This Sunday at the Estroil MotoGP round, Yamaha will be presenting their new FIAT Punto Evo graphics created by Aldo Drudi, FIAT’s reference designer, both for the Yamaha M1 bikes and the rider leathers. FIAT, Yamaha’s main MotoGP sponsor has recently launched the brand new Punto Evo model and the new liveries are made clean and pure by the predominant white color, in perfect accordance with the car’s Euro 5 engines. The initial layout wasn’t significantly modified, but the machines now stand aesthetically better and riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo are also enthusiastic about their new racing looks. Read the press release and check out more photos after the break.
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At first glance the diminutive FIAT 500 might look like an ordinary uninteresting city car, however the high performance modification specialists at Hamann beg to differ. The German tuners have added a very sporty aerodynamic package made from light weight composite materials that transforms the way you will think about the little 500. The Hamann body kit consists of a redesigned front bumper complete with integrated LED lights, a set of wider fender flares for all four corners, a pair of lower hanging side skirts and a quad tipped exhaust complete with a redesigned rear diffuser. The components not only improve the FIAT 500 aesthetically, but they also make space for the wider wheels and tires that the tuner places underneath.
Hamann has increased the output of FIAT 500 by allowing it to exhale a little better. The tuners have incorporated a new exhaust manifold, high flow catalytic converter and a stainless steel exhaust to increase the 500’s engine output all the way up to 265 HP at 5,630 RPM and 257 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 RPM.
The Hamann Largo’s black body is set off by the set of matte black 18 inch rims that hide the larger brakes and Hamann coil over suspension underneath, the latter lowers the car by up to 3 inches, this not only gives the Fiat 500 a more aggressive stance, but also lowers the car’s center of gravity and dramatically improves the 500’s handling.
Press release after the jump.
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Fiat Grande Punto has just changed its name into Punto Evo, a name that symbolize a new level of technology, design, driving pleasure and environment respect. The new Punto Evo will make its official debut in two weeks at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The new Fiat Punto Evo comes with a wide choice of Euro 5 engines, including a 1.3 second generation Multijet diesel and a 1.4 petrol engine with the revolutionary MultiAir technology. Compared to a conventional petrol engine of the same size, a MultiAir engine develops more power (up to 10%) and torque (up to 15%), while consuming significantly less (up to 10%) and emitting less CO2 (up to 10%), less particulates (up to 40%) and less NOx (up to 60%).
In the area of safety, the Punto Evo sets new standards thanks to 7 airbags, including a driver knee airbag. The Punto Evo is one of very few cars in its segment with a driver knee airbag fitted as standard on all versions. Other innovative safety systems are also available, including Hill-Holder to help with hill starts, adaptive ’cornering’ front fog lights that switch on automatically with dipped headlights according to the angle of steering, and Fiat’s tried and tested ABS, EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution) and ESP (Electronic Stability Program) systems.
Press release after the jump.
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It’s looking like Carrozerria Bertone S.p.A is close to finding a new home in the waiting arms of Fiat.
The Italian auto conglomerate, which has made news recently for purchasing car brands left and right, has been given approval by the Italian government to purchase the fledgling Italian coachbuilders for $215.9 million, which will be invested in a span of three years.
While Fiat was in hot pursuit of Bertone, it did face some stiff competition from a number of other companies that made similar bids to acquire Bertone. These included Italian entrepreneurs Gianmario, Rossignolo, Domenico Reviglio, the Chinese-based FAW Group Corp. and a Spanish consortium that appears to have kept its name under wraps.
Fiat’s offer to buy Bertone isn’t the first time that company has tried to purchase the coachmakers. Fiat first began negotiations to buy stakes in Bertone in 2006 but as it turned out, talks between the two stalled and ended up being scrapped a few months later.
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For most people, obtaining a driver’s license is their fastest ticket to independence. So naturally, those who take it would want to make the best impression to their instructors.
The British School of Motoring, Britain’s largest driving school is giving prospective drivers a much-needed assistance by acquiring a brand-new fleet of Fiat 500s to replace its old Vauxhall Corsa line-up
You might wonder why these Fiat 500s would be a boon to student driver when all you have to do is, well, to not crash the car. Well, studies have shown that one of the hardest parts of a driving test is parallel parking, which we figure the Fiat 500 won’t have any problems with that.
The BSM’s recent tie-up with Fiat has resulted in the driving school acquiring over 14,000 Fiats with most of them being the 500 model.
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It is common knowledge that the Italian automotive conglomerate FIAT is planning to buy the Carrozzeria Bertone. According to sourced at the top, if they are successful, the Bertone’s Turin manufacturing plant will be used for building "niche vehicles" for FIAT and not mass-produced models as was previously reported.
According to FIAT’s CEO Sergio Marchionne: "We made an honest and industrially rational offer to try to revive the company." Despite the news, Marchionne failed to reveal exactly what models the automaker is talking about. However he did add that they will be sold exclusively in the European and North American markets. That would work perfect with Marchione’s plans for global automotive domination, by picking up Chrysler and making a play for General Motors’ European parties.
As you might have expected, Abarth, the tuning arm of FIAT has announced plans to build a factory tuned version of the freshly launched Fiat 500C. Even if the 500 city car will be less expensive, it will compete head to head with compact sports cars like the John Cooper Works Mini.
The Abarth 500C will be with a choice of two engines. The first is a 1.4 Liter Turbo-Jet making 133 HP, 15 HP more than the Mini, as well as an Esseesse model cranking out with 157 HP. Either way it is more than enough grunt to give the 500C some much needed get up and go.
Like for the coupe version, Abarth version will wear a bodykit that consists of redesigned front and rear bumper, restyled hood, lower hanging side skirts, a roof spoiler and rear diffuser. The side mirrors are dressed up with red painted covers and a pair of polished exhaust pipes sticks out from underneath the new diffuser. The factory tuned Abarth 500C will also be offered with a set of larger 16 inch rims or the optional 17 in alloys. The way that the small car market is looking, it may not be too long before we can buy one of these striped little hot hatches from Abarth.
Fiat 500C might be a small car, but the popular city car has some rather big admirers! One of them is the Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson. She loves the little 500 so much that Ms. Macpherson is already driving around a coupe version, but was recently spotted checking out what it would take to go topless with a 500C convertible.
"I love the Fiat 500C, it has that sexy, cool, Italian thing going on!” says the supermodel. “I like the way the car drives – it is perfect for cities with its small turning circle and the easy way it maneuvers through London."
The 500C has the same dimensions as the coupe version: 3.55 m x 1.65 m x 1.49 m and is also available with the same three engines as the hardtop. Those power plants consist of a 1.3 Liter Multijet turbodiesel making 75 HP, a 1.2 Liter gas burning unit producing 69 HP and the top of the line 100 HP 1.4 Liter gasoline engine.
While most of its competitors are busy tightening their pockets and trying to save as much money as they can, Fiat is taking the opposite approach and has been on a recent spending spree. After purchasing Chrysler last month, the Italian-based automakers have also thrown their name on the hat as potential buyers of GM’s European and Latin American divisions, which, incidentally includes Opel and Vauxhall.
If that wasn’t enough, Fiat also offered a non-binding bid to purchase the legendary Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Bertone. Fiat, however has a number of competitors in pursuit of the Italy’s oldest coachbuilder brand, including Domenico Reviglio - head of Gruppo Prototipo, Lancia CEO Gianmario Rossignolo, Chinese automaker FAW and an additional unspecified Spanish concern.
The specifics behind Kia’s attempt at purchasing Bertone are still being kept under wraps. However, word has leaked that the Italian auto-giants are interested in a specific division – the Carrozzeria Bertone SpA - of the Gruppo Bertone corporation.
Bertone has been relatively quiet for a while now, but if Kia does indeed win the race to purchase the Italian coachbuilder, then we might as well expect to see this legendary brand return to the streets.
As promised Fiat offered today a preview of its future 500C set to be revealed in March at the Geneva Motor Show.
The 500C has the same dimensions as the coupe version: 3.55 m x 1.65 m x 1.49 m. It is also powered by the same three engines available in the hardtop: a 1.3-liter 75 hp Multijet turbodiesel, 1.2-liter 69 hp gad unit, or 1.4-liter 100 hp gas engine. The big difference is what Fiat calls, "a fully fledged window to the sky."
The 500C follows in the tradition of the original Fiat 500 and uses a rolling roof design that allows the car to retain the shape of the coupe. Because the car does not lose its B or C pillars, structural rigidity that can easily be lost when turning a car into a convertible should be minimized here. The soft top will be available in three colors (ivory, red and black) and sales should begin in Europe in the spring.
Press release after the jump.
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