New Special Edit New Special Edition Fiat 500 ID Limited to 500 Units for Germanyion Fiat 500 ID Limited to 500 Units for Germany

Fiat continues to churn out special edition variants of its 500 city car like there's no tomorrow. The latest one is called the 500 ID and it was created exclusively for the German market. Only 500 examples will be built each carrying a base price of €13,500 (about US$17,600). The exclusivity of the 500 ID comes in the form of its two-tone exterior color theme with matching interior trims.
Customers can choose from three different combinations including white and red exterior with ivory and red interior, white and light blue exterior with ivory and blue interior, and light grey and gunmetal grey exterior with ivory and grey interior.
The 500 ID is offered with Fiat's 1.2-liter petrol engine that delivers 69HP while standard features include air conditioning, 15-inch alloy wheels, leather steering wheel, a chrome kit, and Bluetooth-controlled hands-free Blue & Me with USB port. 


Published by: carscoop

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Shocker: Crash Tests Reveal that Most Cars Sold in Latin America are Deathtraps on Wheels

Shocker: Crash Tests Reveal that Most Cars Sold in Latin America are Deathtraps on Wheels

The FIA Foundation announced the results of the first ever crash tests carried out by the Latin New Car Assessment Program (Latin NCAP), and the news isn’t good for consumers and automakers alike. Actually, the crash test results reveal a terrifying reality: most of the best selling cars in Latin America’s emerging markets offer minimal or no protection at all to their adult occupants let alone children...
Max Mosley, president of Global NCAP, said: “The latest results of the Latin NCAP reveal that South America’s most popular cars are still about 20 years behind the levels of safety enjoyed in Europe and North America. This cannot be acceptable.”
"We want to see the UN’s global crash test standards applied to all new cars across the world. And we want consumers to be aware of the life and death choices they make when buying a new car," Mosley added.
The 64 km/h (40 mph) frontal impact crash tests revealed that most of the cars that were tested suffered from poor structural rigidity which, along with the absence of airbags in most of them, “awarded” them an unheard-of, in the 21st century, one-star rating!
This kind of performance is indeed scary, especially when compared to models sold to the European and North American markets, where the top five-star rating for every new model, save for ultra compacts which usually score four stars, is the norm.
Whereas in North America and Europe safety agencies constantly upgrade their requirements, in most Latin American countries safety regulations are virtually non-existent.
A measure of the work that needs to be done is the fact that Argentina and Brazil will make airbags mandatory by 2014 – and that, sadly, is hailed as a sign of progress.

Published By: Carscoop

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Mythbuster: Are Modern Truck and Car Emissions Comparable to that of Lawn Blowers? [Video]

Mythbuster: Are Modern Truck and Car Emissions Comparable to that of Lawn Blowers? [Video]

With government agencies enforcing stricter emission regulations every year and auto manufacturers doing their best to prove that their cars are as eco-friendly as possible, hyperbole is part of the game. A common saying is that the modern cars are cleaner than lawn equipment and that the carbon dioxide emissions they release are actually lower than that present in the air that comes into the combustion chamber.
Edmund's Insideline decided to put the theories to the test. Since cars come in all shapes and sizes, they chose two examples from the opposite side of the spectrum: a Fiat 500 mini and a Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Crew Cab pickup.
The diminutive Fiat is powered by a 1.4-liter four with 100HP, while the big and menacing-looking Raptor sports a 411HP 6.2-liter V8.
They also bought along two leaf blowers: one with a single-cylinder 50.8 cc two-stroke engine and the other with a 30cc four-stroke engine.
The contest took place at the Automotive Research Center of the American Automobile Association Auto Club of Southern California, which runs the FTP 75 emissions cycles test that is one of the primary standards in U.S. light-car emissions and fuel economy certification.
So what do you think? Are modern cars and trucks as clean as their makers claim them to be, beating even a common lawn blower? No spoilers here: just watch the video to find out the answer.

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Published By: Carscoop

2012 Dodge Journey, Fiat 500 recalled over contaminated brake fluid

Chrysler has issued a recall affecting a small number of 2012 Dodge Journey and 2012 Fiat 500 models built between October 24 and 26 of this year. These models – about 340 in total – are being recalled due to contaminated brake fluid that was put in during the vehicles' assembly. According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these vehicles "may experience a degradation of the sealing components within the brake system."

To solve the problem, Chrysler dealers will replace all of the vehicle's components that come in contact with the hydraulic braking fluid. Of course, this service will be done free of charge, and the official safety recall is expected to begin during the month of December. Follow the jump for NHTSA's official release.
 

News Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Image Credit: Copyright 2011 AOL