Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
For the 2020 model year, the 500 leaves the United States over poor sales. Adding insult to injury, the hatchback and cabriolet are joined by the Abarth lineup. This means that Fiat will soldier on with the 500X, 500L, and 124 Spider for 2020, and that gets us to the Italian automaker’s sales figures.
Fiat returned with great pomp and circumstance in the U.S. following the acquisition of Chrysler, and so far, sales topped 46,121 a few years ago. Last year was particularly bad for the company, reporting 15,521 sales. Part of the reason for this downfall is the lack of innovation, another part is the woeful reliability, but most importantly, Fiats aren’t adequate for the U.S.
Forgive the generalization, but American car buyers prefer something the size of a Toyota Camry or larger while budget-oriented customers make do with a Corolla. The cutesy but expensive 500 couldn’t stand a chance, and heaven knows what Fiat was thinking back when they announced they’re back.
Autoblog.com reports the 500 “is still basically the same car that was introduced in Europe over a decade ago.” A redesigned Cinquecento and a redesigned 500e are in the pipeline for 2020 probably for the 2021 model year, but on the other hand, not much is known of their availability in the United States.
Fiat might be preparing to make an announcement in this regard, although that would be the second case of wishful thinking from the brand’s part as far as the commercial success of the 500 is concerned. There are bad losers out there, yet Fiat is the type of automaker that doesn’t know when to quit.
About the new 500, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles reported in the five-year roadmap that the grand reveal is scheduled for the Geneva Motor Show next March. The bleak reality, however, is that business is awful in Europe as well for the Italian brand. Only 697,977 vehicles were sold in 2018, down from 769,670 the year prior and more than 1.3 million vehicles in 1990.
As such, the question remains. What will Fiat do in order to stay afloat?
Forgive the generalization, but American car buyers prefer something the size of a Toyota Camry or larger while budget-oriented customers make do with a Corolla. The cutesy but expensive 500 couldn’t stand a chance, and heaven knows what Fiat was thinking back when they announced they’re back.
Autoblog.com reports the 500 “is still basically the same car that was introduced in Europe over a decade ago.” A redesigned Cinquecento and a redesigned 500e are in the pipeline for 2020 probably for the 2021 model year, but on the other hand, not much is known of their availability in the United States.
Fiat might be preparing to make an announcement in this regard, although that would be the second case of wishful thinking from the brand’s part as far as the commercial success of the 500 is concerned. There are bad losers out there, yet Fiat is the type of automaker that doesn’t know when to quit.
About the new 500, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles reported in the five-year roadmap that the grand reveal is scheduled for the Geneva Motor Show next March. The bleak reality, however, is that business is awful in Europe as well for the Italian brand. Only 697,977 vehicles were sold in 2018, down from 769,670 the year prior and more than 1.3 million vehicles in 1990.
As such, the question remains. What will Fiat do in order to stay afloat?
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