fiat

CNET Tech Car of the Year for 2011

2012 Audi A7 Our choice for CNET Tech Car of the Year goes to the 2012 Audi A7, a car that shows superb technology throughout. The list of nominees this year included many very advanced cars representing an impressive leap over last year, proving that the automotive industry is on a hot streak. Improvements in power-train tech play a big role, which helped the Chevy Volt take a top spot in our reader poll, but the connected car seemed like the most relevant and broad-based trend, which is why our staff leaned … Read more

Even I roll my eyes at those ads where someone gets a new car with a big, red bow on a snowy holiday morning. But when you think about it, a car is actually a pretty awesome gift.

Cars are more than just basic transportation these days. Pick the right ride, such as our top Holiday Gift Pick and Editors' Choice 2012 Audi A7, and you'll also be giving the gift of entertainment, safety, utility, and style. And while a car really is too big to be gift wrapped or stuffed into a stocking, you may be able to squeeze the diminutive 2012 Fiat 500 C under a big enough tree.

We acknowledge that a new car isn't always the best gift idea--maybe the car lover in your life already has a perfectly good set of wheels. Never fear, we have plenty of smaller car tech gift ideas as well. From radar detectors for speed demons to Bluetooth hands-free kits for motor mouths, sports cameras for daredevils, and GPS navigators for the perpetually lost, there's something for every sort of automotive enthusiast in our Car Tech Holiday Gift Guide.

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LOS ANGELES--For such a cute little car, the Fiat 500 Abarth's scorpion logo is probably the manliest badge in automotive world.

At the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, the peppy 101-horsepower Fiat 500 gets a heart transplant in the form of Fiat's award-winning 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine that boosts available power to 160 ponies. More impressive is the torque number: 170 pound-feet, which is the same amount of twist the Honda Civic Si develops with 2.4 liters of displacement. The Abarth 500 also features a single-option five-speed manual transmission and upgraded driveline components that can withstand … Read more

If you've driven the Fiat 500 and found it underpowered, things are about to get more interesting. Fiat will bring out the tuned Abarth version at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show.

Fiat made its return to the U.S. market this year with the 2012 Fiat 500c, an inexpensive city car with cute retro looks. To increase appeal among a more power-hungry set of drivers, Fiat is bringing the tuned Abarth version to the U.S., and it gets its first showing next month in Los Angeles. … Read more

The lowest-price cars used to be devoid of features other than maybe a rearview mirror and heating vents.

You can still find those very base-level cars, but go up a trim level and you get much, much more. Automakers have unleashed a new set of subcompacts focused on the entry-level buyer, and this young demographic has certain expectations about technology.

Most of the cars we included in this roundup come in between $15,000 and $20,000, optioned up and out the door. Navigation is not prevalent among these cars, but most buyers in this segment will rely on a smartphone. … Read more

Dodge will get a new compact sedan for the 2013 model year. The sedan, which replaces the Dodge Caliber, is crucial because it will be the first vehicle to showcase the full range of benefits from the Fiat-Chrysler alliance.

The car will be built at Chrysler's Belvidere, Ill., plant on a Fiat platform that has been adapted for the U.S. market, the first of many such products to come. And it will be powered by a high-mileage Fiat-designed engine. It could be shown as early as November.

As part of its rescue package from the federal government, Chrysler … Read more

Fiat is the latest to launch its own Apple iPad application, joining Ford, Hyundai, and others.

According to the Italian automaker, the free app offers a close-up look of the 2012 Fiat 500--including a historical design timeline of the iconic Fiat 500.

Consumers can delve into the galleries of four emerging artists, including a graffiti artist, a 17-year-old professional photographer, a painter and sculptor, and an illustrator.

The Fiat Source app will also include a Fiat 500 vehicle catalog, with detailed 360-degree images, "colorizer," videos, and product information, as well as wallpaper and sketch downloads.

"The Fiat … Read more

This year's fashionable car is the Fiat 500. But unlike the return of the Mini, which had little if any reputation in the U.S., Fiat's have a less than sterling image in this country. Brian Cooley takes you for a drive to see how this little car aims to erase those memories while he checks the tech.

You can also read CNET's full review of the 2012 Fiat 500C here.

Comparing the Mini Cooper and the new Fiat 500 is inevitable. Both small cars offer a modern take on European classics. But that's about where the comparison ends, as Fiat makes a low price play with the 500, not attempting to match the Mini Cooper's sport appeal.

Wherever we went, people smiled and stopped to talk about the Fiat 500C, the cabriolet version of the 500. Its styling attracted lots of attention. And putting the top down, a cloth roof cover that motors back to uncover the passenger compartment, lent a sense of fun.

However, cheap materials on … Read more