WomanOnWheels.ca

In review: 2018 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth

In a world where so many buyers look first at how much technology a car has, there's something so wonderfully refreshing about a vehicle that's all about driving. And in the 124 Spider, Fiat and Mazda team up to create a car that's better than the sum of its parts. It's certainly not perfect, but drop the top on a sunny day and the experience is pretty damn close. Find out more in my review at AutoTRADER.

In review: 2014 Fiat 500L

It's not as cute as its two-door sibling, but the Fiat 500L turned out to be extremely practical and a pretty good car for the money. Find out more in my review over at the Toronto Star.

Chrysler by the numbers...

The task: in late January, I will be going on an event to drive and assess the Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300 and Fiat 500.

My New Year's resolution: I promise I won't title the article Chrysler's Days Are Numbered.

Fiat and Chrysler: Blame Canada?

In the news: Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne said that he's not sure if a deal will go through to merge with Chrysler -- not unless the unions make some substantial cuts to labor costs, and most notably, Canadian unions. Chrysler's U.S. chiefs have already taken swipes at the CAW, and now Italy is doing it, as well.

And the inner conspiracy theorist in me says: is there more to this than just the cost of labor?

Keep this in mind: Barack Obama has said he will free up $6 billion for Chrysler, but only if a deal with Fiat is cemented by April 30, 2009. Marchionne has said he won't ask the government for an extension if it doesn't happen by then.

Now, I like Chryslers as much as anybody; I've got three in my driveway, one of them a 2008 model. But I still think that if any of the Detroit Three are going to fold in this crisis, this is the one that'll go down, with the buzzards left picking out prime pieces like Jeep, Hemi and Caravan.

And I really don't think Fiat cares that much about selling its technology to Chrysler, not in the big picture. Fiat wants distribution, and it will only get that by moving in with an established automaker that already has a dealership network in place. I doubt it matters which one. But it will make a difference if the American car-buying public sees Fiat as the foreigner that took down Chrysler. They might not be buying the cars, but it's still an American company, and there's that matter of pride (and jobs, of course).

So here's my theory. Fiat wants into the U.S., and Chrysler's the one most willing to talk. If Fiat decides the deal isn't in its favor, Chrysler doesn't get its $6 billion, and that will pretty much be the beginning of the end. Blaming U.S. auto workers won't earn Fiat many friends among American buyers, either. But if it blames Canadians -- if Canadian auto workers were the reason the deal failed and Chrysler came down -- then Fiat will still have a fighting chance to hook up with someone else and bring its cars over. It wasn't their fault. And all those Americans who lost their direct or indirect jobs when Chrysler folds will look to the north, and lay the blame as well.

Chrysler and Fiat? Bring it on!

  So Fiat and Chrysler are now housemates. Bring it on, I say. Anything to get Chrysler building smaller, better vehicles, and this little Italian gem into North American driveways.

I must admit, I'm a sucker for cute little round cars, and this is one of the cutest and roundest. I saw quite a few Fiat 500s when I was on vacation in Germany last summer, and I'm smitten.

When the Internet first made its way into everyday homes -- and yes, I'm old enough to remember that -- the big deal was that we'd become a "global village." Part of that is understanding that other places in the world have some great ideas, and adopting them just makes all of us stronger. Let's bring over this Fiat design, and build it in North American factories. Think globally, act locally. It isn't just a pipe dream anymore.