2009 Fiat 500: the iPod of cars

Fiat 500

I labored over whether to even post an article on the Fiat 500; opening the lil’ guy up to all sorts of abuse by the harsh readership of ridelust.  Poor defenseless guy….you all BACK OFF!  But don’t let its “Herbie the love bug” looks deceive you, the 500 packs some punch. 

I’m not sure Americans are ready to appreciate the Fiat 500, but huge sales success of this pocket rocket is, in large measure, the reason Fiat is still around and not bankrupt.

Fiat 500 Rear

Fiat refers to the 500 as the iPod of cars.  Not because of its size or shape, but because of the huge demand with consumers.  In 2009 Fiat will be producing two new versions of the 500: the “Abarth” designation represents the performance version and the “Aria” a fuel efficient model of the same basic car.  The 500 Abarth has  a 135-hp, 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that driven in “normal” mode has peak torque set at 132 pound feet at 2500 rpm.  But drivers will have the option of switching to “sport” mode via a dash-mounted button altering the torque levels to 152 pound feet at 3000 rpm.  A torque transfer control system promises improved traction and sharper handling.  The Abarth version also has a lowered suspension, bigger wheels, and aggressive front and rear bumpers.  Plus, the options list for the 500 is quite extensive making it a highly customizable car, in the vein of the Mini.  With even more coaxing, drivers are easily able to tune the car to go nearly 130 mph!

Fiat 500: The new love bug

For those looking for better fuel consumption the 500 will also be offered in an “Aria” version that is fitted ultra low emissions 1.3-liter Multijet fourcylinder diesel engine.  This is mated to the Fiat’s Dualogic transmission and stop-and-start system, which turns off the engine to save gas when the car is stopped.  The result is that the the Aria’s fuel consumption is predicted to be 10 percent better than that of the standard 500.  Engineering also went into reducing the power used by the auxiliary systems of the vehicle and utilizing lightweight parts.  Keeping in line with the “eco-theme, even the seats are covered in a material made of recycled leather. 

Fiat 500 dash

This most fuel efficient model gets around 56 mpg and the basemodel cost of the 500 is the equivalent of $13,600, but unfortnately, it is not yet available in the U.S.

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Comrades! All Hail The First-Ever Soviet 24 Hours Of LeMons Car! [24 Hours Of Lemons]

You know what's been missing from all the 24 Hours Of LeMons races so far? That's right- Soviet-made cars! It's been tough watching all those races without the accomplishments of Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky being represented on the track, but that's all going to change at the Detroit event next year, because Teargas has braved the wilds of Canada to bring back a genuine, made-in-the-USSR 1987 Lada Signet! You may remember this car from Project Car Hell Cold War Edition a while back, and making the jump will get you the rest of the story.

You'll need to start the video above to get the full effect of Teargas' story.


Natasha has arrived.
Comrade Davin and I have returned from their heroic journey to Toronto, Ontario. On the Great Hero Trailer of the Proletariat, we spirited Natasha from her prison in the only moderately socialist Canada.


Her captors were brutal, but we were able to bribe them with American Dollars.


We were detained by the Americans at the US Border. The American Border Guards trembled in fear at the sight of so much wondrous Soviet engineering. The spirit of the Soviet worker was indeed strong.


When the pigs told Comrade Reckow and I that we would need to prove that the Lada met US DOT and DEQ standards, I made it clear that Natasha would do no such thing! After an hour of negotiating, and declaring our duty-free hooch, we were free.


Comrades Rory & Davin will be awarded the ORDER OF VICTORY FOR TRAILERING

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Alfa Romeo set for return to the states

FIAT the Italian car giant has for a while been looking for a suitable way of getting their sister brand Alfa Romeo into the new car market in the United States. Alfa Romeo has seen a great improvement in the design and style of the cars being produced, especially when compared to those of the 1980�s which see the company plummet to an all time low, those thankfully are long gone and the future is looking much more brighter now.

The vehicle that is to be used for the US launch of the Alfa Romeo brand is that Maserati dealership, the are said to complement themselves, the high end Masarati and small to mid sized Alfa Romeo will be competing for different buyers from different markets, so the competition element is non existent, which makes the partnership very viable indeed, and should prove to be a successful assault on the small sports car market, where there are some very wide spaces left open by the other manufacturers that are just waiting to be filled, can Alfa Romeo do this? It is too early to say, but no doubt they will be giving all they can and with the might of FIAT behind them, there would need to be some drastic problems for this foray to fail.

The problem for a company like FIAT is that they have a wide spread of vehicle, they are about to launch the much talked about FIAT 500, this will take a lot of the shine off of any deal for Alfa Romeo, yet they cannot really go it alone, it is possible that FIAT can over do it all, by bringing out too brands and models within a short time period, can the market sustain this? Only time will tell.

Source� [Left Lane News]

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