If they had kept the stock drivetrain and made the car with an MR layout this thing would be the new Renault 5 turbo...
Fiat should build on their past successes. The X1/9 sold well for many years. How about a bigger more powerful version ? Or an X1/9 Turbo ? How about a new "Fiat Dino" with a Ferrari V8 up front ? The new 124 is a disappointment, IMO. I would much rather have one of the originals.
I see a ton of Fiat500s in Florida.. my wife wanted one so i figured try it. She drives the hell out of it and zero issues... 55k and only 3yrs old.
What!? A Dino with the engine in front? That's damn near blasphemous! I do agree on a new x1/9 though. Take the abarth engine , drop it in something the size of the 3rd gen mr2 and you're in business.
In my opinion, Fiat made a giant mistake with the 500L. What they should have done is take that drive train and make something new with Italian style and "coolness". Instead they pigeon hold them into a retro company and put a cherry on top with the 124 puker-- I mean spider. Now they are stuck. They could have been a definitive new alternative to German styling and boredom. Instead they made themselves boring. The ultimate insult-- making an Italian car company 'boring". Mr Sweater should be tarred and feathered if only for that.
More like "classic". That's why the prices went to the moon. Hint, hint, Fiat... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSyNms78uIM
fIAT is becoming irrelevant and its worldwide footprint is shrinking. By 2025, FCA will not exist anymore. FIAT is loosing market share on its main market In Europe and not capturing anything in the emerging market in China. FIAT doesn't have a range of cars, and increasingly badges cars from Mazda and Mitsubishi. The quality of Italian cars is dreadful. Marchioness has gambled on an Alfa revival, but the new cars don't sell. Chrysler is a lost cause, and Jeep is falling behind. Let's be honest, the Japanese make better 4x4 than Jeep. Also many Jeeps are now disguised FIAT with small engines and limited off-road ability. The US buyers will soon find out!
I'm actually amazed anyone would take Fiat seriously after the first time they bailed on the U.S. consumer. I know I'd never buy anything from Fiat just for that reason.
What you have pointed out is a lot of troubled rolling stock under a single tent. Almost a perfect storm for failure. Management has really painted themselves into a corner. What they need is another renaissance like Chrysler went thru in the early 1990s when the public was excited by their offerings.
Cannot think of one Japanese 4x4 that is better than a Jeep and there is surely nothing that even interests me a little.
Geez what did you eat for breakfast? Fiat is posting gains in most European markets and its market share has increased in the last 3-4 years. Alfa and Maserati are only starting to take off, it will take another year or two. Maserati will sell close to 60k units this year, up from 6k only 4 years ago. Jeep sold approx, 250k units in 2008, they sell a million units globally now. Are they Toyota-like in their durability and quality control, no they aren't, but neither is anyone else. Does FCA have a long way to go in other areas? Of course they do.
The problem in the USA is their product line and dealers, which look like they were put up in the middle of the night by Habitat for Humanity. Mine in Vegas has a couch for "guests" to wait on that looks like it came off Craigslist. Oh, the snack vending machine is a nice touch. How old is the 500 now in the US? 7 years? The 500x is a weak seller. The same car with the Jeep Renegade body and label is a success. Same car, different styling. The Fiat 124 was a complete mistake. It deluded the brand and wasted whatever resources they should have used to revamp the product line. A Japanese car with an body that looks like a 1968 car is not Italian -- not to mention they designed it for women instead of enthusiasts. How do I know this? Try to get a manual. They made ZERO in Lusso trim. And NOW.. they are throwing everything at Alfa. Ok, good move and the product is pretty good. But it's at the expense of Fiat, which is struggling. The only reason to buy a 500 today is because its cheap and cute. I tried to like this car but the Mini just blows it out of the water if you don't look at the sticker.
Unlike Ford, Renault, Peugeot, Nissan, Toyota or Volkswagen, FIAT doesn't have anymore a complete range of models, and therefore looses customers when they want to upgrade. What do you offer a customer to upgrade after a 500 ? a Punto ??? Huhhhh.... FIAT badges Mazda and Mitsubishi as FIAT, and shares its commercials with Opel (GM Europe), so there is no common DNA in the range. The Koreans have stolen FIAT's sector on the European markets: Hyundai and KIA have won many customers and expand by launching new models every year. FIAT is very pale in comparison. In spite of some good reviews, Alfa and Maserati will never be able to challenge the domination of AUDI, BMW and Mercedes. FIAT has neglected that sector for too long and will not recapture lost customers. For a start, their distribution network is inferior to the Germans. People don't only buy cars, they also expect a good service; the Italian brands don't offer that. Chrysler doesn't exist anymore in Europe; I don't know in the States. As for JEEP, they may sell well in the States, but not outside. The Wrangler has its own niche, but is now outdated. The Renegade is just an Italian-made FIAT 500X with a different body and a puny engine, no JEEP DNA there; it looks cheap. I am surprised Americans buy it. The Cherokee and Grand Cherokee don't compare very favourably with the Japanese off-roaders, the Range Rover models, or the German 4X4. I visited some Middle East countries; Toyota almost everywhere, and some Range Rover and Mercedes. Not many JEEPs in sight. So, I predict that FCA will not survive another 10 years. Some brands may be bought, but that's about it. Marchione has been hired to firefight the inevitable decline, but ultimately he won't be able to prevent the demise of the group, IMO.
+1 I bought a new Wrangler in 2015 and drove it for 17k miles in a 12 month period. No problems whatsoever. They're really cool cars and most everyone likes them. As far as factory cars go they're extremely capable off-roaders.
If you're in a Punto and want to upgrade, simple, Alfa Romeo is the answer, if thats too poor for you, then Maserati and Ferrari should fit the bill. The Renegade, future Compass and other Jeeps sell strongly across the globe. Again, they're not Toyota Land Cruisers from the 80's but tell me how a Benz ML or X5 will handle constant abuse and neglect and get back to me. Range Rovers?......out of warranty? you've got to be kidding me, compare ownership costs of a Range Rover Sport over 10yrs to a Lexus GX or whatever, not even close. As for the comparing Alfa or Maserati to the German trio, clearly on an industrial level theyre not even remotely close, but give it some time. Get behind the wheel of a Giulia and tell me if you'd rather drive a glorified Volks, sorry I meant A4. Or maybe you'd rather pay 300k for a glossy Q7-Bentayga, as posh as it may be. The only reasons the Brits are making decent cars now is because they're owned by the Germans, Indians and Chinese.
As a Fiat owner, Fiat in North America is irrelevant just as Mini is. They both sell around 2k-3k units per month. Those are insiginificant numbers and Americans don't generally want small funky efficient European cars. They never did, they never will. Theres a reason the Ram, F150 and Silverado sell the way they do. As for the CDJRM dealer situation, its definitely lacking, but walking into comparable brands doesn't exactly inspire confidence, it takes many years to instill and revamp a network, convincing the franchisee to fork over the cash to make those changes. Renegade and 500X are doing very well overseas, def could improve in North America but their pricing is not competitive.
The mistake Fiat made with the 500 was putting all their eggs in a "retro" basket. The 500L is inherently an oxymoron: a "big" "little" car. The 500 was a retro gimmick. Trying to expand that into an entire product line was ... ... just what were they smoking? There may be a market for a "mini SUV" -- but focus on that market, rather than trying to make the 500 the next K-car. Chrysler should have been able to tell FCA the fallacy of the "one ring" approach. But don't expect Congress to bail out FCA. Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Believe what you want; I stick to my prediction that FCA will not survive beyond 2025. Some brand names like Alfa may be purchased , and others swallowed by Far East companies, but the FCA group itself is doomed. fIAT has been declining since the 70s. I remember when it was a huge empire in Europe, making cars, trucks, aircraft, trains and owned half of Italy!! Now it is moribund, merely surviving by shrinking home production, subcontracting and low cost products. Chrysler? Well, Americans know all about that other failed conglomerate, bailed by the Feds, by Mercedes later, etc... The merger of these 2 just prolonged the agony.
I had an awful ownership experience with an Abarth. Dealer damaged my car, returned it claiming they replaced stuff they didn't fix, denying warranty claims, while telling me nothing is wrong. Throw out bearing made tons of noise since day 1, they acted like that was normal. Fca corp wouldn't do anything. I hope they go under.
