2012 Fiat 500 C Lounge Convertible 2-door 1.4l on 2040-cars

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The Fiat 500 Cult celebrates the little car's success with a new top model

The Fiat 500 has proved to be a huge success since first being introduced in 2007. In that time, Fiat claims that it has sold over 1.2 million units worldwide. For the 2014 model, the Italians are celebrating with a new top-spec version called the 500 Cult at the Geneva Motor Show, but it likely will be limited to the European market.
The Cult is available as both a hatchback and convertible and each receive their own, unique color. The coupe is available in a light mint green called Lattementa Green that recalls the 500s from the 1960s, and the convertible is offered in Three-layer White. Both models get gloss black trim around the taillights, and the bumperettes and tailgate handles are finished in chrome. Buyers can choose between black or chrome trim for the door mirrors, both presenting a very retro look.
Inside, the Cult gets standard leather and a dashboard painted the same color as the body. A new 7-inch TFT display sits in the middle of the instrument cluster, which manages the media player, telephone, trip computer and displays warning messages. Automatic climate control and rear parking sensors are standard, and coupes get a sunroof.

Fiat 500X takes the blue pill

The Fiat 500 keeps getting bigger. Ron Arad aptly pointed out that much with his special-edition hatchback, but even in its modern incarnation, it just keeps growing: from the three-door hatch to the five-seat 500L, the ruggedized 500L Trekking, the seven-seat 500L Living and now the long-awaited 500X. Sure, it may be smaller than most crossovers, but it's positively huge by Cinquecento standards - a good third larger than the original whose spirit it embodies.
So how did Fiat make it grow? We'll give you a hint, Morpheus: it didn't take the red pill. As if it doesn't itself know, Fiat puts forward this possible explanation that's worth a watch... if you can make it through the first borderline-NSFW scene without puking. All we'll say is that the sexual suggestiveness of the 500 Abarth ad with Catrinel Menghia was a bit more palatable.

Audi rumored to buy Alfa Romeo, officials deny it

For more than two years, Volkswagen has been making public statements about its willingness to buy Alfa Romeo and quadruple the Italian brand's sales, and for just as long, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has replied with some version of "Mr. Piëch, drop it." According to a report in Ward's Auto, all that jousting might be over: it claims that sources close to both Marchionne and Audi CEO Rupert Stadler admit that the two are in talks for Audi to buy not just Alfa Romeo, but a production plant in Italy. In fact, a final deal could possibly include partsmaker Magnetti Marelli.
Against that backdrop, a report by German news weekly Stern quotes a Fiat spokesmen as saying it doesn't comment on rumors and an Audi rep has said flatly that "There is no substance in the news." If a sale is being arranged, the timing would seem to point to how eager Fiat is to raise cash to complete its major initiatives. Even though Alfa Romeo continues to delay its return to the US, it just showed off the production version of the 4C at the Geneva Motor Show (shown above) and said that preferred Fiat dealerships here would get them. Then there's Alfa's recently concluded deal with Mazda to develop a roadster based on the next generation MX-5 Miata - a deal that would seem to help both the Italian and Japanese brands.
The monetary issues are troublesome, though. Fiat is taking a beating in the European market and its weak-kneed balance sheet is delaying gotta-have-it products like the Jeep Cherokee. Fiat has been talking to banks about getting money to buy the rest of Chrysler and those financial institutions have also raised issues about debt and cash reserves, and the nasty game of chess Fiat is playing with the United Auto Workers (and now the court system about the portion of Chrysler it doesn't own) could end up blowing another hole in Marchionne's plans. It is possible that this could finally have convinced Fiat to at least see how serious Audi's parent company, Volkswagen, is about buying Alfa Romeo. Or it could be just another rumor.