Cars Model 2013 2014 2015

Friday, 1 March 2013

Fiat 500 least safe vehicle to drive according to insurance website

Fiat 500 least safe vehicle to drive according to insurance website When the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crashed a 2012 Fiat 500, the little car got the best scores in all categories. It's a safe car, then, right?

Fiat 500 least safe vehicle to drive according to insurance website

"If safety is a priority, you should avoid the smallest cars," advises Russ Rader, spokesperson for IIHS. "Weight counts. Smaller, lighter cars are safer than they used to be, but all things being equal, people riding in bigger, heavier vehicles get more protection in crashes."

That's why, despite its near-perfect crash-test score, the Fiat 500 is No. 1 on Insure.com's list of worst vehicles for protecting passengers from injuries. In an accident with a larger object, the Fiat's safety cage and array of air bags do what they can to protect passenges, but like eggs in a coffee can, the passengers get thrown about and smashed up.

Fiat 500 least safe vehicle to drive according to insurance website

If the Fiat 500 is like a coffee can, then a fullsize GMC pickup (which tops the website's list of vehicles best at protecting passengers) would be a 50-gallon barrel. In a collision between the two, the barrel of eggs will win every time. The GMC Sierra 1500 is rated best at protecting passengers by Insure.com, but IIHS rated it just average in the side impact test and marginal in the roof strength test. Second place on Insure.com's best list is the Porsche Cayenne, which has not been tested by IIHS. The third through fifth place spots go to the GMC Yukon, Sierra 2500 and Terrain.

The listings are the result of Insure.com's analysis of personal injury protection and medical payment claims which affect what car owners are charged for insurance.

Check out videos of the IIHS crash test of the Fiat 500 as well as the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 below.Fiat 500 least safe vehicle to drive according to insurance website

Fiat contemplating sub-brand to compete with Dacia, Datsun

Fiat contemplating sub-brand to compete with Dacia, Datsun We're told that the initiative has been in the idea box for five years and even moved to the stage of name considerations, like Innocenti, but worries about profit kept it from realization. If such a range were to be developed, Marchionne says it couldn't be built in Italy and stay within budget, and the company is "analyzing its manufacturing capacity outside of Europe to see if a low-cost brand is viable."

Fiat contemplating sub-brand to compete with Dacia, Datsun

Fiat contemplating sub-brand to compete with Dacia, Datsun badge

You can add Fiat to the admittedly short list of automakers considering a low-cost brand to rival Dacia. The inexpensive Eastern European brand from Renault-Nissan has performed on the balance sheet like a premium model line, and the money the alliance is taking off the table is encouraging other players to deal themselves in. Pretty soon Nissan's Datsun sub-brand will join the Dacia party, going on sale in Russia, Indonesia and India and will claim even more rubles, rupiahs and rupees for the parent company. Volkswagen recently said it will make a decision this year on a budget line for the Chinese market. With the euthanasia of Lancia and plans to move the Fiat brand upmarket, company CEO Sergio Marchionne wonders aloud to Automotive News Europe whether there could be room for a new budget brand underneath Fiat.

Fiat contemplating sub-brand to compete with Dacia, Datsun

Fiat 500 Fiore Rosa is Italian-Japanese cute-overload fusion

Fiat 500 Fiore Rosa is Italian-Japanese cute-overload fusion It's fitted with the TwinAir engine and gets the same price as the regular 500 TwinAir, however – 2,200,000 yen ($23,559 US). Other than the special name, we can't figure out where the 500 Fiore Rosa is hiding its treats, especially because it gets the el-cheapo wheel covers of the 500 Pop fitted with the 1.2-liter engine instead of the 500 TwinAir wheels. But if you want to make a statement, it's there. And we're talking to the women of Japan, because apparently they're the ones who buy the gifts on Valentine's day in Nippon.

Fiat 500 Fiore Rosa is Italian-Japanese cute-overload fusion

If you live in Japan and you want to get something for your special someone for Valentine's Day, then slow dance down to your Fiat dealer and check out the Fiat 500 Fiore Rosa. A holiday special, the pale metallic pink Cinquecento is limited to 150 examples and only on sale from February 14-17. But beware the connotations, because as far as we can glean from Google Translate, the 500 Fiore Rosa is a bargain model, getting halogen lights instead of bi-xenons, manual air-con instead of climate control, 14-inch steel wheels instead of 15-inch alloys, and going without chrome trim, glass roof, parking sensors and alarm.Fiat 500 Fiore Rosa is Italian-Japanese cute-overload fusion

All Fiat 500 production moving to Poland by 2015

All Fiat 500 production moving to Poland by 2015 Currently, Fiat builds two similar but structurally different 500 models for Europe and North America, and assembling just one version at the Tychy, Poland would allow it to cut costs for development of the new car. This would also help fill some of the capacity void that Tychy has suffered in recent years, building just 300,000 units last year compared to more than double that in 2009. The report says that while Chrysler's North American production capacity is near its limit, Fiat's European plants will be used to meet increased demand before a new plant is built in North America. As for Toluca, there is no indication as to what vehicle Chrysler would replace the 500 with at this facility, which also builds the Dodge Journey.

All Fiat 500 production moving to Poland by 2015

All Fiat 500 production moving to Poland by 2015

All Fiat 500 production moving to Poland by 2015

With the next-generation Fiat 500 expected to debut in 2015 with more of a global presence, there is a growing possibility that production of the cute little hatchback will be consolidated to a single plant in Poland. According to Automotive News Europe, Fiat plans to end production of the 500 in Toluca, Mexico, which is expected to better fill Fiat's European production capacity, free up more North American capacity and create a single Fiat 500 design for all markets.All Fiat 500 production moving to Poland by 2015

Consumer Reports kinda, sorta likes the electric-powered Fiat 500e

Consumer Reports kinda, sorta likes the electric-powered Fiat 500e Last month, Consumer Reports decidedly panned the Mitsubishi i after a test drive of the small electric vehicle. The magazine doesn't dislike everything little and battery powered, though, and was quite a bit kinder to the Fiat 500e, saying it is "actually kind of a cool little car."

Consumer Reports kinda, sorta likes the electric-powered Fiat 500e

Consumer Reports kinda, sorta likes the electric-powered Fiat 500e

Consumer Reports kinda, sorta likes the electric-powered Fiat 500e

CR released a two-minute video for the Fiat test drive (available below) and complimented the car on its styling, with kudos given to its interior color scheme, special wheels and grille. CR noted that the car has little in the way of back-seat room and storage, but said it wasn't any worse than the regular 500 compacts.

Consumer Reports kinda, sorta likes the electric-powered Fiat 500e

As for performance, CR admitted that it was hard to figure out whether the 111-horsepower 500e would regularly hit its stated 80-mile single-charge range because the test drive was done in cold weather, but did say the car felt quicker than the non-turbo 500 because of the torque generated by the electric motor. In fact, CR went as far as calling the 500e "a hoot to drive." The publication criticized the Mitsubishi i for its sluggishness as well as for what CR said was the model's cheap finish.Consumer Reports kinda, sorta likes the electric-powered Fiat 500e

Watch Chris Harris drive the Ferrari 458 Spider like an "idiot"

Watch Chris Harris drive the Ferrari 458 Spider like an "idiot"Chris Harris gets to abuse his fair share of cars that we can only dream about driving, so why not add the Ferrari 458 Spider to that list. After somehow borrowing the keys to a Ferrari-owned 458 Spider, Harris spends about five minutes driving the 570-horsepower, open-air supercar like an "idiot" (his words, not ours).

Watch Chris Harris drive the Ferrari 458 Spider like an "idiot"

Watch Chris Harris drive the Ferrari 458 Spider like an idiot

Watch Chris Harris drive the Ferrari 458 Spider like an idiot front view

Watch Chris Harris drive the Ferrari 458 Spider like an idiot

Watch Chris Harris drive the Ferrari 458 Spider like an idiot rear view

In reality, it's impressive to watch the $257,000 (base price) 458 Spider being drifted and pushed hard into every turn. Not surprisingly, the car handles the "bad behavior" very well, but what is amazing is how easy it is for Harris to talk to the camera despite the top being down and the engine being at full throttle almost the entire time.

Watch Chris Harris drive the Ferrari 458 Spider like an "idiot"

If you like watching Ferraris get sideways, you will most certainly enjoy Harris' video, which is posted below.Watch Chris Harris drive the Ferrari 458 Spider like an "idiot"

Ferrari F150 Enzo-successor takes some loud laps at Fiorano

Ferrari F150 Enzo-successor takes some loud laps at Fiorano The video shows the new supercar testing around the 12-turn, 1.877-mile track with an Enzo, and it is interesting to hear the differences between the 651-horsepower Enzo and its reportedly 950-hp hybrid successor. Scroll down to watch the newest Ferrari going through some track testing, and be sure to turn your speakers up.

Ferrari F150 Enzo-successor takes some loud laps at Fiorano

From recent spy shots to leaked information, we're starting to get a good idea about just how amazing the unnamed successor to the Ferrari Enzo will be, but now we've finally gotten to see some video of the car testing at the Fiorano Circuit in Italy. This video not only gives us an earful of the car's screaming engine and rumbling exhaust note, it also affords us a view of the car without its fish-face camouflage that it has been caught wearing recently.Ferrari F150 Enzo-successor takes some loud laps