SEMA Preshow: 2010 Fiat 500 Tuned by the American Way

The Chrysler Group is bumping up the interest on the upcoming U.S. market Fiat 500 with a tuned concept version readied by none other than the Mopar Underground team, which will make its world premiere at next month's SEMA Show.

In what could be seen as a preview of things to come for U.S. buyers of the retro-styled city car, Mopar's team has created a raft of unique styling and performance parts for the 500.

The SEMA Show concept model, which is based on the European version of the Fiat 500, features a two-tone paint-job and a wide bodykit that includes race-inspired flared wheel arches, new front and rear bumpers, and side skirts. The vehicle rides on large 18-inch Alcoa wheels shod in Pirelli tires, while the car's aggressive stance is further enhanced with the lower ride height.

The interior is said to feature red seat and red door insert on the driver's side, with piano-black accents on the instrument panel.

In the performance division, Mopar fitted the Italian city car with a custom exhaust system that increases the four-cylinder engine's output and a Mopar strut tower brace that is claimed to reduce body flex in the front end and improve and handling.

The Chrysler Group said it will also bring along to SEMA two more Fiat 500s outfitted with a full complement of Mopar parts and accessories.

The U.S.-spec 2011 Fiat 500 will be available for order before the end of the year in the Sport, Pop and Lounge models, followed by the 500C (cabrio) in the spring of 2011.

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Fiat Uno Roadster Study and Uno Sporting to Break Cover at São Paulo Auto Show

Fiat is planning to debut a conceptual roadster version and a sported-up production variant of its newly revealed Uno city car at next week's 2010 São Paulo Auto Show in Brazil, which will be open to the public from 27 October 7 November.

Although designed as a pure concept study, the two-seater Uno Roadster shows the potential for a limited series production model in the near future. The car is powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine producing 152-horsepower and features a stiffened chassis, 17-inch alloy wheels and an aggressive bodykit.

The Roadster will be joined by the new Uno Sporting trim level which keeps the standard model's 1.4-liter 85HP engine but adds a sport suspension lowered by 20mm, 15-inch alloy wheels shod in 185/60 tires, an exclusive orange shade complemented by special decals, and front and rear spoilers. It also gets some sportier touches inside such as the new trim on the dashboard panel and seats.

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UK Debut for All-Electric Fiat 500 Atomik at Salon Privé

The annual Salon Privé, a luxury supercar event and Concours d'Elégance that takes place this year in London from 21-23 July, will be hosting the UK debut of the all-electric Atomik 500.

Created by Paris-based maker, Atomik Cars, the Fiat-500 based model gets two electric motors, one up front producing 80kW and 840Nm (619 lb-ft), and one at the rear that makes the same power but a whopping 1,710 Nm (1,261 lb-ft) of peak torque.

Combined, the two electric motors punch out 160 kW (215 hp) and an unadjusted 2,550 Nm (1,880 lb-ft) of torque split 33/67 front to rear.

The company says that the 1,400kg 500 EV can hit 100km/h (62mph) from rest in less than 5 seconds, complete the 0-1,000 meter sprint in 26 seconds and achieve a top speed of around 200 km/h (electric cutoff is at 180 km/h), while providing a range of 200 km (124 miles).

FEV's LiiON Fiat 500 gets Rotarized

At the Vienna Motor Symposium, what's billed as "one of the world's most important power train events", German volt-heads FEV brought an electric 500 with a Wankel range-extending engine (the setup is called LiiON Drive).

The rotary engine is mounted in place of the fuel tank, which has shrunk to 12 liters / 3.2 gallons. It gives the little city car an extra 190 miles of road to travel on top of its 50-mile electric range.

The added range is one part of convincing people that the car's viable, but usability is another major issue (even in a spatially-challenged car like the 500).

FEV's LiiON-powered 500 retains its four seats and cargo area, and "drivers commented favourably regarding the excellent NVH characteristics of the [AIXRO] Wankel powertrain in particular". Good news, but is it doable?

Yup. The power train is already licensed for road use, helping make this concept a real possibility.

By Phil Alex

Via Autoblogreen & FEV

New Fiat Uno Ecology Concept Study - First Photos

The new Fiat Uno supermini was only just introduced on Tuesday, yet the Italian automaker has already unveiled a concept study of the car called the 'Uno Ecology'. As its name suggests, the Uno Ecology is a green proposal that uses renewable materials and comes with reduced emission and improved fuel economy.

We don't have all the details yet but we do know that the Uno Ecology uses a modified version of the standard car's 1.0-liter flex-fuel gasoline engine equipped with Fiat's start & stop technology.

Other highlights include the photo-voltaic cells on the roof that help power various systems, the use of renewable and recyclable materials in the interior such coconut fibers and recycled PET. More photos after the break.

Shhh... Fiat Brings 500 BEV Electric Concept Car to Detroit

As you've probably already guessed by the title of this post, neither Fiat nor Chrysler published any details on the Fiat 500 BEV concept model that was showcased alongside the 500 Abarth at the American automaker's Detroit Motor Show stand. Nothing new here as we're in the dark about the "Chrysler Delta" also.

The car's name stands for Battery-Electric Vehicle and from what we've heard, it's pure study as Fiat has no plans to introduce a production version of the concept - at least not in this form.

To make a short story longer, the 500 BEV features a similar bodykit to the Abarth model minus the tail pipes at the rear as well as new alloy wheels.

Inside, the concept model gets sumptuous leather seats finished in red and a sport steering wheel accented by red stitching while the traditional gear lever has been replaced with push-button controls.

Chrysler Said to Show All-Electric Fiat 500 as well at Detroit Auto Show

Following yesterday's rumors about a new Chrysler model based on a Lancia vehicle, a news report today claims that the Chrysler Group will also reveal an all-electric version of the Fiat 500 at the Detroit auto show in January, without however giving out any specific details. In addition to the 500 EV, it is said that Chrysler will also display the entire Fiat 500 lineup at its Detroit booth, including the standard model, the 500C Moon Roof err.. Convertible and the sporty 500 Abarth.

The North American version of the Fiat 500 will be built at Chrysler's Toluca plant in Mexico, with sales set to begin in fall 2010. The base version of the city car will be powered by Fiat's new 1.4-liter Multiair 4-cylinder gasoline engine.

The tin-top model will be followed in 2011 by the 500C Convertible which gets an electronically retractable canvas roof as opposed to a full convertible top, while Fiat will complete the range in 2012 with the presentation of the sporty 500 Abarth powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

In North America, the Fiat 500 will be sold at select Chrysler dealerships.

Via: Autonews

PS: All photos are of the Fiat 500 Aria