Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When FIAT took over Chrysler, FIAT and its other brands (Alfa Romeo & Lancia) seemed to have a wider diversity of products to offer besides the FIAT 500. To promote the merger they debuted a beautiful Lancia Delta dressed up in a Chrysler suit. Now Lancia is almost totally disappeared, relegated to Italy only. FIAT has plenty of cars but they are nothing more than different flavors of the FIAT 500. Where is the small, light weight, fuel efficient, and fun to drive Chrysler/Dodge based upon FIAT platforms? The Dodge Dart is too big an heavy to compete in its class. And now Chrysler isn't being sold in Europe anymore, not that they sold well there before. Where's the new products? Where's the upside for Chrysler/Dodge?
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,327 posts, read 54,350,985 times
Reputation: 40731
My guess is the cost of certifying/supporting different models for US sales may be a large consideration. FIAT didn't exactly do themselves proud during their last US tour and I'd think they feel they have a better shot with something a bit 'kitschy' like the 500 than trying to go head to head with more mainstream cars, at least until they can establish a bit of a decent reputation.
They've only got one car here in different versions and yet they are at the bottom of reliability ratings. I would not be surprised if the Fiat make gets pulled from the US market within a few years.
The "it's a Jeep thing" folks will likely keep that brand alive for a long time. Dodge/Chrysler though are definitely in trouble. I don't know how long the market will let them continue to struggle with quality.
Those Fiats are way overpriced for what you're getting. $16k for a base model 1.4 naturally aspirated engine with no real room for passengers. They need to knock 6k off that price tag.
They've only got one car here in different versions and yet they are at the bottom of reliability ratings. I would not be surprised if the Fiat make gets pulled from the US market within a few years.
The "it's a Jeep thing" folks will likely keep that brand alive for a long time. Dodge/Chrysler though are definitely in trouble. I don't know how long the market will let them continue to struggle with quality.
<shrug> my '15 300 is rock solid. Not sure about the quality struggles.
Those Fiats are way overpriced for what you're getting. $16k for a base model 1.4 naturally aspirated engine with no real room for passengers. They need to knock 6k off that price tag.
Perfect example of someone just buying into the hype. A comparably equipped Nissan Sentra (picked a model at random) is the same price. Guess we need to lop $6K off that price too - because there are tons of $8K new cars out there.
Perfect example of someone just buying into the hype. A comparably equipped Nissan Sentra (picked a model at random) is the same price. Guess we need to lop $6K off that price too - because there are tons of $8K new cars out there.
The ’16 Sentra is a far more substantial car than the 500. It has grown big and looks much better than even the Corolla. Fiat 500 is best suited to a circus.
Fiat will be history in 5 years or less. They are in financial hurts these days. They were pushing hard for a merger with GM to save the company but it didn't fly. With the reputation they have producing crap autos it's a matter of time and it'll be a bad bump in the history of the automobile. Too Bad too. Ram has started making some decent trucks and they probably will go down with the rest of the Chrysler bunch. Had Ram been left alone they could have been giving Ford a run for their money in the light truck segment but I doubt they get the opportunity. Since Daimler all but raped the company when they left with all of the cash, I'm surprised they've actually lasted this long.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
