Fiat 500

Jaguar XKR-S, 2012: Powerful speedster named Playboy's Car of the Year

The 2012 Jaguar XKR-S, the 550-horsepower speedster with a top speed of 182 mph, was selected from a stellar finalists’ field that included Audi to Range Rover and Hyundai to Mercedes-Benz as Playboy Magazine’s 2012 Car of the Year. The magazine’s choices were selected by Ken Gross, the veteran automotive journalist, author and former auto museum executive director. The Jaguar XKR-S, with a starting price of $132,000 for the coupe and $138,000 for the convertible, is the most-powerful production car Jaguar has built. It has a 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 and accelerates from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds and 0-100 mph in 8.6 seconds. Here’s Playboy’s 2012 other Car of the Year selections: Fiat 500 Winner of Playboy’s “Coolest Throwback” award,

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Fiat 500 receives low NHTSA crash safety rating

The 2012 Fiat 500, the rekindled iconic Italian sub-compact that reappeared in the U.S. market earlier this year, has been shunned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with only a three-star rating for crash safety, a rare low mark. The little two-door Fiat 500 scored four stars in both the frontal and rollover crash tests, but its lowly mark occurred in the side impact crash test. After faring well in the side barrier rating part of the side crash test, scoring five stars, the Fiat 500’s limited rear protection was only two stars out of a possible five for protecting a female rear seat passenger seated behind the driver in a 35-40 mph side-impact crash. The only available

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2012 Fiat 500 gets rare tiny car bravado, top IIHS safety pick

After modifications to improve driver’s seat protection in frontal and rear crashes, the 2012 Fiat 500 has received a rare designation for a subcompact car: Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The designation applies only to Fiats built after July 2011, and the minicar joins the 2011 Ford Fiesta among the few small cars to receive the top safety classification. According to the IIHS, the award requires a car to earn the highest ratings, known simply as “good,” in front, side, rear, and rollover tests. Top honorees also must include a standard electronic stability control system, now a Federal requirement. The front crashworthiness evaluation uses a 40-mph offset crash, while the side evaluation slams a

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2012 Fiat 500 Review: Small, cute, fun and still Italian, sort of

After a 37-year absence, the 2012 Fiat 500, the Italian subcompact, marks its return to North America with its new business relationship with Chrysler. First offered in Italy in 1957, the 2012 Fiat 500 (Cinquecento in Italian) is reminiscent of its deceased sibling and is currently available as a 2-door hatchback or 2-door convertible and with a high-performance Abarth model awaiting for 2012. Like its predecessor, the Fiat features a small engine (1.4-liter, 4-cylinder and 101-horsepower) with a short-shifting, five-speed manual transmission. What the Fiat lacks in speed, the manufacturer has more the compensated for with a host of standard features and personality. Key Takeaways Test car: the 2012 Fiat 500 with a 1.4-liter, 101-horsepower four-cylinder, painted Mocha Latte. $17,500

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Jennifer Lopez takes new love Fiat for a hot, hard ride

Jennifer Lopez has influence in the worlds of fashion and pop music. Fiat also believes the singer/actress is also an ideal spokesperson to market the newly re-introduced Fiat 500. A 2012 Fiat 500 Cabriolet is featured in a 30-second trailer for Jennifer Lopez’s new “Papi” video. The trailer first aired during the first “Monday Night Football” game on ESPN at the start of the 2011 NFL season. The commercial is also featured on other networks. “Like the Fiat consumer, Jennifer Lopez sees the world as her canvas and is not afraid to express herself; she is continuously drawn to projects that are authentic and real,” Olivier Francois, chief marketing officer for the Chrysler Group, said via a press release. “Jennifer

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2012 Fiat 500 and 500 convertible Gucci editions to be available by December 2011

Fiat announced it will be launching 2012 Gucci editions of the Fiat 500 and the 500 convertible toward the end of this year. The Gucci editions have colorful interiors and the will come with Gucci collections featuring track suits, sunglasses, a watch and other travel accessories. The cars will be officially launched at the New York Fashion week on September 8th. The new Fiat cars will be made available in North America by December 2011. The 2012 Fiat 500 will feature a 101-horsepower, 1.4-liter FIAT MultiAir engine with a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmissions. The car will have 16-inch alloy wheels with sports tuned suspension. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has

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Nissan Leaf Named Kelley Blue Book Green Car of 2011

Despite its miniscule fleet in the United States, the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle  has been named the top green vehicle of 2011 by Kelley Blue Book because of its “ground-breaking combination of range, room and price.” The Chevy Volt, an electric car with a range-extending gas engine finished second in the voting by the renowned car guide. Although there about 20,000 active reservations in the U.S. for the Nissan Leaf, less than 500 have been delivered via mechanical issues or the recent earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. Kelley Blue Book  labeled the Leaf as “the first electric car for the masses.” Here’s a list of the top 10 electric cars of 2011, according to Kelly Blue Book: 1. 2011 Nissan

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Fiat 500, 2012 car review

The new 2012 Fiat 500 is cute, fun to drive and fuel thrifty. Many young drivers interested in the 500 may never have heard of Fiat’s reputation for selling troublesome cars here decades ago. But then, Italy’s Fiat wasn’t the only troublesome foreign car, and it’s a whole new auto world now. The 500 is built with modern equipment that didn’t exist in Fiat’s spotty old days. when some joked “Fiat” stood for “Fix it again, Tony.” The 500 is hardly unproven. Chrysler-controlled Fiat says more than 500,000 Fiat 500s have been sold in 80 countries since 2007. The 500 resembles Italy’s revered Cinquecento (500 in Italian), which arrived about a half century ago. Almost four million Cinquecentos were made

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Chrysler will introduce electric version of iconic Fiat 500

The zero-emission 500EV will be powered by new-generation lithium-ion batteries being developed in Michigan. A prototype was unveiled at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. Nissan’s Leaf all-electric car, also powered by lithium-ion batteries, will also debut in the U.S. from manufacturing facilities in Japan and Tennessee. For additional information, visit: Chrysler James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author

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