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Because they like the looks? They like the way it drives better than a Yaris? They think the yaris is ugly? They don't want a Toyota (I'm in that last camp). Same reason ANY competetive cars are around in a given marketplace. MORE CHOICES.
Just a little clue for you, not everyone likes what you do. I've loved all my Fiats, and had great luck with them.
I would never consider buying a Fiat after wrenching on them in the 60's at a Fiat dealer in Syracuse N.Y.
I would consider buying 1 of these at less money and a way better vehicle.Safer too!
MSRP: $15,195 - $20,445
Invoice: $14,775 - $19,584
MPG: 29 City / 40 Hwy
Hyundai Elantra
It's supposed to come in a bit less than the Mini Cooper S, so about $23k (with more equipment standard than the MCS, which can get optioned up over $30k very easily).
3 color choices, black, white, and gray. So far manual trans only.
I would never consider buying a Fiat after wrenching on them in the 60's at a Fiat dealer in Syracuse N.Y.
Judging a modern car by ones you looked at in the '60s is kind of stupid, really. That would be like saying a new Focus is the same as my old '62 falcon. or a new M3 is teh same as an old BMW 2002Tii. Or more importantly, judging a modern Hyndai by a '70s Pony or an '80s Excel. (both of which were horrible piles of junk).
As I said, I've had good luck with my Fiats over the years, and have wrenched on many of them, including restoring a couple from the ground up. With a new one, however, there would be no wrenching involved as they have these things called warranties.
The Japanese really know how to win a market, start with a small, inexpensive car with very high quality-in fact quality above what you should expect for the price.
And then, keep delivering just that. Honda Fit, anyone? It's the one to beat. It's not particularly inexpensive anymore, but it's not particularly expensive either, and 2 adults can ride in the back seat in relative comfort, with a week's worth of groceries behind them.
Bottom line is Fiat will in the long run fail in US.As did the Volt.
I think the volt had lots of problems from the get go...
1st was the styling. The concepts styling seemed futuristic yet practical, however the production version was bland and pedestrian to say the least.
Production vs Concept
2nd issue were the initial fuel consumption figures. While going appx 40 miles w/o fuel is great...it doesn't take you as far as we'd all like to go, and the choice of a four cylinder gasoline engine as the backup powerplant seems nuts to me...I'd have found a way to shove a motorcycle sized (say 400cc) diesel in there, turning nothing more than a generator.
Bottom line is Fiat will in the long run fail in US.As did the Volt.
The Volt hasn't failed. It's finally getting sold in all the markets, and really taking off. It does everything it says it does, according to all the forums I'm on.
Modern Fiats arent' anything like '60s Fiats any more than Modern hyndais are anything like '80s Hyundais. Your analogy and logic was simply wrong. Too bad you're not big enough to admit it.
Last year I went to a car show. The Fiat 500 was on display and I absolutely loved it. I thought it looked really cute and fun. Now fast forward 1 year.
It is really tremendously ugly. At least the smartCar is cute. The Fiat has no style whatsoever. It's really very plain and ordinary looking.
I don't like 4 door cars. I love 2 door cars and have always loved small cars. I remember neighbors that owned the Fiat 500 from the 60's and thought that they were cool. I was happy that they brought them back. Besides the issue with the 4 door the newer cars such as the Elantra or Volt don't have the history behind them that I also find interesting. I think that the Elantra is a good car. Still it is a 4 door and not something that I am interested in. About the best comparison that I can come up with is the Mini, the new redesigned VW Bug, and the Fiat. All are retro looking and are what I am looking for in a new car purchase. I just want something that is going to be fun to drive and have stying that I like.
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