Filed under: Sedan, UAW/Unions, Fiat

Fiat has run into resistance from Italian unions in the past, and CEO Sergio Marchionne has been pushing the Fabbrica Italia plan to make things right. The business plan promises to invest in more Italian jobs in exchange for more flexible union deals - a home run for all parties involved, but Italy's cadre of unions have been slow to take Fiat up on its offer.

Automotive News reports that the Turin-based automaker has suspended a $710 million investment in the former Bertone plant after Fiat failed to reach an agreement with the FIOM union that represents the plant. The plant, which Fiat purchased back in 2009, had been earmarked to build the next generation Maserati Quattroporte and a midsized sedan to take on the likes of the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

A Fiat spokesperson reportedly told AN that FIOM's stance isn't acceptable, adding "right now, the conditions are not there to launch the planned investments." That doesn't mean that a deal is permanently out of the question, but it may give FIOM some motivation to see things Fiat's way. The midsize sedan is scheduled to arrive in Europe early in 2012, followed by the next Quattroporte sometime in 2013.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Union woes prompt Fiat to suspend former Bertone plant investment originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/28/union-woes-prompt-fiat-to-suspend-former-bertone-plant-investmen/

Kyle Thomas Busch

Albany Reaches Budget Deal, Will Slash Education and Health, Cut Taxes on Rich (NYT, CapTon) Bloomberg Opposes Car-Free Parks, Claims Congestion Will Worsen (NY1) Schumer Speaks on PPW Bike Lane: “I Am Not Commenting. I Am Not Commenting.” (NYT) Hit Piece on PPW Bike Lane Fits Right In On Wall Street Journal Opinion Pages Bus Driver Hits and Kills Cyclist [...]

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2011/03/28/todays-headlines-1106/

Oscar González Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon

25 Cars Worth Waiting For. What it is: A sleek luxury sedan designed as a dedicated EV. Keep Reading: 2014 Infiniti Electric Sedan – Feature

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/QhcI1MbEQRs/

Joe Kelly Dave Kennedy Loris Kessel Bruce Kessler

Team Chevy LogoKEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 JIMMY JOHNS CHEVROLET ? RACE WINNER: GIVE US THE RUNDOWN ON THE FINAL PASS ON THE LAST LAP: “You know those guys (Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson) started racing and they got side-by-side and we were able to pull up in there. The more cycles that got on our...more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2011/sprintcup/03/27/team-chevy-2011-nscs-auto-club-400-race-recaps/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=team-chevy-2011-nscs-auto-club-400-race-recaps

Bruce Johnstone Alan Jones Tom Jones Juan Jover

Pirelli's Motorsport Director Paul Hembery: "We've had a thrilling qualifying session and set the quickest lap ever seen here, which has demonstrated the speed and reliability of our PZero tyres on a wide variety of front-running cars. "Albert Park is well-known as a tricky circuit that does not retain a lot of rubber, but despite the comparatively cool conditions this afternoon all the drivers demonstrated that they were able to make the most of the unique characteristics and excellent performance of our tyres

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/australia-saturday-quotes-pirelli/

Nico HĂĽlkenberg Denny Hulme James Hunt Jim Hurtubise

Will Power started his 2011 IndyCar title bid with another commanding street course pole position in St Petersburg. The 2010 series runner-up had been quickest in two out of three practice sessions, and after his Penske team-mate Ryan Briscoe and Ganassi's Scott Dixon briefly held provisional pole in the 'fast six' final session, Power produced the fastest lap of the weekend to take pole with a 1m01.962s. Two Ganassi cars will chase Power off the start, with champion Dario Franchitti shrugging off a morning practice crash to get closest to the Australian with a lap 0.3328 seconds away from pole and 0.1s ahead of team-mate Dixon

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/indycar-news/indycar/power-takes-st-petersburg-pole/

Parker Kligerman Trevor Bayne Out! Pet Care Toyota Jason Leffler

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, BMW, Rumormill

We've heard a few times that BMW is working on a 3 Series Gran Turismo, but a rumor floated at Germany's Auto Motor und Sport claims the GT may instead be an all-new 4 Series. If true, BMW Blog says that a 4 Series could be offered as a four-door coupe that would help BMW compete with offerings like the A5 Sportback. The move would also enable BMW to offer a more stylish vehicle that slots well below the 6 Series in price while still demanding a premium over the 3 Series. And keep in mind that BMW has already green-lit the 6 Series Gran Coupe, which will feature two-door styling and four physical doors when it arrives in 2012.

Given that Audi has feverishly expanded its lineup the past few years, we wouldn't blame BMW for countering with a 4 Series, but this is the first we've heard of it, so we'll keep this one squarely in the rumormill category for now.

[Source: BMW Blog]

Rumormill: BMW 3 Series GT could actually be new 4 Series originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Mar 2011 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/27/rumormill-bmw-3-series-gt-could-actually-be-new-4-series/

Marc Gené Elmer George Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini

NYC Posts Slow Growth Numbers, Says Census; Pols Blame Immigrant Undercount (NYT, Post) LI Bus Riders and Workers Make Their Case Against Slashing 25 Routes (MTR) Diaz Continues Push for Hotel at Yankee Stadium Garages; Others Want Parks, Flea Market (News) Juan Gonzalez: Public Won’t See One Cent in Rent or Taxes From Those Garages (News) CB 2 Approves [...]

Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2011/03/25/todays-headlines-1105/

Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani Bruno Giacomelli Dick Gibson

David E. Davis, Jr., died on March 27, 2011, while recuperating from cancer surgery. He was 80 years old. Davis was widely acknowledged as the dean of automotive journalism, the man who turned Car and Driver into the world?s largest automotive magazine, and the founder, in 1986, of Automobile magazine. Over his long career, he [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/mlzBsD0KRxM/

Brian Hart Gene Hartley Masahiro Hasemi Naoki Hattori

2011 NSCS David Ragan - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCARIt was David Ragan, with a lap speed of 180.973 mph, showing the fastest way around Auto Club Speedway during the final NSCS Auto Club 400 practice session. Tony Stewart, with a lap speed of 180.800 mph, was second fastest, followed by Carl Edwards...more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2011/sprintcup/03/26/2011-nscs-auto-club-400-final-practice-session-speeds/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2011-nscs-auto-club-400-final-practice-session-speeds

Patrick Gaillard Divina Galica Nanni Galli Oscar Alfredo Gálvez