Fiat Group Lowers 2012 Sales Estimate by Half a Million Units

A funny t-shirt slogan reads “aim low, achieve your targets, avoid disappointment”. But it would probably be best if you didn’t give it as a Christmas present to Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne.

The reason is that the Italian group has lowered its 2012 sales forecast of 2.7 million units by a substantial amount; the new target for next year is 2.2 million, 500,000 units short of the original estimate presented in the group's 5-year plan.

The good news is that its partner, Chrysler, is expected to hit its 2.4-million sales target. Adding up the numbers brings the Fiat-Chrysler combined sales projection for 2012 to 4.6 million units.

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Rare Find: Fully Restored 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal V8 up for Sale on eBay

Looking over at eBay's listings today, we discovered a very rare Alfa Romeo sports coupe up for sale.

The car is a 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal of which only around 3,900 examples were built over a period of seven years from 1970 to 1977, and none were officially imported to North America as the coupe didn't meet U.S. and Canadian emission control requirements at the time.

The Italian sports car was designed by the great Marcello Gandini of Bertone fame and was originally presented as a concept at the 1967 Montreal Expo in Canada before making it into production as the Montreal in 1977.

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Alfa Romeo Giulietta by Maserati to be Used as a Courtesy Car for the Trident Brand's Dealerships

Collaborations between two companies that belong in the same group is a common practice. However, platform or parts sharing, or even badge engineering, is not the only form of a partnership.

In 2008, Ferrari chose a limited edition of the Fiat 500 as a courtesy car for its customers. Now, two more brands of the Fiat group have emulated the Ferrari-Fiat move. Maserati has chosen Alfa Romeo's C-segment hatchback, the Giulietta, as a courtesy car for its clients in Europe.

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Marchionne: Maserati will Launch Three New Models Very Soon, Doesn’t Rule Out Alfa Sale if the Price is Right

The Fiat Group may have its share of problems, especially in Europe, yet CEO Sergio Marchionne recently announced that its second most prestigious brand, Maserati, will soon launch no less than three new models.

“Maserati will increase its volumes by having three cars”, said Marchionne after the CBI conference in London last week. According to British publication Car Magazine, Marchionne said that these would be the Kubang SUV, the Quattroporte replacement and a smaller four-door sedanthat will compete in the E-segment against the likes of the Jaguar XF and BMW 5-Series.

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Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Rendering: Should the Fiat Group Build it?

You know that there's a lot of interest in a model when independent designers begin to imagine different versions and body styles of a car that has not yet entered production.

Case in point the Alfa Romeo 4C mid-engined sports car that remains in show car form for now but is slated to reach dealerships around the world –including North America- as early as 2013.

The artists over at Teamspeed created their vision of what an open-top Spider version of 4C would look like. We think that the rendering is pretty much spot on and would make for a very interesting addition to the Alfa 4C's lineup.

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Dodge's Detroit Motor Show-Bound Sedan Model will Not be Called the Hornet

[2006 Dodge Hornet Concept pictured above]

We've known for a while now that Dodge plans to introduce a new compact sedan model based on a Fiat platform that will replace the Caliber at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next January.

While the company is keeping most of its cards close to its chest, Reid Biglund, head of the Dodge brand told the Detroit News we'll find out more in the coming weeks including the car's name which he says won't be Hornet as some media outlets suggested. "Hornet will not be the name," said Biglund.

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Guangzhou Automobile Says New Fiat Joint Venture will Build Alfa Romeo Cars in China

The already crowded Chinese car market will soon welcome a new and ambitious competitor as local manufacturer Guangzhou Automobile Group has completed plans to set up a new joint venture with the Fiat Group named Guangqi Fiat.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of this week's Guangzhou Auto Show, the Chinese company's president, Zeng Qinghong, said that Guangqi Fiat will start production as early as July of 2012.

More interestingly, Qinghong revealed that the joint venture would also build Alfa Romeo cars for the domestic market.

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