Par Chrysler!
Source : LeftLaneNews.
Fiat's Chief Technology Officer Harald J. Wester recently reveled the Italian automaker's future vehicle plans and, from the sound of it, Fiat has some big plans for its small car lineup. Fiat is currently working on two new small cars and is also planning to bring its highly successful
500 to North America.
The first car under development is a new B-compact world car. It will replace the Palio range and will bridge the gap between the A-segment Panda and the recently-upscaled B-segment Grande Punto.
The new model could even spawn its own brand. According to
Auto Motor und Sport, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is keen on the idea of launching a new low-cost brand — as Renault did with Dacia — possibly under the Innocenti nameplate.
The second car in the works is a new microcar to slot under the 500 and Panda. Not much else was revealed about the microcar, but it should hit the market by 2009 or 2010.
But the biggest news Wester revealed — at least to those of us who live in the U.S. — is that Fiat is planning to sell its 500 small car in North America. Production for U.S.-bound 500s will either take place at a
yet-to-be-named North American plant or one of Fiat's production facilities in South America.
It remains unclear how Fiat would distribute the 500, but it's possible Fiat could use
Jaguar and Land Rover dealerships — as Fiat and Tata have close ties. However, since the 500 would be a rather inexpensive car, premium dealerships might not be an ideal distribution network.
Wester failed to give a time frame for a North American 500, but with
Alfa Romeo soon re-entering the U.S. market, the 500 shouldn't be too far behind.
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Mar 15 Avr - 19:46
