Fiat 500 to Launch in the US for 2010?
It was inevitable. The Fiat 500 is likely coming to the US via a Chrysler dealer near you. While the 2010 year was mentioned more than once from Fiat themselves over the last year, it would now seem that that timeframe is actually doable based on the Fiat/Chrysler merger announced just days ago.
The first model to arrive reportedly will be a 100hp version with special US specific bumpers meant to withstand US low-speed impact rules followed surely by the Abarth models which range from 135bhp to 160bhp with dealer installed upgrades
While the 500 may not be the drivers car that the MINI is, it undoubtedly has the potential to take some sales away from the MINI brand in the US.
+ Scoop: Fiat 500 May Be On Way to U.S. By 2010 / Motor Trend
This is great. The FIAT might be a tad too small for me but this will put MINI on notice.
Bring it on!
Depending on pricing likely to become my next commute car.
This form USAToday…
“Chrysler’s would-be rescuer, Italian automaker Fiat, Thursday reported a 44% collapse in fourth-quarter automotive earnings and was hit with a negative credit-watch notice.
Rater Standard & Poor’s cited Fiat’s debt and shrinking liquidity, down 43.5% in 2008 to the equivalent of about $5.1 billion on Dec. 31.
Along with earnings, Fiat announced it would not pay dividends for 2008 on ordinary shares and would halt a stock buyback.
Even as Fiat, the biggest car company in Italy, began to stagger financially, its plan to acquire 35% of Chrysler for no cash began to stick in congressional craws. The government has lent the automaker $4 billion and is expected to lend an additional $3 billion soon, on top of $1.5 billion to Chrysler Financial.
“U.S. taxpayers will have loaned $8.5 billion to Chrysler, and (the company) is ending up in the hands of Fiat. It’s just a way to entice Fiat to take them,” Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said in an interview. “It leaves me and some people in this country scratching their heads.”
Still good for both companies, Chrysler needs somebody to teach them how to make decent small cars and Fiat and Alfa gain a huge dealer network here. Also opening sales in the US is very wise for Fiat since even Minis sales in Europe are less than stellar. The US market right now seems to be one of the few were a good small car can be successful.
oh god its ugly, but I’m a sucker for small fast cars!
If Chrysler prices it right, this will be a knock-out. I’d buy one. When it was launched in Europe, they sold out the entire first year’s production (58,000 cars) in 3 weeks. It’s hot-hot-hot in Europe right now, in the top 3 sellers in most countires where it is available. They expect to be building more than 350,000 a year by 2010
This might put MINI on notice…but lord please have MINI come out with better programs to combat consumer questions. Let the Euro-MICRO-car wrars BEGIN!
Looking forward to this. I remember when either TopGear or FifthGear did a comparison of the new MINI and new Fiat 500 and the Fiat did quite well. It’s interior is very Italian and impeccably executed. Though what I’m most waiting for would be the Alfa MiTo and the rumored MiTo GTA (240hp, sublime Alfa ride and engine sound, $2000 less than a factory JCW, and exquisite design!)
Wow, just checked European prices. The two models that are similar in spec’s to the MINI Cooper and the Cooper S, (which will be the ones selling in the US), are currently priced 5,000 Euros below their comparible MINI models (base price).
IMHO it’s a long way from ugly but to each his own, but I loved the original
I might buy one but the Fix It Again Tony history, yes I know it was a long time ago but Fiat still aren’t that great, might get in the way.
I don’t really see Fiat fixing Chryslers ills. I also don’t see crowds streaming into those dealerships, is any remain by then, because a Fiat is present, but I could be wrong. As shown above Fiat ain’t no car giant either.
I think it needs a shout more HP though and if MINI keeps making odd decisions it could be a threat.
FIAT owns Ferrari as well. Anyway, this is good news. I’d love to see 500s cruising the hills where I live, and they’d be a great city car as well.
Bring it on!
Matt
Yep, great news! Fiat also has a track version of the 500, although I doubt it’ll get over here as it’s a (very) limited production model–but it does give them a platform to use for street legal performance upgrades. I’d never buy one of these, but I can’t wait to see one in the flesh.
great news!
if the price is right, I would consider selling the Clubman and replacing it with a 500 + a couple year old Forester for hauling things.
MiTo! MiTo! MiTo!
the one review I read of the MiTo wasn’t too keen on the handling aspect of the car.
<a href="http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=128328" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=128328</a>
but it is a great looking machine!
I love this car! I just hope this deal with Chrysler doesn’t result in them watering down the car. And I’m not crazy about buying a Chrysler-branded Fiat. Hopefully they’ll leave it pretty much as is, sell it as a Fiat, and maybe that’ll be my next car. I can’t see buying another MINI in it’s current form, but who knows what they’ll have by 2010…
Competition is good. Hopefully Mini will step things up for the refresh and gen 3.
I saw a photo of the Lotus/Fiat car. Very cool.
@PaulGraz: I agree 100% – don’t mess with success; leave it as it is.
I’ll keep my MCS, but the 500 would be for my wife’s daily commuter. 😉 No Abarth edition necessary for her. …How ’bout that diesel engine though?
This car could be a huge hit with a good dealer network. Most of my friends love my Mini but few are willing to drive the distance to the dealer. I gave up 3 vacation days last year just for normal dealer service.
I like the looks and size of this car but have not liked the test reviews I have read. It is not Mini like at all. It is more of a boulevard cruiser, nice ride but not sports car like handling.
Here is the Fiat UK site:<a href="http://www.fiat.co.uk/Showroom/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.fiat.co.uk/Showroom/</a>
the one under consideration for U.S. is the 100hp 4 cylinder gaseline, it’s nowhere close to cooper S in power. The Abarth “esseesse” version puts out 160, which would put it in S neighborhood. I am not sure they plan to sell that. Does anyone know if it’s even available in Europe?
They are even uglier than the R56.
worse than that, uglier than the R53
Least the R53 lav didn’t have its center stack beat with a big ugly stick 😉
Think the Abarth would look good parked next to my GP. Red mirror caps all around lol. I am not considering buying this as a replacement but rather as another super Iconic little car. Also one that I don’t see on every corner like I do with the Mini these days.
Hoping the competition between this and possibly the MiTo as well. Then again Mini wants to compete with the Rav4 and the CR-V so maybe it will be a good thing to get them back on track. Also would be funny to part this next to the “Mini” and see which one is really a mini and which is a tad bloated.
no, just its nose
We’ve had the 500 here for a while now. They have not sold many (I have yet to see one in the wild, even in the biggest city in Africa). They are prohibitively expensive, with an option list comparable to that of MINI, and similarly priced. The finish has a premium feel to it, but the 100hp I test drove has lackluster performance, compared to an R56 Cooper, and the handling is a yawn. An iconic “cute” car, deceptively spacious, but too expensive for consumers here, when compared with other euroboxes on offer. FIAT have missed the mark in South Africa.
hello everybody!! Im a happy MINI owner from Mexico , I have to say that in Mexico city theres a lot of Minis in the streets but we have the fiat 500 since 2008 and at the beginning everybody was wondiring if Fiat 500 can “kill” the Mini super sales but once we watch the interior quality level, engine (1.4) and of course the price you think “ok its a good car but I wont pay that money for the 500” and of course is not common to see a fiat 500 on the road.
Some good pics of the 500, inside and out:
<a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2007/07/09/new-fiat-500/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.dezeen.com/2007/07/09/new-fiat-500/</a>
It seems lately that there is something similar to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law" rel="nofollow">Godwin’s Law</a> occuring on Motoring file. The comments in nearly every article seem to degenerate to references to the R55,R56,R57 center stack design or the other “horrible” things MINI did when designing the 2nd gen MINIs. This occurs even following articles where there should be no reference to this.
I work in the netherlands at a MINI Dealership near a FIAT garage. Believe you’ve nothing to worry about over there in the States. The MINI is in a whole diverent league then a 500. The built quality is nothing like that of a MINI.
When the FIAT came out there was a little hype about the “MINI killer” that took 3 monthes and then the hype stopped. Were MINI continued after the hype, the 500 stopped.
MINI is a brand, lifestyle subcultre where the 500 is just one of the Fiat’s en trust me their name stands for a lak of quality and cars for old fashiond people.
Greetz from the netherlands
I could see myself in one. Even at only 100 hp, they are only about 70% if of the weight. So 100 may be just fine. I thought the Abarth from reading was coming in about 135 hp turbocharged. G
Well see what comes over… It takes work to certify the engines and crash worthiness for the US. And the MiTo skipped the EPA mandated OBD-II diagnositics from the ECU…. All this takes money that is in short supply, so who knows what we’ll see when.
I don’t know about the comments on looks. Seems a natural to be discussed whenever a potential competitor comes up. Then all the “usual suspects” will chime in with whatever echo they care to about what we already know we think….
Life will go on, it’s just the internet..
Matt
MINI meet your new rival designed by – Frank Stephenson. Fiat got it right by starting with
… a basic model then adding the hot version (Abarth) later. How are they selling in Italy the home market remembering that MINI sells mostly in England?
I configured a 500 on the english language site. The site is devoid of real technical specifications, which I found odd. I did find that it has three engine variants a 69 hp 1.2L, a 75 hp 1.3L diesel, and a 100 hp 1.4L engine. Couldn’t find details like mpgs on their site. I found a uk review that had the efficiency ratings and I wasn’t impressed. They were significantly worse than the 1.6L 120 hp mini, and I’m assuming they were both imperial gallons since they were both uk sites. If that is truly the case they can keep it in Italy. Although the diesel was off scale good.
In the configurator the exterior colors of the 500 are atrocious. I like the pearl color we see in most pictures over here, the green is terrible (think 70s ford olive green), red so-so nothing like chili red, the orange horrible. I picked as my favorite the lighter shade of the two blues. Just nothing that jumps out as astounding. They could stand to brighten up their color palette some. I did like the interior design, one review says it looks much better than it feels.
I went to a link from the 500 site to the abarth site. They don’t skimp on the technical data like the 500 site. A 1.4L turbocharged engine with 135 hp at 5500 rpm and max torque at 206 Nm (newton-meters) at 3000 rpm in sport mode. No mention if turbo is two stage as the mini is to reduce turbo lag. Had mpg figures, but they were in L/100km urban 8.5, mixed 5.4, extra urban 6.5. The abarth is a 5 speed, I found no reference to transmission on the 500 site, although a uk review reported the 100 hp variant to have a 6 speed to deal with the torque at low revs.
All in all after an hour of internet research, I’m indifferent at this point. It is a nice looking small car, that may not be as efficient as a slightly larger more powerful car (mini). I could see driving one and really like its look, but it would have to at least come in the 100 hp version as being as efficient as the mini. I went with the R56 MC for significant improvement in efficiency and I won’t go backward.
For me this car like the Mini isn’t really a huge worry about efficiency. I don’t end up driving enough miles in a year to really care if a car gets 20mpg or 50mpg. The very iconic design is an outstanding updating of the original and if they can get the diesel over here I would be very happy indeed. Also this car a a lightweight car that is built to do a simple transport job. I have seen a 500 parked next to a R56 and can tell you that the Mini seems a bit thick around the mid-section compared to the 500. For what it is designed for I think it does an outstanding job.
The 100hp version takes 10.5 seconds to reach 62 mph (but gets 44.8 mpg according to Top Gear) so I don’t think anybody with a Mini would go for a 500 until at least the 135hp Abarth is available. From what I can tell, you can’t get a 500 with an automatic transmission. That would make the slow version a very tough sell in America.
Top Gear sums up the 500 as: “Will probably look better with your missus driving it, but still, [there’s] not much cooler on the road at the moment. Retro can be awful, but here it’s all good.”
Perhaps it is best seen in light of the competition they list: Ford Ka, Smart ForTwo, Mitsubishi I.
Found a driving impression on Top Gear:
<a href="http://www.topgear.com/us/features/more/driven-hard-2008-fiat-500-abarth/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.topgear.com/us/features/more/driven-hard-2008-fiat-500-abarth/</a>
“See, the 500 Abarth’s limits are low. To reach them you just hurl it at a corner and let it guide you, assist you, sort you out and generally be your friend. Which is why it’s such colossal fun. We can’t think of a better way of spending 135 hp.”
“[It] uses Fiat’s brilliant 1.4-liter turbo T-Jet engine. It gets up and at ‘em from low rpm, thanks to a lag-free variable-geometry turbine. That helps the cause as you barrel out of a tight corner. So does an electronic torque-distribution device, and lightweight and good fundamental traction.”
Listed at $23,000 in the UK in the article.
but here the competition is more likely to be the Ford Fiesta, and if only two door models then the Yaris, and Hyundi’s Accent. The Yaris looks like a pig, even worse than 500. The Hyundi actually looks good in the two door but I think the engine lags behind the competition here.
I think it is all about efficiency, for most. For America to embrace the 500 it will have to be more than iconic, it will need to pay off at the pump in a big way. Honda is coming out with a four door Insight, a hybrid Fit, the European Ford Fiesta is not a bad car, there will be alot of competition. Sure there will be some sales on looks alone, but more often than not after a near $5/gallon summer, people will be paying close attention to mpg numbers when buying a car as small as a 500. I opted out of a R50 purchase in 2004 as it was only a few mpgs better than a much larger Accord. Sure it was iconic as well, but that wasn’t enough. Finally when the efficiency improved with the second gen I took the plunge and bought a MC R56.
The Fiat 500 in Abarth guise seems to be a fantastic little car. Just don’t let our resident R56 zealot know that you may be getting one. He has no mercy against R56 traitors.
Its just not going to bring about the fan following that the Mini has – number one nobody in the US is familiar with the original 500 – there is no heritage here. Its just going to one of a wave of small cars, and one from a suspect foreign company, and number two the fact it looks like a potato won’t help.
The Mini has already done this – iconic retro car thing. The 500 has to do something new to get a fan base – what will that be? Even the Smart car has its groupies, just because its unique, not because its good. How is the 500 going to do this. I just don’t see it happening.
The original 500 doesn’t have the heritage that the MINI did in the U.S., I’ll give you that…But if you look at the MINI demographic, it really doesn’t matter–the people buying MINI’s here for the most part are detached from Mini’s original history (if you doubt this, all you have to do is go back seven years to the MINI’s release and relive the war between those who owned the original Mini and those who bought the new MINI). And the old MINI, for all its charm, had some significant reliability issues. Didn’t manner at all when the new MINI was released. Won’t matter for Fiat either; people buying the 500 will have very little connection with the original 500, just as what happened with the MINI here.
You make it sound as if Mini/BMW invented the “iconic retro car thing”. They didn’t. VW beat them to it by a large margin with the Beetle, so the 500 doesn’t have to do anything new to generate a fan base, it just has to do it well. MINI was a surprise hit, almost a mistake if you will, if Fiat does it right there is a real possibility they’ll do fine with the 500.
The 500 has its own niche–a niche that BMW ignored in the U.S. The 100 HP 500 actually should be compared to the MINI one (and not the base MINI or MINI S), which never made it over here. There is potential here.
It’s the Abarth that’ll compete directly with the base MINI, and depending on which variants they bring over, the MINI S as well. I think
Fiat may run into trouble here, but the base 500 could potentially find a nice little niche, one that MINI ignored in the states….
Do a little looking into the Abarth SS and you will see something that is likely to run circles around the Mini Cooper S. Better handling and less weight.
I don’t disagree with you cct1, but the new beatle was a different size car – more comparable to the Golf and other small hatches which were on the way out when the beetle was introduced. When the Mini came out it was a smaller car, and a luxury car – more expensive than the beetle for a smaller package. So they were not really in the same space.
Now whatever the original Mini’s rep was for reliability an American could tell you what the car was when they saw one. But americans have no idea what a cinquecento is. There is a pizza shop a few miles from me that has one parked out front, and nobody I’ve ever talked to about it has had any idea what that funny little car was. But if you ask them about how good a car Fiat makes they’ll have an opinion about that. I hear it every time I tell somebody about my first car being a Fiat.
May be a moot point. Apparently our ADD ridden society has forgotten the ills of near $5/gallon gas and is starting to flock to large cars again. The article even mentions the Chrysler deal, not the 500 by name.
<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-01-25-auto-buyers-big-cars_N.htm" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-01-25-auto-buyers-big-cars_N.htm</a>
I agree cct1. The 1998 VW New Beetle was based on the Golf IV platform and had nothing to do with the smaller, RWD and aircooled “Hitler” classic Beetle (Yes the Beetle has a dark past), but Dr. Peich successfully re-launched their iconic car in a more modern, safer and more reliable package. The ’98 Beetle was the first VW to sport an Audi like cabin in fit/finish and materials (Remember how aweful the interiors of those Golf/Jetta III used to be).
VW however consequently dropped the ball with the New Beetle as the car became stale, uninteresting and was plagued with quality control problems due to its Mexican manufacturing. It took VW nearly 5 years to bring back the Beetle Convertible (First offered as a 2003 MY) and the Turbo 1.8T took almost just as long to come to market.
BMW/MINI capitalized on all the mistakes that VW made with the Beetle to begin with. They over engineered the car, made it more in line with the original, added world class design, safety, materials, etc. Kept the car fresh and interesting and created a fan base that VW simply failed to nurture with the Beetle.
Another problem….. VW always ignored the classic VW Beetle community. Now thy cautiously feature a talking classic Beetle in some of their ads (A failure and hard to think these are the same people that did the original MINI ad campaign for MINIUSA back in the day) but the reality of it is that the old Beetle was a crappy, slow car. Nothing more than a commuter. The Beetle has no racing heritage, no rally history. It is just a popular car of which 20 million or so copies were made since 1939 until it dimise in Mexico in 2003.
By the way, the old Beetle was still sold in Mexico until 2003 and was amde along side the New Beetle. You could get one for US$7,000 brand new off the showroom floor. Bosch fuel injected aircooled engine, 5 speed on the floor. Crummy slow car. I think the max speed rating was like 75MPH.
I think the Fiat 500 stands a huge chance in the US. It is more “Mini” in size than the BMW MINI, probably it will cost less and will offer the same degree of personal customization. And like you said, MINIUSA has blatantly ignored the diesel market and the lower bracket econo car market by not importing the MINI ONE.
The Abarth SS turbo model could pose a threat to the R56 S and the standard 500 can eat away Cooper sales.
Check out Fifth Gear they did a comparison between the Mini One and Fiat 500, the 500 spanked the Mini around the track. I think that Fiat is aiming the standard 500 at the Mini One, the Abarth at the Cooper, and the Abarth SS at the Cooper S.
I also think they will succeed also as they are going to undercut the Mini Cooper here in the states since Mini doesn’t bring the One here. I think there is a good sized market for the One that will be filled nicely with the 500.
I would also bet you one thing, that is Sire Alec was still living he would choose the smaller and lighter 500 over the much heavier and costly Mini any day. Though I am sure he would point out the rear seating area of the 500 isn’t great, then again would bet he would have still preferred the lighter car with smaller more efficient engine.
The problem is it isn’t a smaller more efficient engine. Its a smaller less efficient engine. The Cooper 1.6L has better UK mileage ratings than the 500 (gas versions, I didn’t compare diesel). In that regard the 1.4 L Mini One is also a disappointment in that it only gets 1 mpg better than the 1.6L Cooper.
I’m not sure the mini one or the 500 have much of a market here, particularly the One. The 500 maybe for city dwellers only who want even something smaller than a mini, larger than a smart, but I’d have a hard time buying something lighter, probably less crash worthy and have worse gas mileage. If mini wants to protect the entry level market here, they’d be better with a minimalist version of the Cooper than the One.
The Abarth, may be a totally different story, particularly depending on how it is priced in this market. It could be very interesting. That one I’ll keep my eye on.
The Abarth picture at the top of this thread is my current desktop photo!!
Just rather funny that I spend most my time looking at either much higher performance cars or smaller and lighter cars. Mini is still a awesome car but in many ways its not a small car and is heavier than what it really needs to be. At the other end they lack anything that is really a incredible performance car. Guess the timing is right to make Mini even more mediocre by bringing a SUV into the ranks.
There is nothing except a possible second generation GP that ever really interests me in the brand right now. Could just be me but its been a long while since Mini has done anything to really excite me.