FIAT announces 124 Spider Prices USA

http://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=17474&mid=1

The base model FIAT 124 Spider will start at $25,000, with an Abarth version starting about $28,000

Smart to price it close to the Miata, makes it an easy choice whether you want it Italian style or Japanese style.

 

Smart move to help move cars....Not sure about the Italian style part as this car doesn't have any in my opinion(Abarth is ok)

 

Who was saying these would be $40k?!?

Maybe that's for the rally spec version?
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It's actually just a tiny bit cheaper than the Mazda, well played Fiat.

 

I like the looks of the car always like the orig 124 spider.. The miata styling never really did it for me.. I might have to look into one of these for a fun toy that I probably don't need

 

Pricing looks good. Will look crazy good if these end up discounted 5 or 6K like every other FIAT model.

 

Very smart pricing. I wish Fiat sold better. Get rid of the 500L, and bring back more expensive gas, and market the dream. Like Ferrari used to do, market the dream of driving in Italy (the good parts, not the winner take all traffic) and of Italian style.
I just picked up a used Fiat 500. It's a fun car, great for the city/urban non highway commute. You get to shift yourself (and you do a lot to keep it in the power band), minimal electronics and actual knobs to turn. A nice retro throwback. Make the dealers separate so the Ram pickups don't back over the inventory, make it a special experience.

 

Wife wants one, I like them. I hope FIAT is able to sell a lot of these.

 

Well done. It's properly priced. Still needs more power.

Realistically, the aftermarket will easily and cheaply increase the power with a chip just like the 500 Abarth, so they've done good.

Mark

 

Is the engine made by Mazda or Fiat?

 

FIATs will have FIAT engines, same 1.4 liter as the all the 500s, around 160hp like the 500 Abarth

The photo above is a Rally version that we might see in Europe next year with big horsepower, circa 300hp.

 

What are tuners getting out this motor?

You were happy with the stock motor in your 500 weren't you?

I've never owned a turbo'd car and am not a huge fan of the current trend of turbo 4s replacing 6s and turbo 6s replacing 8s, but did enjoy the turbo 3 in Smart Roadsters (nicely torquey ~85hp in the back of a 2000lbs car) and turbo diesels can be somewhat fun.

 

And really, the pricing isn't that surprising.
Who thinks Fiat can charge a premium, based on anything except "Italian Style"?
On the other hand is their (usually deserved) atrocious reliability/availability record.

They don't have to pay (much) for all the engineering Mazda did on the chassis, only new body panel molds, assembly tooling and programming, and some certification costs.

How many are they hoping to sell, 5,000 per year?
I think Mazda sold ~30k Miatas worldwide at their peak, average maybe 20k.
They're surely happy put another shift on Hiroshima's chassis production line.

BTW I love new Miata's styling. Can't wait to see what the next one is like too.

 

And as the former owner of 3 Fiat X1/9s, I would love to see more sporty Fiats especially a mid engined, open topped one.

I'm actually looking around for X1/9 racers right now.
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No doubt it'll be a great drive.

Really comes down to the motor and trans. Which do you like better?
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With chip, exhaust, and intake, I believe 220hp and 220+ft/lbs were easily seen for somewhere in the $2200 neighborhood.

I was pretty pleased with the engine, but not totally pleased. When I bought it, the engine was rather manic. There was turbo lag, but then the power came on very fast and hard. It hiss, popped, and had a great overrun. It was not civilized. It acted like a much smaller version of the F40 engine. I loved it. Then there was a recall requiring an engine reflash. It took a lot of the fun out. Power delivery was much more linear without all the drama. Supposedly it pulled harder, but it wasn't as fun. I still really enjoyed it, but it lost some of the charm with the reflash. The aftermarket reflashes supposedly bring all the fun back.



Mark

 

Thats a cool ride right there!

 

+1

 

Very reasonable pricing for a toy like this. I saw a Mazda version on the streets of LA and didn't care for the styling.

 

124 is nicer looking than the miata IMHO but neither is going to win beauty awards - although they should win other awards as the Miata at least is dynamically brilliant, 124 should be also.

 

The Miata looks better in pictures while the new 124 looks much better in person.

At least that's the impression I have after seeing a few new Miata's on the road this weekend.

 

Saw both at the NY auto show; nod goes to 124 but neither was close to making me drool....but then again a Miura, Dino, Alfa 33 and Stratos are the few cars that can....

 

The good part about the 124, is the ability and ease to get more power out of it.

Having a turbo, that's much easier than the Miatas NA engine.

Everything looks good on paper, now to see how these actually sell... Fiat is barely hanging on.

 

Need more products in the showroom. Dump the 500L, bring the Punto over....

 

I think Fiat is getting more conservative and Alfa more out of the box and radical.

I'm sure it's intentional.

This is a really conservative design heavily relying on the past, as all current USA Fiats are.

It kinda makes me want to buy an 82 2000 Fi spider, warts and all.