UK, with sales up 64% compared to March ’05.

In a market that was 1.6% down on the same period last year, Fiat Auto’s March sales performance - 10,699 units and a 2.45% UK market share - included over 5600 Grande Punto.
“Grande Punto is a great product and this is a good start,” says Giulio Salomone, managing director of Fiat Auto UK, “and we are on-track to achieve our annual objective.”

Grande Punto launched

Fiat's Grande Punto was officially launched in Malta yesterday by local agents UCIM.
UCIM managing director Francesca Mamo said Fiat was again returning in full force internationally, adding that the introduction of the Grande Punto and a number of other new models marked the start of a new era of success for Fiat.
"Fiat is determined to be a protagonist in all segments with one of the widest and most comprehensive ranges on the world automotive market," she said. Ms Mamo said in Malta Fiat had recently participated in the local Motor Fair, and was selling successfully.
She said the Grande Punto was a new model whose objective was to regain leadership of the compact hatchback market.
However, she said, the arrival of the new Grande Punto does not mean the end of the current Punto, which continues production and will continue to be sold in Malta.
The Grande Punto comes in two petrol engines and four turbo-diesels

Tags: fiat cars

2006 Fiat Panda MultiEco Concept

Since its divorce and cash-paid settlement with General Motors, Fiat has done some serious thinking about the future. After a near-death brush with accountants, the brand has moved well ahead, bouncing back from the sorry state it was in just a year ago with several new products for the Fiat brand and its luxury/performance subsidiary, Alfa Romeo, destined to enter North America by 2008.

One of the key vehicles behind the Italian firms rejuvenation is the Panda, a city car so impressive that it bowled over judges, winning European Car of the Year back in 2004 when it debuted. Though it is powered by an assortment of engines suitable for small kitchen appliances, Fiats think big motto and practicality strong-card helped this tall, boxy, but extremely affordable Panda put young Europeans on wheels.

Given its outright popularity, Fiat has explored different themed routes with the Panda. The companys first modification was to allow the little machine to head for the hills by jacking up the suspension, fitting it with a torquey MultiJet diesel motor and a lightweight all-wheel drive system. The result? A Panda at home in the wilderness. Fiat also added some colorful cladding and some new bodywork, spot lamps and a safari-style roofrack system to the Panda 4X4, and called it the Simba Concept. It was such a successful prototype that Fiat decided to produce it, giving it the name PandaCross. Its an appropriately cute name for such a cute vehicle.

In more recent times, Fiat has become more serious about the environment; this years Geneva Show served as a platform from which the brand launched a variety of new alternative fuel technologies, including a prototype hydrogen-powered Panda, a near-production methane-powered Panda, and this, the Panda MultiEco.

As the name suggests, the MultiEco lumps together Fiats advancements in the environmental powertrain department. The MultiEco uses the fundamentals of the methane-powered Panda and combines it with other existing ecological engine technologies. By the way, methane-powered cars arent anything new; in terms of the automotive world, methane fuel is natural gas, also known as CNG, a cleaner fuel than petrol. Coincidentally, the MultiEco runs on methane, one of the primary emissions of the black-and-white, bamboo-eating Panda. All silliness aside, what the MultiEco brings to the table is a new engine thats able to run on gasoline, CNG, or a mix of the two, and in the near future, hydrogen will be added to that list.

Built on a modular and flexible chassis with a tall body, the Panda was an easy conversion to natural-gas power. Its frame allowed for two new tanks - one longitudinally, one transversely - to be fitted giving it a capacity of 13 gallons, without detracting from the interior volume or cargo space in any way whatsoever. The MultiEcos powerplant is a converted version of the Pandas FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotized Engine), featuring a new belt-operated starter (BAS). This innovative starter-alternator provides instantaneous starts for the idle-stop mode, and is a similar system to that used in hybrids.


Tags: fiat panda

Spider catches motor award

THE new Alfa Spider, which made its international public debut at the recent Geneva International Motor Show, has already collected its first award.The Spider was voted Cabrio of the Year 2006 by a 23-strong panel of leading motoring writers from 12 countries across Europe.To be eligible for the award, cars had to be presented for the first time at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and could not cost more than 60,000 Swiss Francs.This is the second time that a Fiat Auto product has won the award: in 1995 the title went to the Fiat Barchetta.The award was presented on Wednesday, March 1, by Luc Argand, Chairman of the Geneva International Motor Show, on the Alfa Romeo stand.It was accepted by Alfa Romeo Brand Manager, Antonio Baravalle, who acknowledged its importance.“It’s important because it recognises our brand’s intention to remain a contender in the convertible sector,” he said.“This type of car has always been important for Alfa Romeo, accounting for some of the most beautiful cars ever produced, from the Giulietta Spider in the 1950s, to the Duetto, and the Spider launched in the 1990s.“And today it is the turn of the new Alfa Spider, which has the essentially simple character of a true sports car, combined with the technological superiority of the new Alfa breed.”Tags: fiat cars

Severstal-Auto may assemble Fiat Grande Punto

14 Mar 2006
Source: just-auto.com editorial team
Russian automaker Severstal-Auto is considering assembling Fiat Grande Punto and other cars under licence from Fiat, Severstal-Auto’s CEO Vladimir Shvetsov said at a news conference on Tuesday.
The Prime-Tass news agency noted that Severstal-Auto earlier this year signed deals to assemble Fiat’s Palio and Albea cars and Doblo minivans.
Severstal-Auto said earlier that it planned to invest US$17.9m producing Fiats.
Severstal-Auto plans to decide within a month whether to launch production of a light truck model at its Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, or UAZ, Shvetsov told Prime-Tass without elaborating.
It also plans to launch the UAZ-Pickup sport utility vehicle (SUV) model at UAZ this year, Shvetsov said. The UAZ-Pickup will be based on the UAZ-Patriot SUV model, he added.
Severstal-Auto is also considering launching a new SUV model with a retail price of $20,000, Shvetsov said
Tags: fiat cars

Next Ford Ka to be presaged by Fiat 500 revival

While Ford's Fiesta is set to grow in its next iteration, the company's cheap n' cheerful bottom rung Ka hatchback will look to get by with a little help from an Italian friend: Fiat. The Ka replacement won't appear until 2010, but Fiat will revisit its historic 500 nameplate by producing their own version of the baby Blue [Oval] city car beginning next year.
Fiat showed a sensational looking spiritual successor to the 500, dubbed the Trepiùno concept, two years ago in Geneva. Click here for a refresher.
Tags: fiat cars

Fiat sees new industrial partnership by end-H1

MILAN (AFX) - Fiat SpA chief executive Sergio Marchionne said the group plans to announce a new industrial partnership by the end of the first half, the daily MF reported. Speaking at the Geneva motor show, Marchionne also reiterated that he wants to find a solution for the group's 49-pct owned retail finance unit Fidis by end-June. According to the daily, Fiat is in talks with several companies that could replace the four Italian banks that currently hold 51 pct of Fidis.

Tags: fiat cars

Fiat present all-new Sedici and Panda Cross in Geneva

A large area is dedicated to the concept of "QUATTROXQUATTROXTUTTI", marking Fiat’s return to the ‘4x4’ world, with the clear goal of making the entertainment and safety that only four-wheel drive can guarantee available to everyone. The absolute stars of the show are the brand-new Fiat Sedici and Panda Cross (the latter is also on display in the ‘Monster’ special series), as well as the Panda 4x4, the original four-wheel drive version that can tackle any situation without being fazed by anything. The Fiat Sedici is exhibited in four Emotion versions, all with four-wheel drive, and fitted with chromed bars, 16" alloys and chromed exhaust terminals. Two are equipped with the 120 bhp 1.9 Multijet engine, while the other two are powered by the 107 bhp 1.6 16v unit. The Panda Cross is present with a 70 bhp 1.3 16v Multijet, the same engine that equips the Panda Monster - the Special Series which obviously harks back to the famous Ducati motorcycle - and a Panda 4x4 that evokes the desire to travel in complete freedom, without forgoing any of the entertainment of driving this car through narrow city streets. And finally, visitors can take a close look at the extraordinary ‘Oltre Fiat’ show-car that aroused so much curiosity at the Bologna Motor Show in December.

Tags: fiat cars