Fiat

Foxconn, the contract electronics manufacturer most closely associated with the Apple iPhone, has confirmed in a filing with authorities it is planning to start a car-making joint venture with Fiat Chrysler (FCA). In the documents discovered by Bloomberg, the two companies are looking to setup a 50/50 joint venture to manufacture electric vehicles. Initially, EVs made by this new pairing will be targeted at the Chinese market, but exports may be considered further down the track.

In a move that doesn’t bode well for the future of the Fiat 124 Spider, the Mazda MX-5-based drop-top has been dropped from Fiat’s European range. That includes its sportier Abarth 124 Spider counterpart, the only 124 variant offered here. What distinguished the car the most from its Mazda MX-5 twin – the 1.4-litre MultiAir turbocharged four-cylinder engine – is what appears to have done the 124 in.

A new patent seems to confirm rumours Fiat Chrysler (FCA) is developing a new turbocharged inline six-cylinder petrol engine. Mopar Insiders has discovered a patent on the US Patent and Trademark Office website for exhaust gas recirculation system for a turbocharged petrol engine. The patent, which was approved April this year, features an explanatory diagram with a straight-six engine.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has settled with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over accusations it inflated sales figures between 2012 and 2016. The Detroit (and Turin) giant will pay US$40 million ($59 million) and has promised to stop the dodgy practices. According to the SEC, Fiat Chrysler dealers would create and maintain a database of unreported sales throughout strong months, often called the 'cookie jar' by employees.

Fiat has revealed some details about the next-generation 500, the first variants of which will be released in the middle of 2020. In an interview with Autocar, Olivier François, the head of the Fiat brand, has confirmed the next-generation 500 range will expand to include a hatch, a wagon, an all-electric variant, and a crossover. The ungainly 500L people mover will be axed. In addition to the regular 500, the company will add a Giardiniera five-door wagon to the range.