The Fiat and Suzuki alliance just got tighter with a recent deal that will see Fiat produce 30,000 1.6-liter diesel engines per year for Suzuki. The fuel-efficient engines will be used to power the Suzuki SX4 which was co-developed by the two companies.

Using the 1.6-liter Fiat engines will allow Suzuki to avoid the costs of building a clean production facility that meets environmental standards since the Fiat engines already pass that test. This in turn should see a lower cost on the SX4 passed on to the consumer.

Autoblog Green just made an interesting observation from the sidelines of a general meeting at Fiat S.p.A. Ceo of Chrysler and Fiat, Sergio Marchionne, made some comments that indicated that not only is the electric Fiat 500 a huge loss leader at $10,000 per car, but that Fiat does not sound like they have any interest in trying to make it a profitable car or sell it on a large scale.

This $10,000 loss per vehicle is despite the fact that the Fiat 500 EV will be sold for approximately three times the amount of the same car with an internal combustion engine which is targeted at $15,500. Yeah, let those numbers sink in for a second. This is a fairly expensive car which will still see the manufacturer lose about 20% of its retail price with each sale.

Fiat chairman, John Elkmann has stated that electric cars get too much attention as it is stating that there is “900 million vehicles with internal combustion engine vehicles in the world and less than 100,000 EVs.” This all leaves us asking the question, why is Fiat even bothering to make the Fiat 500 EV in the first place?

Automotive News is reporting that Fiat / Chrysler is looking to introduce natural gas powered vehicles in upcoming Fiat and Chrysler models.

As the world’s biggest producer of natural gas, the United States market might well make for the perfect place to expand their natural gas vehicle options. Fiat has the European market cornered for natural gas car sales with an 80% market share.

Fiat points to the reduced cost of running a natural gas vehicle as well as the sheer amount of it as being the main reasons for the push with a natural gas power version of car costing less than a diesel, electric or hybrid car.

The 2011 Fiat 500 is coming to America and it’s landing with a base model (Fiat 500 Pop) price of $15,500. The mid-range model, the 500 Sport is coming in at $17,500 and the high-end fancy pants Fiat 500 Lounge is going for $19,500 without any options.

Oh la la! Wait, that’s French. Anyway, the Fiat 500 configurator will let you setup and price the 2011 Fiat 500 of your choice. It looks like the most pimped out of pimped out models with all the bling will set you back $25,236.

You’ll be able to find the Fiat for the first time in 25 years on US soil at around 130 Chrysler dealerships sometime in January 2011.

Fiat has inked a deal with SolarPrint that will see them provided with solar panel systems for upcoming Fiat cars. While these solar panel roofs won’t provide nearly enough juice to power the cars, they will take the burden off of it for the operation of various accessories like the stereo, ventilation, power windows and any other electronic devices.

The Fiat solar panel roofs will cut the burden that the car’s alternator has to deal with and consequently will reduce parasitic losses.

The solar panels will be able to be printed onto all kinds of surfaces including metals and glass. The SolarPrint panels also boast a better than normal silicon ability to absorb and use low light and light from various angles for a net improvement of 20%.

Back in January Fiat and Chrysler struck a deal that saw Fiat get a 35 percent stake in Chrysler for which they’d get to use some of Fiat’s engine designs. Now, according to Quattroroute Magazine, it looks like Fiat is designing a hybrid system specifically for small cars which Chrysler will get to make use of.

The new hybrid vehicles would see Fiat’s new 900cc 2-cylinder turbocharged engine working with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery. Interestingly this hybrid system will also be able to be plugged in.

While plug-in hybrids aren’t breaking any new ground, Fiat is looking to put the system into their little 500 series as well as the soon to be released Topolino. This would be a landmark for hybrid vehicles in that a 500 would be the smallest hybrid out there.

This type of vehicle might see some decent sales in the US which would be great for a struggling Chrysler assuming that they really do get some Fiat models with this hybrid system.

As we previously reported Fiat and Chrysler have struck a deal which sees Fiat receive a 35% stake in Chrysler in return for Chrysler getting to use some of Fiat’s vehicle designs. It’s an important deal for struggling Chrysler which badly needs an injection of good, affordable, gas-efficient small cars.

Automotive News is now reporting that it knows what the Fiat models will be that Chrysler will be building. They include two minicars: the Fiat 500 in the three-door and five door versions. Two subcompact cars, the Alfa Romeo MiTo and a Chrysler version that might replace the Dodge Caliber. And two compacts and one mid-sized vehicle that look to replace the Sebring.

This deal won’t be official and finalized until the Spring so don’t hang your hat on this information quite yet.

Big news in the auto industry today. Without paying a dime Italian automaker Fiat has gained a 35% stake in Chrysler. The two companies have formed a global strategic alliance that will see Fiat provide Chrysler with its small car platforms.

Both companies are banking that the addition of things like Fiat’s small vehicle drivetrains will result in substantial improvements in Chrysler’s line of small fuel-efficient cars. Fiat will also be distributing Chrysler vehicles outside of the U.S.

We can expect that Chrysler will now be using Fiat small vehicle platforms like the Punto or the Fiat 500 to get a new line of small, affordable cars with great mileage. But will it be in time to pull their tail pipes out of the fire?

From an environmental perspective this is all good news since Fiat boasts the most efficient vehicles in Europe.