Since Fiat unveiled the standard 124 Spider, we were waiting for this Abarth 124 Spider. A version breeded with raging steroids by the legendary racing division...and the 124 Abarth finally is here! Priced at 40.000 € the Abarth 124 has been completely revamped in order to gain the right to wear the badge with the scorpion. New dedicated dampers Abarth by Bilstein, limited-slip diff and enhanced horsepower (170 hp). All wrapped in only 1060 kilograms with a front-rear weight distribution equal to 50:50. A control switch allows also the driver to turn off all the electronic controls. Good…

Toyota C-HR.
The Japanese manufacturer delivered a new SUV in the B-C-SUV booming segment. The most striking thing is the bold, sporty design far away from the conventional design we were used to see. Based on the new modular platform that underpins also the new Prius, the C-HR will be offered with petrol, Hybrid and diesel engines.
​The car will be assembled in Toyota's Turkish plant, while the engines will come from Toyota warehouse in Great Britain.

The good news is that this glorious car with stainless steel bodywork will be back.
DeLorean Motor Company firm and its founder, Mr. DeLorean, had a difficult and weird story, but now's history.
Brace yourself for near 300 new DMC-12 with original design and a modern powertrain. DMC Vice President, Mr. James Espey, declared that the firm is in talk with two possible engine supplier for the "new“ car. We only know that one of the two is General Motors, while the other is probably Ford Motor Company. DeLorean aims to replace the original 130 hp V-6 engine with a modern power unit delivering 300-400 hp.

​Due to the power increase, the new DeLoreans will feature bigger wheels, modern brakes, and a revamped interior. “No cassette player, nothing like that,” added Mr. Espey.    
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​specs&design
The Fiat 124  is powered by the the small displacement four cylinder turbocharged mill which pushes the basic version of the 500 Abarth. It features 1.4 cc per 140 hp  and torque peak is equal to 240 Nm. But the most important news, is that the power is delivered to the rear wheels. 
 
The Fiat 124 as you know, is built thanks to a joint venture with Mazda Motor Corporation and is built beside the MX-5 in the historic Hiroshima facility. It employs the same effective platform that underpins the new MX-5 mark IV but, as above mentioned, features the powerful Italian turbo engines.
With reference to the perfect weight distribution (50:50) and the unparalleled agility of the Japanese spider, we are curious to see the result of  the inclusion of the engine made in Turin.
The car is  slightly longer and heavier than the Japanese cousin because the 124 needs a longer hood in order to host its motor.
If the interior is almost identical between the Fiat and the Mazda, the exterior design and the engine’s character are the more substantial differences.
The Fiat 124 Spider design looks successful.  The lines grow horizontally; the led headlights are posh, modern and expressive and contribute to give personality to this small Italian roadster. Everything is wrapped with neo-retro style. In other words,  what it takes to be successful nowadays.

The market challenge and the sibling rival
The market numbers relevant to the small roadsters are not high at all. But this is due to the failure of previous shortsighted products where the RWD was traded with the lower production costs granted by the cheaper (poor) FWD platforms. 
Currently the Mx-5 is the only compact rear wheel driven roadster available! And the Mx-5 is both an halo car and a  sales successful car. On the other hand, the 124 Spider, is meant to be more an halo exertion for Fiat, than a high volume seller. The market response could surprise even the Italian constructor.

In order to understand the importance of such products, shall be taken into consideration Honda’s global boss, Takahiro Hachigo words reported by the British magazine Autocar:  Hachigo admitted that Honda had damaged its image by “abandoning” products such as the S2000 that had a strong reputation and hardcore fan base.
We are confident that the right products have some good potential. And the Fiat 124 Spider is a true driver’s car

Will the 124 Spider be able to dare the MX-5? It will depend on a few factors: 
The Reputation. Fiat needs to rebuild it for this kind of car: the original 124 Spider was born during the sixties, while Mazda has for years been synonymous of roadster with the MX-5 that is now arrived to the fourth generation. 
The Performances. Performances assured by the 4-cylinder turbo are, on paper, better if compared with the atmospheric 1.5 Mazda mill.  And if the Japanese can also count on a 1.8cc displacement engine, the unit by Fiat can be declined in various power release. The question is: will be just as exciting and well integrated with the car? A windy road, possibly along the coast will tell us.



Uh, the Abarth 124 Spider…has been already spotted during a roadtest! Stay tuned...

Have you ever heard of the Honda S660? The S660 is a Japanese kei car, but is truly a “town's sportscar” in the size of a Fiat 500 featuring authentic sporty technical solutions like the engine placed behind the driver, rear wheel  traction  and a 660cc displacement 3 cylinder turbo mill. A cvt transmission is available, but driver’s choice, a manual six speed gearbox is, for God’s sake, offered.

This small super-nice, super-small, “supercar” is already  sold out! Strange? Not at all.

If for most of the people could be an unexpected result. To Motor News Word, this is the logical consequence of building a small, beautiful, unexpensive car focused on the driving pleasure.

This car could surprise everybody. Included the Honda headquarters. The small size, joined with the attractive, unique technical layout, make this car potentially sold on almost every market.

It would storm every big town’s road in Europe. And the twisty roads in general.But most important for the manufacturer, it is a low cost (=high diffusion) halo car.

While the exotic Honda NSX is not ready for the market, and a midsize supercar below the NSX is just a rumour, the Honda 660 is concrete and already a success that sold the whole production.

The news is that, even if US customers, are used to buy enormous cars, with large displacement motors, Honda America is currently considering the opportunity to deliver a 1000cc  powered version to the North American market.

Even tough compared to average US car size, this tiny Honda could look like a tender, for most of the customers the Honda 660 could be a perfect second car. The 1.000.000,00 USD question is: if Honda is really evaluating the option to import this tiny car in the US, why the Honda S660 is not already available in  the European market? 

 


Marketing note: Honda is investing much to revamp the brand’s sport appeal having returned in Formula One with McLaren and Fernando Alonso.
On the other hand, a different way to get  the same result is delivering true sport cars such as the exotic NSX or the S660 for instance.

Will ever take place a RWD, hatchback challange between Alfa Romeo and BMW?

For years the question was nearly: will Alfa ever come back and deliver again RWD cars? A segment C hatchback  for sure would  give a run for its money to the sharp BMW 1 Series.
Nowadays the issue could be reversed.
Reportedly the actual BMW 1 Series is supposed to be the last BMW RWD hatchback beacause as worldwide reported, the next generation should share the UKL platform with the new Mini models and with the sort of minivan 2 Series Active Tourer. On the other hand Alfa Romeo and Maserati CEO Harald Wester officially declared that no new Alfa Romeos will be front wheel driven any more. Point of fact, the new Giulietta will not be an exception. He added:  "if others changed their mind, will be better for us".

The good news is that customers will have in any case the possibility to purchase and enjoy an RWD car in the C segment.
But there is still a chance to see a competition between the german and italian manifacturer.

BMW official,  Klaus Fröhlich, boss of BMW R&D in an interview, said that there is still a chance to mantain the future 1 Series on the noble and driving pleasure oriented RWD platform. While the cheaper UKL will in any case suit the Mini roster and the BMW minivan. The final crucial decision will be taken in within the end of 2015.

Here what he said: "If rear drive, we would lose advantages of luggage space. But if one sort of customer wants space, he can get the (FWD) 2 Series Active Tourer. The 1 Series is about conquest sales, so it has to be a true BMW. We don't have to decide until the end of this year."

 There are thousands of good reasons to explain why switching the 1 Series to FWD would be a bad move for BMW in the medium and long term. The almost unique technical feature of the RWD, can represent a precious asset for sales and premium brand's perception in the competitive C segment.

But the board of directors could in any case be attracted by the savings of a cost cutting policy with benefits only in the short period. How many car guys they have in the board in Munich?