USA - FIAT Offers a selection of new packages for the ever popular 500 City Car.

• Three new custom appearance options: Sport Black Trim Package, Two-Tone Package, and Abarth Roof, Mirror Cap and Body Stripe Package
• Three available trim levels for 2017 Fiat 500: Pop, Lounge and Abarth
• 2017 Fiat 500 Pop starts at $14,995 U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP); high-performance Abarth starts at $19,995 MSRP
• Additional options available across all trim levels include automatic transmission ($995), sunroof ($795) and Cabrio ($1,495)
• 2017 marks 60th anniversary of the iconic Fiat 500

The FIAT brand is offering new looks for its iconic, Italian-designed, fun-to-drive 500.

Customers may give their Cinquecentos even more style by adding new optional appearance packages: Sport Black Trim, Two-Tone, and Abarth Roof, Mirror Cap and Body Stripe. Additional options include an automatic transmission ($995), sunroof ($795) and Cabrio ($1,495).

 

“With its iconic, timeless, head-turning Italian design, the Fiat 500 continues to offer the ultimate in individual expression,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands, Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT – FCA North America. “With new custom appearance packages and a full menu of options, customers can get exactly what they want while creating their own fun-to-drive personal statement.”

Sport Black Trim Appearance Package

The Sport Black Trim Package is available on the 2017 Fiat 500 Pop and features body-color sport fascias and fog lamps, black-trimmed headlamps, a black painted roof, side sill ground effects, black side-view mirror caps, black sport spoiler, black tail lamps and 16-inch Hyper Black aluminum wheels.

Interior features include sport cloth bucket seats with silver accent stitching, a front-passenger armrest and a black instrument-panel bezel. The MSRP for the package is $1,295.

Two-Tone Appearance Package

Available on the 2017 Fiat 500 Pop, customers may select a Nero (black), Rosso (red) or Bianco (white) accent roof and matching mirror caps. The MSRP for the package is $295.

Abarth Roof, Mirror Cap and Body Stripe Appearance Package

Available on the Fiat 500 Abarth, this appearance package offers a secondary roof color choice of Nero (black), Rosso (red), Rhino (gray) or Bianco (white). In addition, an accent color (black, red, gray or white) may be chosen for the mirror caps, body-side stripe, roof and spoiler. The MSRP for the package is $495.

Pricing and specification announced for the new Abarth 595 Trofeo hatchback.

Pricing and specification for the all-new Abarth 595 Trofeo have today been announced by Abarth UK, ahead of the stunning new car’s arrival here later this month (March).

And with a starting price of £17,290 OTR for the 1.4 TJet 160hp hatchback version, the new 595 Trofeo blends performance and technological innovation with outstanding value for money.

Based on the 595 Pista shown earlier this month at the Geneva International Motor show, the new 595 Trofeo builds on the UK concept of the 595 Trofeo Edition, launched in summer 2015, and takes it to the next level. 

The new Trofeo is available in manual hatchback and convertible versions and comes equipped with a potent 160hp 1.4-litre TJet petrol engine complete with Record Monza exhaust.

The car comes in a choice of five exterior colours – Abarth Red, Gara White, Campovolo Grey, Record Grey or Scorpione Black – with complementing front and rear dam inserts and wing mirrors, in yellow, black or red. The look is completed with17-inch matt black Formula Alloy wheels.

A key feature of the car is the 7-inch Uconnect  infotainment system with Abarth Telemetry, which allows the owner to load famous European race tracks. Selecting them during track sessions brings up detailed maps and displays real-time tips to improve lap times. The driver can then access their recorded sessions and analyse their performance at any time. More tracks will be added post-launch.

The Uconnect system is also equipped with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto – which pairs with an iPhone/Android Phone in the car allowing access to maps, music, and messaging, using voice assistance and Uconnect technology.

Full pricing for the new Abarth 595 Trofeo is as follows:

• 595 Trofeo 1.4 TJet 160hp hatchback                £17,290
• 595 Trofeo 1.4 TJet 160hp cabriolet                   £19,290

“The new Trofeo is a novel and exciting idea for the 595 range,” says Gerry Southerington, brand manager, Abarth UK. “The extra standard equipment means it’s excellent value for money, while the technology such as the telemetry, makes it an ideal choice for customers who want to test their car’s performance on a racetrack. It’s a winning combination.”

FLEET WORLD - FCA takes the Most Improved Fleet Manufacturer title for 2017.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has been named Most Improved Fleet Manufacturer in the prestigious Fleet World Awards.

The award recognises the strides made by the company’s fleet and business department, which represents Fiat, Fiat Professional, Alfa Romeo and Jeep®.

Judges were impressed not only by the strength and breadth of the vehicle line-up but also by the changes made in the last year to improve the fleet offering.

Steve Moody, Publisher at Fleet World, said:  “With the ability to cross-sell between its different brands, FCA Group has a unique and compelling offer for fleets.

“Newcomers such as the Fiat Tipo, Alfa Romeo’s Giulia and Stelvio, and commercial vehicles including the Talento van and Fullback pickup mean it’s becoming a complementary line-up suitable for the most diverse fleet needs.

“It’s also well supported, with a central fleet and business organisation and a growing network of specialist dealers.”

Receiving the award at a ceremony at the RAC Club in Pall Mall, Francis Bleasdale, Fleet and Remarketing Director at FCA, said: “We’re honoured to have won this category in these prestigious fleet awards and delighted that our work to improve the bespoke service we offer to business customers has been recognised.

“We are continuing to fine-tune our already competitive TCO position, ensuring all customers, no matter their size or requirements, benefit from a cost-effective fleet partnership.

“We have expanded the network and the sales team, improved our online tools on our dedicated business web pages, as well as introducing a dedicated TCO specialist, the result being that customers are already reaping the financial benefits of lower running costs.

“In addition to building on our renowned low running costs and excellent service, we are continuing to expand the Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Jeep® model ranges including specially-developed, business-focused editions that will thrill both head and heart.  These include the UK launch of the compact luxury crossovers Alfa Romeo Stelvio and the all-new Jeep Compass plus the exciting Fiat Professional range that showcase our commitment to delivering distinctive vehicles to our business customers.”

TMW - The first month of the year see's a growth spurt as Britain nears BREXIT.

JAGUAR

JAN 2017 2694 Sales - JAN 2016 2252 Sales - +19.63%
YTD 2017 2694 Sales - YTD 2016 2252 Sales - +19.63%

LAND ROVER

JAN 2017 5427 Sales - JAN 2016 4609 Sales - +17.75%
YTD 2017 5427 Sales - YTD 2016 4609 Sales - +17.75%

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (COMBINED)

JAN 2017 8121 Sales - JAN 2016 6861 Sales - +18.36%
YTD 2017 8121 Sales - YTD 2016 6861 Sales - +18.36%

AUDI

JAN 2017 11676 Sales - JAN 2016 11513 Sales - +1.42%
YTD 2017 11676 Sales - YTD 2016 11513 Sales - +1.42%

BMW

JAN 2017 8489 Sales - JAN 2016 8265 Sales - +2.71%
YTD 2017 8489 Sales - YTD 2016 8265 Sales - +2.71%

INFINITI

JAN 2017 182 Sales - JAN 2016 105 Sales - +73.33%
YTD 2017 182 Sales - YTD 2016 105 Sales - +73.33%

LEXUS

JAN 2017 800 Sales - JAN 2016 1001 Sales - -20.08%
YTD 2017 800 Sales - YTD 2016 1001 Sales - -20.08%

MERCEDES-BENZ

JAN 2017 13048 Sales - JAN 2016 11800 Sales - +10.58%
YTD 2017 13048 Sales - YTD 2016 11800 Sales - +10.58%

INCREASES BY BRAND BY MONTH

ABARTH +10.95%
ASTON MARTIN +173.91%
BENTLEY +35.83%
DACIA +19.62%
FORD +3.37%
HYUNDAI +8.60%
KIA +51.22%
LOTUS +56.25%MASERATI +101.22%
MCLAREN +0.00%
MINI +18.07%
NISSAN +6.14%
SEAT +23.57%
SKODA +8.77%
SMART +6.83%
SSANGYONG +14.62%
SUZUKI +59.81%
TOYOTA +8.89%VOLKSWAGEN +7.57%

DECREASES BY BRAND BY MONTH

ALFA ROMEO -6.58%
CITROEN -28.95%
DS AUTOMOBILES -39.49%
FIAT -9.47%
HONDA -11.28%
JEEP -9.45%
MAZDA -33.96%
MG -34.50%
MITSUBISHI -13.42%
PEUGEOT -18.61%
PORSCHE -16.93%
RENAULT -3.02%
SUBARU -14.01%
TOYOTA -2.66%
VAUXHALL -9.18%
VOLVO -6.52%

This month has been a bit of a surprise, sales are up, but the amount of brands that have taken a drop in sales have increased, and some of those brands are a real surprise, Volvo for instance, they had a great 2016, with the new S90 and V90, yet they have taken a big turnaround in January, the same with MG, which increased sales throughout every month last year, and with the GS being an all new model for the first few months of this year, sales have gone down significantly - the new smaller SUV is needed sooner rather than later.

Jeep too had a brilliant 2016, yet the first month of the new year has also taken a nosedive, Why ? has the nation lost interest in the US brand. no, i doubt it, this is one US Auto maker thats selling reasonably well, unlike our home grown mass market brands, Vauxhall, they continue to sell less than the preceeding periods, is this because of the bad press that they are going through ? It is not because of a lack of decent models, they have and are continuing to launch new metal frequently.

Some of Britains other brands, Aston Martin, Bentley and Lotus and MINI are all showing gains over the same time a year earlier, and then you have the three French brands, Peugeot, DS and Citroen, all down, and all with new or refreshed models, even Fiat, Mazda and Honda are all down, so i am not sure why these brands are all under performing, especially with a good range of products to sell.

With the exception of Porsche, all other Volkswagen Group brands have shown an increase, rom an "only just" better than last year to a significant growth spurt, and Volkswagen continues it's turnaround, not only in the UK, but USA as well, where it has been hit hardest after the diesel scandal, Renault too which was hit at the end of last year with possible issues regarding cheat devices has been hit, but with the addition of the All-New Scenic and Grand Scenic should help keep this negative figure from becoming too big throughout the rest of the year, especially as it has a Pick up and refreshed models also due.

So, where does that leave us, the usual suspects are taking the top spots, Fiesta, Focus, Corsa and Astra, The Juke and Qashqai also sit nicely in the top ten, surprisingly there is the Mercedes C-Class and for the first time the Kia Sportage The Golf and lastly the Audi A3, thats the top ten for January, but surprisingly diesel sales have dropped significantly, with people heading back towards petrol, which is no surprise, as petrol cars are cheaper and with modern tech, they are equally if not better in the fuel consumption figures.

So thats the first month of the year. 

TMW - Its that time of the month - October 2016 UK Sales figures -Sa;es are up and the shift away from Diesel carries on.

JAGUAR

OCT 2016 2981 sales - OCT 2015 1929 sales +54.54%

Y.T.D. 2016 29397 sales - Y.T.D. 2015 19895 sales +47.76%

LAND ROVER

OCT 2016 5645 sales - OCT 2015 5192 sales +8.72%

Y.T.D. 2016 69289 sales - Y.T.D. 2015 55073 sales +25.81%

JAGUAR LAND ROVER CUMULATIVE

OCT 2016 8626 sales - OCT 2015 7121 sales +21.13%

Y.T.D. 2016 98686 sales - Y.T.D. 2015 74968 sales +31.64%

JAGUAR LAND ROVERS COMPETITORS

BMW

OCT 2016 13541 sales - OCT 2015 13938 sales -2.85% 

Y.T.D. 2016 152197 sales - Y.T.D. 2015 138247 sales +10.09%

MERCEDES

OCT 2016 11334 sales - OCT 2015 9924 sales +14.21%

Y.T.D. 2016 148226 sales - Y.T.D. 2015 126433 sales +17.24%

LEXUS

OCT 2016 812 sales - OCT 2015 992 sales -18.15%

Y.T.D. 2016 12234 sales - Y.T.D. 2015 11610 sales +5.37%

AUDI

OCT 2016 14659 sales - OCT 2015 13182 sales +11.20% 

Y.T.D. 2016 153070 sales - Y.T.D. 2015 146482 sales +4.50%

INFINITI

OCT 2016 119 sales - OCT 2015 166 sales -28.31% 

Y.T.D. 2016 2619 sales - Y.T.D. 2015 1057 sales +147.78%

RISERS ON PREVIOUS YEAR (Y.T.D. CUMULATIVE)

ABARTH +45.32%

BENTLEY +42.89%

DACIA +6.50%
DS AUTOMOBILES +153.22% *

HONDA +11.74%

HYUNDAI +4.65%

JEEP +35.34%

KIA +13.76%

MAZDA +2.77%

MG +35.95%

MINI +10.16%

PORSCHE +0.23%
RENAULT +13.64%

SKODA +5.64%

SMART +44.42%

SSANGYONG +38.65%

SUBARU +4.36%

SUZUKI +9.81%

VOLVO +7.80%

LOSERS THIS YEAR (YTD CUMULATIVE)

ALFA ROMEO -1.27%

ASTON MARTIN -11.94%
CITROEN -19.31% *

FIAT -5.35%
FORD -5.09%

LOTUS -9.42%

MASERATI -7.03%

MITSUBISHI -19.23%

NISSAN -2.76%
PEUGEOT -4.43%

SEAT -5.64%

TOYOTA -1.73%

VAUXHALL -4.42%

VOLKSWAGEN -9.86%

• *Citroen and DS Automobiles split sales in May 2015 - Combine both to get an accurate figure when comparing to 2015 sales figures.
• Grateful thanks for all the Figures supplied by the SMMT.

The month saw sales climb yet again, regardless of the Brexit hassles, this month we start with the two biggest sellers, both Ford and Vauxhall have between them taken a drop of around 25,000 units, which is a huge drop in sales, and both brands have new models either released or about to be released, so the perennial two companies that have been the UK's biggest for decades, are slipping, with the premium brands taking their places.

The next two, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen, are chalk and cheese really, but both are slightly related in the fact that they both manipulated their fuel figures, and both have been hit by it, less so for Mitsubishi, and VW has just turned a corner with positive sales figures, but considering Mitsubishi runs the PHEV sector of the market with a 50% ownership rate, they are still down, maybe the lack of a saloon car since the Lancer has been discontinued has helped drop sales.

At the cheaper end of the market you have Dacia and MG, both have sales growth, with MG slowly but steadily increasing month after month, and Dacia, with a decent range of products that are what the people want, and now they are about to be refreshed, sales should continue to grow, like MG, they will have at least one new model next year, and a refresh of its MG3 model, helping to keep up the momentum.

The Germans are all up on the year, with a couple of brands dipping in the month, it seems that these brands are taking up the slack from the "home" brands which are down significantly.

The French brands have differing sales too, with Peugeot dropping, which, considering they have a number of new and refreshed products either released or about to be released is a surprise, Citroen has dropped again, but add on the DS range, as they are now separated, and combined they are up, and Renault, has a large increase in sales, and this will only continue as they have a raft of new models coming on stream over the next year.

Lastly for this month we will focus on the other British brands, Aston Martin, MINI, Bentley and Lotus, with these four is it a 50/50 with half growing and half dropping sales on the month, MINI and Bentley are both bucking the trend and growing by a significant number whereas Lotus and Aston are both down, but Lutus can change at the drop of a hat as the sales as so low that just a handful can make all the difference, and that brings us to the end of the report for October, we are now well through the year with just two months left to go, and as long as things stay roughly where they are, its going to be another sales growth year, but we all know how things can change.

TMW - The Motoring World Blog

Jon Mower.

UK SALES SEPT - Abarth sales in the UK means it sells more cars here than in any other country in the world.

The new Abarth 124 spider has helped Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ high performance marque to power ahead in terms of UK sales, as today's new car registrations figures reveal.

The scorpion brand has posted its best month ever in the UK. In super September, Abarth sold 805 cars - up 14.02 per cent on the 706 sold in the same period last year.

Year-to-date, the brand's 3125 units was 54.02 per cent up on YTD 2015 (2029), as an increasing number of people become owners of cars from Abarth's stunning 595 and 695 ranges – including the incredible 190hp biposto Record – and the fabulous new 124 spider two-seater which, for 2016 only, will feature a unique numbered badge.

The result means the UK is now the number one country for Abarth sales, year to date ahead, even, of Italy.

Market share of 0.17 per cent for September was up from 0.15 per cent for the same period in 2016, according to figures supplied by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

"This year has been an excellent one for Abarth, with September being the pinnacle," says Gerry Southerington, Abarth brand manager. "The new 124 spider has clearly helped us to carry the momentum on, and we look forward to continued success as we close 2016.”

Among the delighted new owners helping to make September a success for Abarth is Bertie Bryant, of Ascot, Berkshire, who was the first person in the UK to take delivery of a 124 spider.

“I’m absolutely delighted with my new car,” says Bertie, founder of the Abarth Owners Club. “I had been looking forward to the launch of the 124 spider for some time, and now I have one of my own, it’s everything I was hoping for.”