[nikita]

Fix It Again Tony

Review: Fiat 500C | The Truth About Cars

If this is what Chrysler is going to use to compete in the US, they are doomed.

 

[iamz]

Fix It Again Tony

Review: Fiat 500C | The Truth About Cars

If this is what Chrysler is going to use to compete in the US, they are doomed.

I think the regular hard top version will do well here. But I'd have to take a wait and see attitude before looking at buying a Fiat in order to see how reliable they are.

 

[golf strom]

I think the FIAT Punto would be more of the competition for the Fiesta as they are in the same class. "subcompact" class

The Ford Ka is the 500s natural competitor and in most ways the 500 cleans its clock. "super mini" class

 

[mrbirdman330]

Don't count the 500 out, its got a good fan base here in the states. I'm quite sure its sales will be solid. Fiat is even going to be punching out an electric version as well for the states and a 5 door version. Fiat/Chrysler know what they're doing.

 

[golf strom]

The 500 Abarth is one heck of a super mini....think of a modern vehicle about the size of the old MKI VW Golf (Rabbit GTI) with tons more performance!!!!!!

Actually FIAT is going to introduce a new Fiesta size car using the name UNO once again sometime in the next year to so.

 

[FiestaFan]

Actually FIAT is going to introduce a new Fiesta size car using the name UNO once again sometime in the next year to so.

In fact they already have:

Fiat Uno supermini leaks out — Autoblog

Not exactly a Fiesta killer, but I think it's aimed at developing markets anyway. Plus the Punto Evo is already Fiat's Fiesta rival

 

[golf strom]

Just viewed the little Uno, and it looks remarkably like the Kia Soul and Nissan Cube vehicles....I actually don't see why they couldn't sell it here as long as the put a slightly larger engine in it...

FiestaFan..isn't the current Punto (not the Punto Grande) due for a redesign about now?

 

[FiestaFan]

FiestaFan..isn't the current Punto (not the Punto Grande) due for a redesign about now?

The Grande Punto just got a fairly major facelift, now known as the Punto Evo, and AFAIK the regular Punto has been discontinued, since it was the budget companion to the Grande Punto but now the Grande is the budget companion to the Evo. Or something like that...

 

[mrbirdman330]

I've got a buddy in the UK boosting up a Punto as his project car. Says it's really great.

 

[golf strom]

The Grande Punto just got a fairly major facelift, now known as the Punto Evo, and AFAIK the regular Punto has been discontinued, since it was the budget companion to the Grande Punto but now the Grande is the budget companion to the Evo. Or something like that...

I've heard really good things about the Grande Punto over the past couple of years .....

I really hope that Sergio Marchionne (CEO of FIAT Group and now Chrysler Corp) can pull off the resurrection of the Chrysler company in the USA...I have a feeling that if folks in the US can get a taste of what FIAT has to offer from Europe (incl Alfa and Lancia) they WILL buy in large numbers.

The most important thing he can do is to build a competent sales service infrastructure for the European brands so that the ownership experience will be first rate....FIAT reliability is really pretty good now about on par with most mainstream brands offered in the USA today. It will be the competence of the support the customer gets that will make or break FIAT, Lancia, and Alfa in the USA, not the desirability, performance or, quality of the product

 

[Marc]

My Fiat is my daily driver for the last 14 and a half years now.

I see quite a few old Fiat Panda's too (the first gen). Apparently unbreakable.

There's nothing wrong with Fiats reliability. At least not worse than the next competitor.
At least they don't accelerate out of control

 

[mrbirdman330]

The Panda which was the Yugo here.

 

[golf strom]

My Fiat is my daily driver for the last 14 and a half years now.

I see quite a few old Fiat Panda's too (the first gen). Apparently unbreakable.

There's nothing wrong with Fiats reliability. At least not worse than the next competitor.
At least they don't accelerate out of control

It's wasn't so much the reliability of FIAT as it was the dreadful dealer and mfr support for the cars in the USA. The same could be said for Alfa, Peugeot, and Renault as well. The mfr distributors and dealers either weren't able to or didn't want to properly support the products in the USA.

 

[mrbirdman330]

It will be a cold day in the basement before Alfa gets back over here.

 

[timo]

I followed a Mito home from work yesterday. (in MI)

 

[mrbirdman330]

That doesn't say much really. In that area you'll find a lot of cars being driven and ''tested'' by multiple manufacturers that never see sell in the states. Alfa was suppose to be in the show rooms and in peoples garages by 2008. They've delayed their launch now about three times. Much of it has not to do with quality, but that Alfa is trying to be competitive with their pricing. In order to meet some compliances it would drive up the cost of their cars and its something Alfa does not want.

 

[timo]

I know. I was just saying I followed a Mito home from work the other day.

 

[mrbirdman330]

I see test mules constantly on the Interstate during my commutes back and fourth to work here in the midwest. Latest mule I had seen was what I'm assuming was the new Mustang with the IRS. Haven't seen anything in the past month which is odd.

 

[Marc]

The Panda which was the Yugo here.

Errrrr... nope! Entirely different car, although they're both boxy looking. If it was the same car, there wouldn't be any vintage Pandas left. Haven't seen a Yugo 45 in 10 years I think!

Nowadays the Zastava factory who built these things (and got bombed by the NATO) is producing the previous model Fiat Punto, so this car is still sold (I read above that it supposedly was cancelled).
First they licensed the car, unimaginatively called it 'Zastava 10', but Fiat has decided to just call it what it is. Probably to counter act on the Renault/Dacia cheap-mobiles that are coming out of east Europe (Dacia - now under control of Renault - is building cheap cars which are sold as Renault in some markets).

Back to the subject: I love Fiat 500's - big and small (old and new). They look so damn cute! Even a straight guy like me can't help it to love them...

But actually the 500 is just a 2 door Panda (no, not that 30 year old model mentioned above!) and a close cousin of the Ford Ka, which is a reskinned 500 (with added rear anti-roll bar). Yes, all three come off the same assembly line (in Poland).



Reliability of Fiats: http://www.topgear.com/content/carsurvey/2006/fiat/panda/

 

[PowerShift]

UH-OH! Another Reservation Program

Looks like Chrysler is doing a "reservation" program for the Fiat 500. It's more limited than the Fiesta program (it's capped at 500 cars).

http://media.chrysler.com/newsrelease.do?id=9802&mid=2

There's a site for it at Fiat 500: Become a Fiat Follower. It says "European Model Shown".

Also, it's built in Mexico.

Are you getting really creepy Deja Vu right now?

Should someone go to the Fiat 500 forums and warn them of the impending misery this reservation program will cause?