Fiat has served up a few more tidbits on the upcoming 500L five-door expected to debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. According to Automotive News, the vehicle will feature a taller roof than the thee-door Fiat 500, and while the two sill share a front fascia, the larger vehicle will ride on a widened version of the same chassis that underpins the Fiat Punto. All told, the Fiat 500L will be around 163.38 inches long, which is around 2.36 inches longer than the current 500.

Interestingly enough, Fiat plans to introduce both five-seat and a seven-seat version of the 500L in the near future, though American buyers are only likely to be able to enjoy the former configuration. The 500L is expected to touch down on dealer lots in Europe in July, while Americans will have to wait until early 2013 to plop themselves in the driver’s seat.

In Europe, the vehicles will likely be available with with a turbocharged two-cylinder 900cc gasoline engine with 85 horsepower as well as a 1.4-liter four-cylinder good for either 77 or 105 hp depending on configuration. A 1.3-liter diesel will also be an option across the pond with either 75 or 99 hp. Odds are American buyers will simply see the 1.4-liter Multiair four-cylinder on their option sheets.

[Source:Autoblog]

‘Tis the season for thin news cycles and cheesy top ten lists. Yahoo! Finance has thrown its hat in the top ten ring with its list of the biggest flops among all consumer goods introduced for 2011. Both the Fiat 500 and Chevrolet Volt have made it among the chosen few, rubbing elbows with such luminaries as Netflix’s Qwikster and Disney’s Mars Needs Moms. Read More »

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The suspensions are lowered, the dubs are mounted and the votes are tabulated: with the SEMA show in full swing, organizers have announced their top pics for the show.

Rather than name the top tuned cars, the SEMA Awards name the best cars for tuning, in several categories. And so, the winners of the second annual SEMA Awards are…

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According to Automotive News, the Chrysler Group will kill off one of its bread-and-butter minivans – the Dodge Grand Caravan – sometime during the 2013 calendar year. This will leave only the Chrysler Town & Country to do minivan battle for the Pentastar automaker. Curiously, through September of 2011, the Grand Caravan has actually outsold the more expensive Town & Country by almost 14,000 units.
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Fiat has prepped an all-new Panda, and the high-riding city car is set to make its world debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The 2012 Panda represents the current zenith of the four-wheel-drive compact’s evolution. This third-generation Panda features a restyled exterior paired with an updated interior design and a handful of engine choices.

Two new engines join the Panda powerplant family, which brings the total number of available mills to six. The new units are both two-cylinder 900-cc engines equipped with Fiat’s Start&Stop system to help cut down on emissions while raising fuel economy. Both engines are TwinAir mills, with one breathing naturally and the other utilizing forced induction by way of a single turbocharger. The non-turbo engine produces 65 horsepower while the turbo version pumps out 85 horses.
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