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Fiat 500 Fiore Rosa is Italian-Japanese cute-overload fusion

If you live in Japan and you want to get something for your special someone for Valentine's Day, then slow dance down to your Fiat dealer and check out the Fiat 500 Fiore Rosa. A holiday special, the pale metallic pink Cinquecento is limited to 150 examples and only on sale from February 14-17. But beware the connotations, because as far as we can glean from Google Translate, the 500 Fiore Rosa is a bargain model, getting halogen lights instead of bi-xenons, manual air-con instead of climate control, 14-inch steel wheels instead of 15-inch alloys, and going without chrome trim, glass roof, parking sensors and alarm.
It's fitted with the TwinAir engine and gets the same price as the regular 500 TwinAir, however - 2,200,000 yen ($23,559 US). Other than the special name, we can't figure out where the 500 Fiore Rosa is hiding its treats, especially because it gets the el-cheapo wheel covers of the 500 Pop fitted with the 1.2-liter engine instead of the 500 TwinAir wheels. But if you want to make a statement, it's there. And we're talking to the women of Japan, because apparently they're the ones who buy the gifts on Valentine's day in Nippon.

Alfa Romeo considering Ferrari-developed engines for new product lineup

A report in Bloomberg adds more details to the plans for Alfa Romeo's fourth turnaround plan in Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's tenure, and this time Ferrari is apparently going to be part of the show. In December Automotive News Europe reported that a new Maserati-derived rear-drive architecture would be the centerpiece at Alfa Romeo, as well as coming Chrysler and Dodge products. At the time, ANE said the platform would support a new midsize sedan and wagon perhaps to be called Giulia, a fullsize sedan and a midsize crossover, with retail appearance of the product initiative commencing perhaps as soon as next year. It would be part of Fiat's $12.3-billion spend on new models and European recovery.
The Bloomberg report says that particulars haven't been finalized, but the plan is to have six new Alfas appear over the next five years, two of which would be SUVs. The futures of the Mito and Giulietta, two of the three cars Alfa currently sells and 99 percent of sales last year, aren't assured, meaning that the lineup in six years could be seven cars (including the 4C), six of which we haven't any definitive clue of yet. The top-tier versions of those cars, according to the report - perhaps the Quadrifoglio Verde - "will be equipped with motors developed by Ferrari."
Marchionne wants to get sales up to 300,000 units per year when the lineup is complete, pairing Alfa sales with Jeep's global dealer network to open up the retail channel. That kind of volume would get Fiat's Italian plants back in business properly, even though Marchionne's stance on Italy-only Alfa production would mean the end of the anticipated roadster that was to be twinned with the coming Mazda MX-5 Miata. Alfa's direction will be laid out in Detroit in May as part of the overall strategy presentation for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

Marchionne assures Fiat jobs will stay in Italy, amid Chrysler merger talks

Even though Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has repeatedly said he won't pick up, leave Italy and take his Fiat factories with him, his occasional pointed comments about the challenges of running operations in that country has worried Italian politicians dealing with government, economic and labor-force seizures the past few years. After Fiat Industrial announced it was moving its headquarters to London and it was rumored that the car division's HQ would move to Auburn Hills, MI after the merger with Chrysler, it was worried that more Italian jobs would disappear.
Industry Ministry Flavio Zanonato sought assurances from both Marchionne and Fiat chairman John Elkann that they would "commit to the country," and it appears those assurances have been given. Unemployment in Italy is at 20-year-highs and car sales are at 20-year-lows, but Marchionne said "We have confirmed our commitments for Italy" and the company will hold steady on employment. The nation and the corporation said they would work together to "relaunch Italy's car market," although it's not clear what either of them will be able to do beyond wait it out. At the very least, Fiat's stance means there's one less ball the country's politicians have to juggle.