Fiat

US car giant Jeep says it has no plans to walk away from right-hand-drive markets – even though its rival General Motors will retreat from Australia, Thailand and New Zealand by the end of 2021 after getting out of the UK, South Africa and India over the past three years. The man in charge of Jeep in Australia, Kevin Flynn, said he has been advised by parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles that it is committed to right-hand-drive production.

Maserati has taken the next step in its commitment to hybrid and electric vehicles (EV) with an investment of €800 million ($1.29 billion) in one of its key production hubs. After announcing plans for its first hybrid and EV models, the Ghibli, GranTurismo, and GranCabrio, Maserati has invested in upgrades to its Mirafiori production line to suit.

The 2020 Fiat 500 has launched in Australia with a new variant, named the Club, priced from $23,250. Featuring a long list of standard features, it comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, fixed glass roof with sunblind, DAB+ radio, automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers, automatic climate control, and chrome front grille surround, rear bumper insert, and sill plates.

General Motors (GM) has filed a lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler (FCA), claiming the rival's bribery of officials from the United Auto Workers (UAW) union caused it serious financial damage. GM alleges FCA instigated a “multi-year pattern of corruption” to “undermine the integrity of the collective bargaining process and cause GM substantial damages".

An advanced plan hatched between Groupe PSA (owner of the Peugeot, Citroen and Opel brands) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to join forces would create the world's fourth largest global automotive OEM by scale. The proposed super-merger between the keen French and Italian-American giants, with a combined 410,000 direct employees, would create a new group half-owned by each party with equal board representation.