Fiat SpA

In our continuing review of the 2010 automotive offerings, the Chrysler Corp. takes the spotlight. It is encouraging to note Chrysler USA is not waiting for the announced Fiat technological infusion, but it is showing marked improvements across the product line. Again, we are indebted to Motor Trend magazine for the rundown on next year's models.  

Chrysler Group LLC will offer zero-percent financing or as much as $4,500 cash back on its 2010 vehicles in an effort to remain competitive and lure customers into showrooms after months of silence. Consumers can choose between zero-percent financing for 60 months or a cash rebate on all of the automaker's vehicles starting Friday and ending Jan. 4. There also are free upgrade options — such as the installation of a DVD player or all-wheel drive — on some models.  

FERRARIS and Maseratis might be the cars that Italians aspire to, but the little Fiat 500 has a special place in most of their hearts. The original 500 was the baby car Italians had a love affair with - and in many cases in - until it went out of production in 1975. A country can't produce almost four million cars without generating some affection for the tiny four seaters which were ideal for big city traffic.  

If even the 200-hp Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse seems a bit tame to you, long-standing Italian Fiat tuner Romeo Ferraris has something you might be interested in. Dubbed the 500 Corsa Cinquone, this carbon-fiber bodied 500 packs a mighty 360-hp punch from an extensively reworked 1.4L turbocharged engine. As seen in these photos, it also packs a mighty rear wing that seems to rest at about roof level.  

A LORRY driver has been sentenced to three years in jail for causing the death of two people on the A14 by dangerous driving. Jonnie Reynolds was sentenced to three years concurrently for each of the two charges at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday. Reynolds had denied the charges.  

Now I want to take a crack at this. My short answer is no. But before I go into this, as an aside, I wanted to mention Marshall's new smiling, happy picture up at the great blog New Deal 2.0 where he now writes. Earlier, when Credit Writedowns was hosted at Blogger, he used a picture best described as a mug shot in his profile, but he has changed that one too (although he smiles there a little less).  

Why not look at the Hyundai i10 1.1. It is very manoeuvrable around town, the engine is extremely refined while being efficient and is torquey for city use with an extremely user-friendly gearbox that slots into place very nicely. Look at the i10 Era or if you can stretch the rupee, go for the new i10 Magna that is even more loaded. I currently own a Fiat Palio ELX and am aware of the positives and negatives of owning and living with a Fiat car.  

That was the theory behind my first " Road to Roota " article written in 2007 and almost everything that has transpired since has reinforced my original conclusions. Below is a 1981 article about the wide disagreements between the parties involved in the Gold Standard discussions (..note that Christopher Dodd, current Chairman of the Banking Committee, was involved early on in the Gold Commission). Unfortunately, the Gold Commission members were appointed by the ex-CEO of Merrill Lynch, Treasury Secre

President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime   -Lou Cannon

 

As you all know, we are in a severe economic downturn. The official unemployment rate now exceeds 10 percent and according to many observers is actually substantially higher. Within the last year or so, our financial system has been rocked to its foundations.  

The news takes a bit less serious tint on Friday, with everything from smashed up Audi R8s and BMW 6-Series to a rather cheeky video spot for the MINI Cooper Convertible . There are still some sober moments, however, including the recall of Belkin's TuneBase in-car MP3 adapter for a potential fire hazard. On more purely car-related territory, news of further work toward an all-electric Rolls Royce Phantom has emerged, with company CEO Tom Purves noting that pure, silent power is an ideal complement to R