Autoblog

Fiat has confirmed rumors that it is developing a new low-cost world car. However while earlier reports suggested a single small car was under consideration, a senior company executive revealed that Fiat is actually developing two new models.

The first will be a B-segment car positioned above the Panda but below the Grande Punto, the latter of which went up-market in its current iteration over the previous model. Eying the success of Renault's low-cost Dacia range, Fiat is toying with the idea of spinning off the car, currently dubbed the "new Uno", as a separate brand. Over the years Fiat has absorbed a wealth of Italian auto brands and, as it did with Abarth, could revive either the Innocenti or Autobianchi marques.

The second vehicle, tentatively carrying the same "Topolino" name as the concept which previewed the new 500, will be a microcar based on and positioned below the Panda, with both expected to hit the market around late 2009 or early 2010.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport and Italiaspeed]

It's hard to imagine, but Fiat is rumored to be developing an even smaller car than the 500 and Panda. The new model would be a low-cost vehicle targeted at markets in South America, Russia, India and China.

Depending on how the Italian automaker determines a budget automobile would reflect on the company's other products, the vehicle could be marketed under the Fiat nameplate, or possibly under a different one altogether. If the company decides it will wear the Fiat badge, it could revive the Uno nameplate and effectively replace the Palio (pictured above), which currently serves as Fiat's "world car", with production in Brazil, India, Turkey, South Africa, North Korea and China, in hatchback, sedan, wagon and pickup body-styles. Fiat's close relations with Tata, makers of the Nano, could come into play, but one way or another, nobody does small cars like Fiat, so the competition had better take note.

[Source: paultan.org]

The Fiat Uno has never been considered a powerful vehicle, and we're sure there have been many attempts to boost its horsepower. But one man in South Africa took a different approach to performance. Instead of trying to add horses to an Uno, he went with other farm animals, stuffing his tiny Italian car with a pair of cows and a couple of goats. Did we mention he stole them?

Of course, as many hot rodders have learned before him, the man's attempt at a performance boost was totally offset by the added weight, which was a huge hindrance when he tried to outrun the cops. Even in an unmoooo-dified Uno, we can guess how the chase might have ended. But with a back seat of beef and the Billy Goats Gruff for co-pilots, the cops probably could have caught him on one of those Ferrari Segways.

As far as we know, hauling livestock in Italian-marque econo cars isn't illegal, even in South Africa. However, going for a Sunday drive in your Italian econo car with livestock that isn't yours is illegal almost everywhere.

The ill-gotten goats as well as the cows were recovered, while the would-be stock car driver managed to escape being corralled.

[Source: AP]

What a difference a day makes, or a few years at least. While many automakers were rushing to add premium models to their lineups just a few years ago, today the buzzword is affordability. Perhaps a ripple effect of high gas prices, or the green movement, or even the emerging third-world automotive markets, everybody seems to be thinking cheap. In response, BusinessWeek has compiled a list of super affordable vehicles that will be available over the next couple of years. The common factor here is that all will have an MSRP of less than $10,000. Some as low as $3,000!

Don't expect supercars or luxury rides at these bargain basement prices, but you might actually get more than you realize for your money. These are reasonable alternatives to eight-year-old Civics and Corollas, rather than the equivalent of modern-day Yugos. And the list isn't filled with just microcars, either. Sure, there are small cars aplenty, but the list includes sedans, SUVs and even a minivan.

BusinessWeek credits Renault with launching this new wave of cheap cars with its Logan sedan back in 2004. That initial sedan has proven popular and spawned a range of six different models. The cheap-car list includes names like GM, Hyundai, Chery, Dacia, Suzuki, Geely, Fiat and Tata. But new entries from Nissan, Fiat, VW, and Toyota are in the works, showing the increasing importance of this segment. Renault-Nissan has even announced it is planning to build a car for under $3,000, perhaps as low as $2,500 according to Chief Executive, Carlos Ghosn. He made the announcement at a plant-opening ceremony on April 4.

A brief description of each car follows the jump, but click the Read link to see a slideshow of the world's cheapest cars at BusinessWeek.

[Source: BusinessWeek]