YES! YES! YES!

[SVT666]

Fiat 500 coming to a Chrysler dealer near you

Confirming earlier speculations, Fiat has officially announced its retro-styled 500 hatchback will be coming to America in about 18 months. The 500 will be sold through Chrysler dealers nationwide and will be the only Fiat-badged vehicle sold in the states.

Richard Gadeselli, vice president of Fiat communications in Italy, revealed the news to Automotive News on Monday. ?The Fiat 500 ? we see that, like the MINI, as a sort of boutique car that we think we can sell in good numbers on the East and West coasts in the same way that MINI has been successful in the U.S.,? Gadeselli said.

Gadeselli didn?t give a sales prediction for the 500 in the U.S., but the Italian automaker is likely eyeing a goal of at least 40,000 sales per year ? just under the volume of BMW?s MINI brand.
Gadeselli also revealed the 500 will be the only Fiat-badged model sold in the United States. While Fiat will supply Chrysler with the underpinnings of six vehicles, each will be Chrysler-badged and wear sheet metal unique to the Chrysler brand. ?The vehicles will be U.S. vehicles, designed for U.S. customers by a U.S. company,? he said.

No timeline has been given for the other Fiat-made Chrysler vehicles, but we suspect the first examples won?t be far behind the 500?s launch.

[S204STi]

Bring me some Alfas and I might care.  Not too bad though.

[TBR]

Bring me some Alfas and I might care.  Not too bad though.

Same. I can't imagine myself ever wanting to drive something so cutesy. I am far more excited about the Fiesta.

[93JC]

Don't get too worked up. You never know: you might drive it and find it very underwhelming.

[S204STi]

Don't get too worked up. You never know: you might drive it and find it very underwhelming.

Zing!

[SVT666]

Very true.  You obviously remember when that happened to me with the G8.

[Raza]

I must own a car with scorpion badges.

[SVT666]

I must own a car with scorpion badges.

If it's as good as everyone says, and they import the Abarth SS, then I will do whatever I have to in order to own one...whether new or used.

[Raza]

If it's as good as everyone says, and they import the Abarth SS, then I will do whatever I have to in order to own one...whether new or used.

I have no idea where a car like that fits into my car purchase schedule.  I wasn't planning on replacing the Jetta until 2015, and there's really no room for another FWD runabout in my lineup until then.  But I will find a way. 

[Eye of the Tiger]

I must own a car with scorpion badges.

You'll have to settle for a sailboat. I believe the plan is to call it the Plymouth Breeze: Part Deux

[Yawn]

They need to have by next spring.. 18 months tooo long..

[93JC]

Very true.  You obviously remember when that happened to me with the G8.

Well, yeah, that's what I was getting at.

[the Teuton]

My first new car maybe?

I could see myself owning one if it has Italian looks without the Italian "reliability."

[S204STi]

My first new car maybe?

I could see myself owning one if it has Italian looks without the Italian "reliability."

I'd approach it as a clean slate.  I'm pretty sure the Fiat of today is much improved from the Fiat of the 80s, or at least that seems like a logical assumption, much like the suggestion that VW is moved past its reliability woes of the 90s.

[93JC]

My aunt & uncle's new Tiguan crapped out on the first day.

[Raza]

My aunt & uncle's new Tiguan crapped out on the first day.

Weird.  What happened to it?

[93JC]

Computer failure.

EDIT: I think it was a BCM failure, more specifically.

[MX793]

I'd approach it as a clean slate.  I'm pretty sure the Fiat of today is much improved from the Fiat of the 80s, or at least that seems like a logical assumption, much like the suggestion that VW is moved past its reliability woes of the 90s.

From what I've read, Fiat ranks near the bottom on reliability/quality/dependability studies of major brands in Europe.

[the Teuton]

Where is Fiat coming up with the money to buy Chrysler, or is this whole thing just that "cheap" for them?

[S204STi]

From what I've read, Fiat ranks near the bottom on reliability/quality/dependability studies of major brands in Europe.

Well, forget what I said then.

[cawimmer430]

What? Nobody here is complaining? I thought ya all were gonna bitch about the lack of a V8 in this thing? 

[2o6]

Where is Fiat coming up with the money to buy Chrysler, or is this whole thing just that "cheap" for them?

Fiat is profitable; they've made a drastic turnaround from recent years.

I love the 500. If you guys remember, I repeatedly bashed it when it first came out. I'd still rather have a Linea or Grande Punto, though.

[TBR]

Where is Fiat coming up with the money to buy Chrysler, or is this whole thing just that "cheap" for them?

I tried to think of dramatic way to say this but I can't, so here's the number: $0.

[the Teuton]

I tried to think of dramatic way to say this but I can't, so here's the number: $0.

That's quite a bargain for the profitable parts and dealer channels of a failed company, as well as the tooling for next generation vehicles that are supposedly very good.

[MX793]

That's quite a bargain for the profitable parts and dealer channels of a failed company, as well as the tooling for next generation vehicles that are supposedly very good.

IIRC, when that group of private investors bought MG/Rover from BMW, they paid 20 Euros and got like a 40 million Euro dowry from BMW to help keep things operating.  So they essentially were paid to take MG/Rover off of BMW's hands.

[TBR]

That's quite a bargain for the profitable parts and dealer channels of a failed company, as well as the tooling for next generation vehicles that are supposedly very good.

What's shocking is that someone is actually getting a better deal than the UAW on something.

[TBR]

IIRC, when that group of private investors bought MG/Rover from BMW, they paid 20 Euros and got like a 40 million Euro dowry from BMW to help keep things operating.  So they essentially were paid to take MG/Rover off of BMW's hands.

But Rover had a bunch of debt IIRC.

[the Teuton]

Did Ford and BMW take over all of Rover's debt?  How did that all work?

[MX793]

Did Ford and BMW take over all of Rover's debt?  How did that all work?

I'm talking about Rover, not Land Rover.  Different companies (Ford bought LR from BMW, another group of private investors later bought MG/Rover from BMW).

[TBR]

Did Ford and BMW take over all of Rover's debt?  How did that all work?

I am pretty sure it stayed with the company. That's why BMW had to pay someone to take Rover. I am not really sure how the Ford/Land Rover deal worked.