Chrysler to Build 100,000 Fiat 500 in Mexico

As part of the Fiat - Chrysler alliance, the Italian carmaker will bring several new models in the United States but the 500 mini car will be the only one to be sold under the Fiat badge. The car is going to be produced by Chrysler in Mexico and, according to people close to the matter, the US-based former bankrupt automaker has already required suppliers to make sure that their parts are enough for around 100,000 Fiat 500.

The Fiat 500 produced in Mexico will be sold in the US, Canada and South America, Bloomberg reported, with initial production goals pointing to 104,000 to 120,000 vehicles per year.

Other details are still unknown for the time being but automotive analysts are predicting the Fiat 500 is going to be cheaper than the Mini Cooper.

"We don"t think it will be priced much lower than the Mini Cooper, and if that is the case we think it will have a fairly limited appeal," he said.

Previous rumors hinted that Fiat will initially sell a limited volume of 500 mini cars in the United States and will deliver them to customers through Chrysler's dealership network. However, it's still unclear how many stores will actually offer the model in Chrysler's domestic market.

"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.," Richard Gadeselli, vice president of Fiat communications in Italy, said earlier this year.