The Fiat 500 Convertible is expected to make its formal debut at the NY Auto Show.
There’s some big news coming from the Big Apple. With less than a month to go until the annual New York International Auto Show a number of makers are beginning to drop hints of what they’ll be bringing to the Jacob Javits convention center.
Among those planning to shine in the spotlight is Fiat, which will stage the formal unveiling of its new 500 minicar.
The Italian automaker recently staged its long-awaited return to the U.S. market – after an absence of two decades – with the 500 coupe heralding its return.
Fiat officials have said they plan to roll out a procession of variants to keep demand building for the little car, and the 500C will join the line-up before mid-year – which given the weather in much of the country may just barely see the start of spring.
The 500C will be followed by a performance version and a battery-powered minicar.
The convertible version will be only the next phase in the sequential roll-out of the 500 line. Next on the list is the high-performance Abarth edition, followed by the Fiat 500 Electric.
And Laura Soaves, marketing chief for the newly reborn Fiat brand hints that yet other versions of the minicar are slated to follow. It appears the Italian maker is planning to borrow a page from the Mini playbook, the British maker to soon have a full seven different variants of its own minicar to tempt potential buyers with.
Analysts caution that Fiat faces a tough battle in a still-struggling U.S. market. The 500 is just a wee bit bigger than the Smart fortwo, which has virtually vanished from the sales charts. But proponents insist the Fiat offering is a more solid product – and that it could be timed perfectly, what with rising fuel prices driving demand for small, fuel-efficient products to the highest level since the energy shock of 2008.