Fiat Owens Chrysler : Which Includes Jeep and Dodge

The Italian motor car company Fiat, has owned 58.5% of Chrysler since they filed chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009. FIAT has now purchased the remaining 41.5% of Chrysler which was held by the United Auto Works trust fund of $3.65 billion plus some annual fees totaling up to $700 million. This all means that the Detroit, Michigan based automotive company is now in full ownership of a European car manufacturer. In a statement, Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said, "The unified ownership structure will now allow us to fully execute our vision of creating a global automaker that is truly unique in terms of mix of experience, perspective and know-how, a solid and open organization that will ensure all employees a challenging and rewarding environment."

Fiat hasn't been doing well with their sales in Europe recently and thanks to their foot in Chrysler they have been able to remain a company. Fiat is a legendary company for their engines and performance. They have built engines for Ferrari and have some of their own great cars like the Fiat 500 and Fiat 500C Abarth. But how will Fiat influence Dodge which the Rams are now separate and away from Fiat, or Jeep the American original war truck and well know off-road vehicle of choice. Well it has become a noticeable change already. Some of the new Jeeps have a European look about them. For example the new Jeep Cherokee.

It doesn't have its traditional Jeep aesthetics. It is not the type of "truck" one could easily get muddy and go rock crawling, with out lifting, bigger tires, wench, and steel bumpers added to its body. This does however have all the technology needed for such adventures. The only problem with it straight off the line is that it looks to nice. Kind of like how someone would not go hiking in a polo shirt and dress sandals. No, one would need something rugged enough to get dirty and remain durable. But this does not mean without class, absolutely not. What I'm thinking of is the history of Jeep is what makes them look legendary and memorable. Continue with the original design please because originality is better than plastic, bulky, and flashy aesthetics. It's as if the Cherokee went under plastic surgery for a new look and turned out the be something completely different. Like it should have been given a new name because it is no longer a Cherokee.
Now I am not denying the fact that it is a good looking vehicle. The thing is it should not have the Cherokee name put on it, rather something else would fit much better because by carrying the name over it has something it should live up to. Just like children look like their parents. The identity is similar and is passed on. Fiat does this so well with their new 500c which is the best depiction of the original from 1957. With today's safety standards the new 500c looks extremely similar to the 500 from 57. Fiat payed tribute to their originality from their beginnings by keeping the style of the original and applying that appearance to the new model. If Fiat continues that mind set with Jeep, Dodge and ultimately Chrysler, Fiat will continue to be great.

 

Discover the Unknown with a Land Rover

Land Rover has been manufacturing the greatest off-road vehicles since 1948. It is also the second oldest four wheel drive vehicle brand in the world. After Jeep of course and both have been used for military purposes (Jeep for the United States and Land Rover for the British Army). The first Land Rover was actually built on a Jeep's chassis and essentially inspired by the Jeep because the chief designer owned an American World War II Jeep. Since 1989 their logo has not changed, but their vehicle's style has, including their performance.

 

Land Rover has many models that they manufacture today. The Range Rover, Range Rover Sport,Range Rover Evoque, Defender, Discovery,  and Freelander. But today I would like to share with you the 2014 Land Rover Discovery. It receives a new look, new badges, new fuel stretching technology, improved audio systems and a new range of driver assistance, comfort and safety features to broaden its appeal even further. The core attributes are carried over into the 2014 models and are now available to order. It has lots of space, fits seven people, and has a lot of space in the back if the rear seats are down. The middle row of seats can also be lowered to fit larger items and or more items. The Discovery is a great vehicle to take camping, or adventures into the unknown. It gets 35 miles to the gallon, which is thanks to its diesel 3.0L SDV6 engine. Diesel vehicles get better gas mileage than gasoline powered cars and this Discovery is great for any sort of adventure.

If you enjoy Top Gear, please check out what they said about the previous Land Rover Discovery.

iBeetle Coming Soon

The Volkswagen Beetle and the iPhone from Apple will be coming together in the beginning of 2014. 

Two well known icons will be joining forces to create a iPhone user friendly automobile.

Volkswagen will have a special app called "Volkswagen Car Net the Beetle". It allows the user to connect by a wireless connection to the car for music, phone calls, and access to an oil gauge and chronometer (basically a stopwatch). There is even a specially design dock for a iPhone 5 that is on the dashboard. This will be available as a convertible and a hardtop.

This doesn't sound all that exciting though. Or should I say "yet"? But not much is known or relieved about this new Beetle right now. It doesn't look that new and different from what cars can already do today. Most new cars come with an auxiliary connection for your favorite MP3 player, iPod, iPhone, Android, or whatever device you so desperately hold tightly in your hands. Hopefully this will at least help keep the electronic device out of the hands of the driver and keep the steering wheel in their hands.

Lexus Intelligent Sport

The Lexus IS (short for Intelligent Sport and was originally known as the "Altezza") has been given a very sporty new look. They are bred on Lexus's favorite race course in Japan and is also a very well known race track in motorsport. The Fuji Raceway is where lots of cars go to be tested and designed to specifically beat lap records and out perform their competitors. Plus, Japan's most famed and precious land mark, Mt. Fuji (which the track is named after), can be seen from the track.

So the new 2014 Lexus IS costs anywhere between $34,000 and $45,000 (and higher depending on options) depending on which model you like best. There are four editions to chose from and the higher the price the better performance and styling. There is the Lexus IS 250, IS 250 F Sport, IS 350, and IS 350 F Sport. The "F Sport" models where designed off/on the Fuji race course in Japan, hence the "F" in the title, which stands for Fuji. So they have much better brakes, suspension, tires, and transmission. The IS 250 comes with a 204 horse power engine that gives you 30 miles per gallon highway and the car comes with a weather and traffic update in real time. The IS 250 F Sport comes with everything mentioned with the IS 250 and beefed up suspension and bolder styling. The dashboard display is also different and inspired by Lexus's supercar the LFA. The Lexus IS 350 comes with a 306 horse power engine that produces 28 miles to the gallon highway and larger front brakes and better pistons. The IS 350 F Sport comes with the same engine, plus special adaptive suspension and better gear ratio steering. All of this really only matters to those interested in numbers and power but I come in and say that they have such a great design. They look like they are just eager to tare up the tarmac and break some lap time records and racing events. It will become the best in show and performance. The form of the car does not just follow its function, it raises the intensity of the function.

The IS 250 and 350 are identical in appearance.

The IS 250 F Sport and 350 F Sport are also identical in appearance.

The New American Pony

The sixth generation Ford Mustang has been reviled!

It looks as though Ford has decided to make the 2015 Mustang look even more retro in the esthetics of the car. There are a few aspects that Ford focused on. A lower, wider stance with a reduced roof height, and wider rear fenders. This is the return of the fastback Mustang because of its sleeker profile enabling more steeply sloped windshield and rear glass design. Also the rear of the car looks pure concept; with its three-dimensional, tri-bar tail lights with sequential turn signals, makes the car look retro and modern. Depending on the package, Ford offers a V6 engine, and a V8 engine for those interested in that increased power compared to last years model and an EcoBoost engine for better fuel saving capability. Although the convertible edition will be out later in 2014, it is very exciting that Ford plans to manufacture one. It is a soft top convertible of course, no room for a hard top convertible because that would take up space in the trunk. It does have the bush button start as well, nice feature now a days and since this is still a new reveal the gas mileage is unknown.

The Mustangs are still being built in the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan, Metro Detroit. In addition to Mustangs, Ford Fusions are also manufactured there.

Fiat's Duet

I very seldom use the term "cute" to refer to a car. Cars are usually aggressive, rugged, or elegant looking. Dodge designs a lot of aggressive looking vehicles, Jeep makes rugged vehicles because they have a military background, and Rolls Royce makes elegant cars for the prestigious and royal (like the Queen of England for example). So I typically I have used "cute" for a Volkswagen beetle thanks to Herbie the Love Bug or a Mazda Miata. They can be referred to as cute because of their size and face. One feels joyous in them. There meant to put a small on your face. That is where Fiat comes in. Fiat is a great little Italian car manufacturer and they make great little cars. They now manufacture two cars for the United States. The Fiat 500 and the Fiat 500L. The 500 is a little two door hatchback and the 500L is a four door hatchback they can both be compared to the Mini Coopers because of their size. The Fiat 500L has room for five occupants. This is why the "L" stands for "large" because the Fiat 500 only has room for two adults (it has a small back seat that a car seat could possibly fit on, but really it is for grocery items and or luggage). It sells for roughly $19,164 says Edmunds.com with their true value estimate. The Fiat 500 sells for about $16,163 and does 31mpg city and 40mpg highway. This is an excellent car for someone in the city or any fuel saver. Because of its size it does really well on fuel. Fiats says they focus on three things when designing a car; style, practicality, and fun! These truly are great cars, fun to drive, they make you smile, and you are excited being inside one!
Check out the two Fiats side by side to show you their size comparison. The one in the front is the 500 and the one in the back is the 500L.

Fiat is celebrating 55 years of production now and you can really see how much more advanced they are by comparing the original Fiat 500 to the new one. For one, it is much smaller than the new and that is because of the safety standards of today but in reality they look very much the same. 

And to celebrate their 50th anniversary Fiat has put together a Fiat 595 Abarth limited edition. It celebrates Fiat's racing heritage by giving it the Abarth decor and performance.

Stealth Fighter on Wheels

Ever wonder what a stealth fighter jet would look like on wheels? Well an Italian car manufacturer imagined just that. Lamborghini has released the Sesto Elemento. That means "the Sixth Element" in Italian, referring to carbon, which is an element that was used in the majority of components for the car's structure. It is a carbon fiber and plastic composite. The car is lighter than a Ford Fiesta and it awakes louder than a lion. Thanks to all of the carbon fiber and the windshield which is made of plastic rather than glass, to save weight, the car is 2,202.42lbs. There is also no rear window, just some air vents to keep the engine cool. Another way Lamborghini shed some weight was that they did not use actual seats. The seats are, simply put, pads stuck to the body work. The dash board is almost none existent too. There is a digital screen for a gauge above the center of the steering wheel and most of the switches are on the steering wheel. The driver's window doesn't roll down it has a sliding section that opens. There is no door handle on the inside, it is a little ribbon of red leather and the doors on the inside are like a skeleton. The design is nice and simple, angular and smooth, very basic and everything is black, red, or white. The body isn't even painted. The color that you see is the exposed carbon fiber-plastic composite. The tailpipe is made of a glass-ceramic matrix composite which gives it the ability to withstand very strong heat up to a temperature of 1,652 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of its extreme light weight, the Sesto Elemento has a greater power-to-weight ratio than a Bugatti Veyron. Lamborghini says that extreme light weight is the future of supercars and that they don't need to strap a couple turbo chargers and a few radiators to a 1,000hp engine. The engine in the Sesto Elemento is the same you get in a standard Lamborghini Gallardo. A V10 aspirated engine with 570hp and a four wheel drive system. It will reach 60 miles an hour in two point four seconds. Just shy of two and a half. That is the same figure as a Bugatti Veyron. It costs three million dollars and only twenty will be in existence.
There is only one problem and that is... It is not road legal. So it is just for fun and the rich. Thing is, they are already sold out.