Fiat & Alfa Romeo To Have Their Own Dealerships in North America!

Can you imagine having what’s pictured above in your neighbourhood to drive by everyday! Great news! You will!

You already know by now that since Fiat saved Chrysler from certain death, they’ve confirmed that the two Italian brands once sold here will be making their return as early as next year with the small but mighty Fiat 500 being the first model available for sale.

It was originally thought that the 500 would be sold here as a Chrysler with Chrysler badges, but Fiat must’ve realize how embarrassing that would be for everyone, so they then announced that the 500 will indeed be sold with Fiat badges.

But now they’ve taken it even further by promising that Fiat and Alfa Romeo will have their own dealerships. That’s right, you won’t need to bring a barf bag with you to test drive a Fiat or Alfa Romeo because there will be no Chryslers in sight! Well, that’s not entirely true. While Fiat & Alfa will get their own dealerships, they may be on the same site as Chrysler dealers, or they may even share the same building as Chrysler dealerships.

Right now the CEO of Fiat, Sergrio Marchionne, is planning 200 Fiat/Alfa Romeo dealerships across North America. As you’d imagine, that isn’t going to be cheap. Each brand new dealership is expected to cost $1 million. Then there’s the marketing which will cost an estimated $100 million. Oh well, you gotta pay to play. And it sounds like Sergio Marchionne definitely wants to play in our market.

[The Detroit Bureau]

Mark July 9th On Your Calendars!

Mark July 9th on your calendars and buy some champagne because the very last Chrysler PT Cruiser ever is going to roll off the line that day! That’s right, the Chrysler PT Cruiser has officially been discontinued!

Possibly the worst and ugliest car ever made, the fug-mobile was first introduced in 2000 and essentially went unchanged for ten years. It was an idiotic version of the Neon, which was a horrible car itself. I hated the PT Cruiser along with anyone who owned one.

Chrysler then decided it was actually possible to make the PT Cruiser uglier by adding a convertible variant. Thankfully, it didn’t sell too well, but it’s considered bad luck whenever you see one around. Okay, I made that up, but seriously, you must’ve done something wrong if karma forces you to lay eyes on a PT Cruiser convertible.

On top of horrendous styling, the PT Cruiser was notoriously unsafe. It scored only two out of five stars for front impact ratings, which pretty much guaranteed certain death if you were ever in an accident in one. It was also very unreliable. It did badly on gas considering its size, it didn’t hold its value and was miserable for any kind of performance. This begged the question, why did it even exist? Well because there are a lot of fools out there, that’s why. Chrysler knows its customer base well.

Anyway, July 9th can’t come soon enough. I hate you PT Cruiser. With a passion. I will be celebrating your demise with a beer. Or several.

[Detroit Free Press]

The Jeep Liberty is Actually Good At Something

Not rolling over!

Actually it does exceptionally well off-road if I’m honest, but that’s about it. Hang on to these accolades Chrysler, they are few and far between.

The IIHS recently completed roll over tests for 12 SUV’s and ranked them from best to worst. The Liberty took top honours, as mentioned with a ‘Good’ rating, as did five other SUV’s.

Congrats Chrysler! Now bring over those Fiats and Alfas.

I mean, find out who didn’t do so well after the jump (one is quite surprising).

[IIHS]

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Four Door Fiat 500 On the Way For North America?

As we all know and are extremely excited about, the Fiat 500 will indeed be coming to Canadian soil sometime in 2011. The 500 will be sold through Chrysler dealerships as a part of the new Fiat-Chrysler deal.

Chrysler is actually banking on Canada specifically for the 500′s success and to help ensure its Canadian popularity, there are now reports that Fiat is developing a four door variant. This will help Chrysler take on the likes of established players like the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Mazda2 and Ford Fiesta.

Expect the 2 door version of the 500 to debut first, followed by the four door down the road.

Chrysler Counting on Canada

Of all the Amurrican manufacturers, it could be argued that Chrysler has the least competitive portfiolio save for the Caravan and the Ram. Ford and GM have recently stepped up their game and we’re patiently awaiting for Chrysler to do the same.

We have high hopes for the brand now that Fiat is at the helm, especially since they have promised to bring over the adorible and highly entertaining Fiat 500 to our shores.

But Fiat is apparently really depending on us Canadians specifically to help give Chrysler their boost.

Counter to our neighbours down south, we Canucks love small cars, and we love our small hatchbacks even more. As a result, the sub compact segment here is expected to be the top segment to compete in, and there is definitely some tough competition from already established players like the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. Ford will throw the Fiesta and Mazda2 into the fray very soon, Volkswagen is strongly toying with bringing the Polo over, and GM is promising that the new Aveo will be nothing like the old one (meaning it will actually be a decent car).

Therefore the Fiat 500 is imperitive for Chrysler.

The 500 was one of the most popular cars showcased at this year’s Toronto Auto Show, and Chrysler smells a winner by bringing it over.

“Chrysler Group LLC’s alliance with Italy-based Fiat Auto SpA likely spells payoff for the Pentastar company’s Canadian-market sales,” said Reid Bigland, Chrysler Canada’s CEO. If the 500 does well, it will set good precedent to bring over other Fiat models to Canada.

Expect the 500 at Canadian Chrysler dealers near the end of 2011.

All Electric Fiat 500 to See Production, USA Bound

At the Geneva Auto Show this year, Chrysler was showing off some models of its newest owner such as the little Fiat 500. There was also an electric version showcased, but Chrysler assured everyone that it was just a concept.
Well concept it ain’t no more as it has been officially announced that Fiat will indeed build the 500EV and it will see US showrooms via Chrylser dealerships.

There are very few details that are being released at the moment, but right now we know that the 500EV will be powered by an ‘advanced’ lithium-ion battery, a high power electric powertrain as well as an EV power control unit.

This new 500EV will surely be direct competition for BMW’s all-electric Mini Cooper E, which is currently undergoing the pilot phase in the States as you read this.

No word on whether or not the 500EV will see itself on our fine soil, but it’s pretty likely.

This Man Is the King of Brand Loyalty

Dr. Keith Sisson is a retired doctor who is going to get the official Car Driven award for Most Loyal Customer. Dr. Sisson loves Chrylsers, and that is a big understatement. In his lifetime he has owned 50 Chryslers! And not only that, he purchased them all from the same dealership. Why did they not give this man a free Chrysler yet?!

Even though Dr. Sisson is an impressive 91 years of age, 50 cars to own in your lifetime is insane! Did Chrysler quality force him to buy two cars a year maybe? We kid, we kid.

Seriously though, a huge salute to Dr. Sisson – a true car nut that we would gladly have a beer with any time. We’re sure he’s got some great car stories! Check out his story above.

Welcome Back! Alfa Romeo Returning to Canada

Alfa Romeo left our market back in 1995 and mostly every car obsessed Canadian has felt something lacking in their lives ever since.

Alfa’s are traditionally quirky cars that never start, always break down and make you want to bludgeon it with a bat by the end of the day. BUT, they are such amazing high spirited cars, that most are willing to put up with all the problems. Afterall, a true petrol head doesn’t let something silly like reliability affect their car buying decisions, that would be way too sensible.

On top of that, they are achingly pretty, with the prettiest being the 8C you see pictured above.

So, when will we be able to find ourselves at a local Alfa dealer? Find out after the jump.

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This is More Like It, Chrysler

Instead of pushing pink Challengers, this is the type of product you should be investing your time in if you really want to get your brand out of the gutter.

The adorable little Fiat 500 is reported to be coming to Canadian shores at the end of this year as a 2011 model, though it could be badged as a Chrysler, or more likely as a Dodge. That’s okay though, whatever it takes to get it here.

This car is immensely popular in Europe as it is fun to drive, cheap to own and buy and great on gas. With Ford’s Fiesta, the Mazda2 and King of the Hill Honda Fit, Chrysler is going to need a product like the 500 to truly be competitive in one of the fastest growing segments in our market.

It’s unlikely that the Abarth version (pictured above) will make it to our shores, sadly enough. But again, we’ll take whatever iteration of the 500 we can get at this point.

Hit the jump to watch the 500 Abarth SS review by our idol Jeremy Clarkson

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Chrysler Keeps Suppling Us With New Material…

As if we needed more reasons to make fun of the brand, Chrysler has introduced this new limited edition (thank God) colour for the Challenger.

Keeping with the overall retro theme of the Challenger, it is meant to pay homage to the 1970-1971 Challenger when a similar colour called ‘Panther Pink’ was a colour option. We’re guessing the reason why it was only offered for two years back then was because  nobody bought it.

This new colour is going to be called ‘Furious Fuchsia’, and we hard a hard time typing that with a straight face. However an awful name for an awful colour does at least make some sense.

Don’t call it pink though. Despite its homage to the ‘Panther Pink’ version, Chrysler is quick to point out it’s not pink. It’s kind of like how Ross from Friends would refer to his obviously pink shirt as salmon coloured.

Fiat, it’s really time to start calling the shots for your new brand because otherwise they’ll just keep on coming up with stuff like this. Until then, keep the unintentional jokes coming, Chrysler.