Dodge Journey-based Fiat Freemont will debut in Geneva

Chrysler has had plenty of partnerships over the years, and as odd as it may have seemed in the beginning, the tie-in with Fiat arguably makes more sense than any of those past pairings. Chrysler doesn’t have much of a presence overseas, and Fiat doesn’t in North America. Putting them together, then, could be the perfect formula for global success. The Fiat 500 is coming to North America, and while we’ve been hearing about Chrysler vehicles being sent to Europe for quite some time now, this is the first actual proof.

The vehicle you see here will be unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show as the Fiat Freemont. Look familiar? That’s because it’s essentially the Dodge Journey with a different badge on the nose. Otherwise it’s essentially the same vehicle, produced alongside the Journey at the same plant in Toluca, Mexico.

The only major difference to speak of is under the hood, where Fiat’s own 2.0-liter MultiJet turbo diesel engines (with 140 or 170 horsepower) will be offered with front-wheel drive and a manual gearbox initially. All-wheel drive, an automatic transmission and Chrysler’s 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 will be offered shorly after the initial launch. The full details are available in the press release after the break, and see the Journey-come-Fiat for yourself in the high-res gallery below.

BMW 1 Series M Coupe steps up to the scales

The crowd at Axis of Oversteer managed to get their paws on the first BMW 1 Series M Coupes to be let loose on American soil. What did they do with the car? While we can imagine the vehicle has already suffered through a pile of hole-shot launches and some serious flinging, the AoO gang also took a spell to load the car onto a set of scales to find out what exactly the baby M weights with a full tank. In a world where manufacturers are increasingly pressed to get their vehicles under the 4,000 pound mark, the 1 Series M Coupe managed to slide in at 3,351 pounds.

That’s mighty skinny considering that the car packs a 340 horsepower turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six under hood. This particular car has a full dance card at the moment. It’s headed from New Jersey to Daytona, Florida to serve as the pace car for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Daytona. We’re guessing that the machine will be right at home among the muscle-bound bruisers going the distance down south.

GM to double Chevy Volt production capacity in 2012

With fuel prices anticipated to rise, General Motors anticipates increased demand for the Chevrolet Volt. To stay ahead of the game, the automaker reportedly plans to double production capacity for the plug-in hybrid.

Production was originally pegged at 10,000 this year and 60,000 next year, but if the increased capacity comes to pass, those figures could increase to 25,000 this year and 120,000 units next year. This strategy depends on parts availability, however, and if the outsourced parts necessary to build more Volts can’t be ramped up by OEM suppliers, the plans could be cut short.

As has been reported, in addition to the Volt itself, GM is evaluating possibilities to apply the car’s gasoline-electric drivetrain to a range of additional products across different GM brands.

Toyota-based Subaru Trezia hatchback headed to Europe

When we think about Toyota-Subaru collaboration, the first thing that comes to mind is the highly anticipated rear-wheel-drive “Toyobaru” project. But while the FT-86 and its Subie sibling are first in our thoughts, it wasn’t number one to market.

Automotive News reports that Subaru is set to unveil the Trezia hatchback in March at the Geneva Auto Show. The roomy five-door, which closely mirrors the Honda Fit in most every measurement, will be a near spot-on match of the Toyota Verso it’s based on, but with an Impreza-style grille slapped on the front clip and some Subaru badging sprinkled throughought. Both the Toyota Verso (named Ractis for JDM consumption) and Subaru Trezia are being sold in Japan now, and both vehicles are destined for Euro showrooms this spring.

In Japan, the Trezia is powered by a choice of 1.3-liter and 1.5-liter inline-four cylinder gasoline engines mated to a CVT, but in Europe the 1.5 will be replaced with a 1.4-liter diesel. In Japan, the Trezia can be had with all-wheel-drive provided car buyers check off the box for the more powerful engine, which will likely be the turbodiesel in Europe.

With its roomy interior and diminutive footprint, the Trezia will likely do well overseas. But will we ever see Subaru’s Fit-fighter in North America? With gas prices once again on the rise, it might not be a bad idea.

Chinese women buying disproportionate percentage of exotic cars?

The number of Chinese millionaires is growing rapidly, and women account for a third of that rising, affluent population. This is good news to exotic car manufacturers because wealthy Chinese women are snatching them up like Italian pastries.

Sales of high-end automobiles rose 60 percent last year and analysts are already pegging a 35 percent climb for 2011. Maserati reports that 30 percent of its Chinese sales are to women, compared against just 10 percent for European sales. China is now on track to pass Italy as the automaker’s second largest market.

It’s not just Maserati, either; Ferraris and Lamborghinis are being purchased in large numbers. The wealthy women of China account for 20 percent of local Ferrari sales, which is double the global average. The rise in exotic vehicle sales has even gotten the attention of Bugatti, and the Volkswagen Group is now discussing a potential sales plan for China.

Toyota remains world’s largest automaker for third year in a row despite troubles

Despite weathering a rocky 2010 marked by repeated recalls, Toyota managed to remain the world’s largest automaker last year. According to Bloomberg, the Japanese manufacturer saw its sales rise by eight percent to 8.42 million units if you include Lexus, Hino and Daihatsu. That figure beat out General Motors, which saw its sales increase by 12 percent with 8.39 million units sold.

While Toyota’s sales in the U.S. market dropped by 0.4 percent due to safety concerns, the automaker saw large increases in China. The company’s sales in the People’s Republic jumped by 19 percent, though General Motors saw its Chinese sales increase by 29 percent.

Volkswagen, meanwhile, managed to move 7.14 million vehicles during 2010, cementing its place as the third-largest automaker in the world. That figure marks a 14 percent increase over 2009, and VW says that it fully expects to see sales increase by five percent in 2011.

Toyota is forecasting its sales to hit 8.6 million vehicles in 2011.

2012 Acura TL to debut at Chicago Auto Show

Acura has announced that it will debut the newly refreshed 2012 TL at the Chicago Auto Show next month. Details are slim as of this writing, but the automaker says that the 2012 model “further enhances its position in the segment with aggressive, yet refined styling and performance.”

In its current form, the TL has been praised for its high-quality and tech-friendly interior, not to mention the relatively impressive driving dynamics of the SH-AWD 6MT model. However, the biggest deal-breaker for the current TL has been its styling, which has garnered a whole slew of negative praise – especially the angular front fascia. We’ll have the full details on the 2012 TL closer to its official debut on February 9, so stay tuned.

Kia Sportage with turbo engine debuts in Canada

The 2011 International Truck of the Year has an all new available engine under the hood. Canadian Kia fans can soon head over to dealers and pick up the 2011 Kia Sportage SX, which features a directly-injected 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. We’d expect the U.S. to follow suit in very short order.

Paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, the turbo mill has a relatively flat torque curve with peak power occurring between 1,800 and 3,000 rpm. When bolted into the 2011 Sonata, the 2.0T is rated at 274 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. We expect the Sportage SX to produce similar numbers, including the 30+ miles per gallon highway fuel economy figures.

The car will show up in Canadian dealer showrooms by the end of winter. Priced at $36,995, it comes loaded with standard features including the new UVO entertainment system, which is similar to Ford’s Sync. Check out the full press release after the break.

Cheeky coed’s butt wins vintage VW bus

Hollister and Facebook have teamed up to take social media to new and lofty heights. The clothing company just wrapped up a contest in which users were invited to submit photos of their derrières in Hollister jeans. Both guys and girls could enter for a chance to take home one very awesome, custom 1978 VolkswagenMicrobus, complete with all the surf gear you’d need to at least pretend like you’re a beach bum. Facebook users were invited to judge the competing rears and vote on their favorites, and one rump stood above the rest.

Lizzy Marola entered the contest at a Hollister store on a whim and wound up winning the eyes of enough voters to take home the bus of her dreams. Marola is a freshman at Coastal Carolina University, so there’s at least some chance that those long boards will hit the water in the near future.

The Microbus was delivered to Marola at her home in Torrington College, Connecticut recently on a trailer before being inspected and registered. If you’re interested to see the image that won it for her…

Too much? Chinese customer orders $670k gilded Fiat 500

The beauty of the Fiat 500 is that it’s loaded with Italian style, but comes cheaper than anything this side of a Vespa. So if you were in the market, how much would you consider spending on a Cinquecento? $20K? Maybe $30k for a fully-loaded Abarth? How about €500,000? That’s equivalent to about $670,000, and stands as the absurd price some anonymous Chinese businessman has apparently paid for a particularly opulenttacky example of the retro minicar.

The order came to Fenice Milano, the Italian studio whose Liberace-grade work we’ve reported on previously. They started with a 500C Abarth convertible, slathered it in paint infused with real 24k gold flakes, decked the interior out in teak, replaced the brightwork with more 24k gold and gave it a diamond-studded iPad docking into the dashboard. And just for good measure, they let Romeo Ferraris have at it. Their tuning jacked the stock 140-horsepower engine up to 200 hp, and they added Brembo brakes and a custom suspension for good measure.

The end result is about as nauseating an example of nouveau-riche excess as you’re likely to find. If the owner thinks that by tying in his investment to a solid commodity like gold to stave off the negative effects of depreciation, he may be in for a rude awakening come resale time. Check out the video footage after the jump and the updated high-resolution image gallery below.

Mommies on Minivans: Practical, but where’s the style?

Toyota can call the Sienna a swagger wagon all it wants, but the slogan isn’t going to make moms any happier about hopping behind the wheel. According to The Detroit Free Press, most mothers aren’t fooled by gimmicky marketing or the latest attempts to redesign the minivan as a stylish piece of transportation. Reporter Krista Jahnke followed a group of mothers from Detroit.MomsLikeMe.com as they toured the Detroit Auto Show to critique the latest wave of minivans.

What did they think? While the vast majority appreciated the added creature comforts of the newest generation of family haulers, they still seemed to feel that the minivan was always going to be a practical choice first and an aesthetic one dead last.

One woman even admitted that she cried the first time she had to drive a minivan. Admittedly, we feel her pain.

The crew took the time to check out the all-new Ford C-Max, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Dodge Grand Caravan and Volkswagen Routan, and was kind enough share its opinion on each. Despite its significantly smaller size, the C-Max fared well amongst those who know minivans best, while the Grand Caravan was penalized for its cavernous, grime-trapping center console. Head over to The Detroit Free Press to see all of their impressions.