Fiat plans a wagon version of the 500 to take on MINI in the United States
By Andrew, 17 Jan, 2012. 0 Comments
2012 Fiat 500C (Cabrio)
Although the Fiat 500 didn’t make a buzz when it returned to the United States market, it appears that Fiat wants to boost its sales with a new wagon version of the iconic 500. According to Olivier Francois, head of the Fiat brand, the Italian manufacturer will introduce a five door model of the subcompact 500 in March at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. This new model will be sold in the United States starting next year. For those who don’t know, the new Fiat 500 was supposed to be Marchionne’s answer to Bmw’s MINI but the first year on the North American market went poorly as the Italian manufacturer sold only 26,000 cars, which is about half the number forecasted by the company.
These numbers will affect Marchionne’s strategy to increase revenues to more than 100 billion by 2014 for Chrysler-Fiat alliance. "We thought we were going to show up and just because of the fact people like gelato and pasta, people will buy it," Marchionne told reporters on Jan. 11. "This is nonsense."
The company bets on a roomier version of the 500 in order to see some numbers but also on the recently introduced the Abarth 500, the sporty version of the Fiat 500 powered by a 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine capable to deliver 160 hp (119 kW) and 170 lb.-ft. (230 Nm) of torque. Last week, Fiat announced that the 2012 Abarth 500 will be priced from $22,000. [source: Autonews]
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