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Electric Fiat 500e costs the same as 500 Pop – in the US

Sergio Marchionne reckoned Fiat would lose £7k on every 500e they sell, but that may be a very conservative estimate judging by the deal Fiat has put together for the 500e in California, where it’s just launched. For a very modest down-payment of £650 and then £130 a month, you can drive off in a brand new Fiat 500e. That’s exactly the same deal Fiat offers on the 500 Pop – a car that cost under £10k in the UK – making the 500e the first EV we’ve come across where costs are sensible.

Bad-tempered driving increases over winter

We’re officially a nation of grumpy drivers – not helped by the bad weather and the end of Christmas festivities, a survey has revealed. Halfords Autocentres carried out a study about how winter affects motorists and found that experiences of impatient, aggressive and inconsiderate driving increase at this time of year. On Bing: see pictures of road rage British drivers ‘lack common courtesy’ Rory Carlin from Halfords Autocentres: “It seems that the festivities take their toll on the nation’s road manners and tempers flare leading to less kindness and unselfish behaviour from some motorists.” 23% of respondents felt that unfriendly and bad tempered behaviour was a major issue during the winter months, while a fifth said there was a rise in aggressive and impatient driving.

First Fiat 500s will have stick shifts

The 2012 Fiat 500 , heading to U.S. dealerships later than first expected, is enduring another hiccup: The first units arriving in dealerships in late February will have manual transmissions, the company said. Moreover, only about 20 percent of the 130 Fiat dealerships will be open when those first cars arrive, said Laura Soave, head of the Fiat brand in North America, at the Detroit auto show last week.