Fiat Sets Launch of Seven Vehicles in the United States
Fiat and Chrysler is set to roll out seven new vehicles from their assembly line to the North American market. Four of these will be under the Chrysler range and the other three will be coming from either Fiat or the Alfa Romeo line.
The new vehicles will be assembled in the North America factories of Chrysler and they will be pushed to the public through the dealerships of Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep.
The new vehicles form part of the product sharing deal between the two car manufacturers. The Fiat platform will be used for a microcar up to a mid-sized vehicle.
The companies have not disclosed any information about the schedule or volume of production of these cars. They are set to reveal the plans by the end of April.
Fiat is taking a 35% share of stakes in Chrysler and might eventually end up getting a bigger chunk of the deal.
The Fiat 500 is set for assembly at the Chrysler plant in Toluca, Mexico. The factory will be retooled to make other vehicles like the Dodge Journey and other vehicle when it stops production of the PT Cruiser.
Chrysler will benefit much as it gains the Fiat platform for small cars. This will infuse their line of vehicles with the small cars that can meet the new demand of the US market and the stricter fuel standards. The Fiat 500 and another vehicle bearing a Dodge or Chrysler emblem will be produced. The Fiat 500 is set to enter the US market by 2012.
Fiat will also share its technology to produce C and D segment or mid-sized vehicles. Fiat might inject a car from its C-Evo platform for the compact segment and a replacement for the Avenger and Sebring might enter the picture for the D segment.