Laura Soave, head of Fiat Brand North America, introduces the 2012 Fiat 500.
Twenty-six years ago, Fiat left the U.S. market amid claims of poor quality. Now, with the help of its new American partner, Chrysler, the Italian automaker is back with a stylish subcompact, the 500, or Cinquecento.
Fiat officially revealed the U.S. version of the 2012 Fiat 500 at the Los Angeles International Auto Show on Wednesday.
In addition, Fiat announced the first 130 Chrysler dealers chosen to sell the 500. See the list of dealers at the end of the story.
The car is a cheeky little number with cool details and some significant technology.
“The new Fiat 500 now brings something truly unique to one of the fastest growing segments in North America, delivering Italian-by-design function, value and efficiency intelligently tailored for our market,” said Laura Soave, Head of Fiat Brand North America.
The 2012 Fiat 500 will go on sale in January, starting at $15,500.
It will be available in three models, the Pop, Sport and Lounge. Even the entry-level Pop, which starts at $15,500, comes with a surprising amount of standard equipment including CD/MP3 stereo with auxiliary audio input, power windows, power door locks, power heated mirrors and cruise control. The Pop has a five-speed manual transmission.
The Sport comes with 16-inch aluminum wheels, sport-tuned suspension, red-painted brake calipers and several interior improvements.
The Lounge is for those who want a more fashion-oriented 500. It adds standard features such as a fixed-glass roof, six-speed automatic transmission and chrome accents.
One of the 500’s major innovations is Fiat’s MultiAir system, which it says improves fuel economy and CO2 emissions by 10 percent. The engine delivers 101 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 98 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm. Fiat has not released fuel mileage figures.
Fiat also announced that Popular Science magazine had chosen the system for its “Best of What’s New” award.
The 500 is somewhat retro, with styling cues that look back on more than 50 years of Fiat Cinquecentos. Inside, the most distinctive feature is a panel color keyed to the exterior color.
Fiat also made several changes for the U.S. market, including:
• Redesigned body structure for increased strength
• Softer suspension for the U.S. market
• Improved noise, vibration and harshness (NVH)
• New four-wheel anti-lock disc brake system (ABS)
• Larger 10.5-gallon fuel tank for extended driving range
• Upgraded heating and cooling system for North American climate extremes
• Redesigned driver and front-passenger seats feature a new armrest and seat cushion for improved comfort on long journeys
• New steering wheel controls and revised steering effort calibration to increase stability at highway speed (against crosswinds)
• New BOSE Energy Efficient Series premium audio system with six speakers and subwoofer
FIAT of Birmingham – AL
Terry Spitzer
FIAT of Little Rock – AR
Steve Landers Jr.
FIAT of Tucson – AZ
John Grant & Doug Moreland
FIAT of N. Phoenix – AZ
AutoNation, Inc.
FIAT of Avondale – AZ
John Grant & Doug Moreland
FIAT of Scottsdale – AZ
Larry Van Tuyl & Coye Pointer
FIAT of Chandler – AZ
Don Luke
FIAT of Irvine – CA
Robert H. Tuttle & Jim Click
FIAT of Costa Mesa – CA
Jonathan Gray
FIAT of Ontario – CA
R.J. Romero
FIAT of San Diego – CA
Joe C. Gardon
FIAT of Thousand Oaks – CA
Andrew P. Shaver
FIAT of Carlsbad – CA
Christopher Baker
FIAT of Roseville – CA
AutoNation, Inc.
FIAT of Concord – CA
Lithia Motors
FIAT of North Sacramento – CA
Carlos Hidalgo
FIAT of Downey – CA
Paul Antepara
FIAT of Long Beach – CA
Bob Davis
FIAT of Palm Springs – CA
Jorge L. Velarde
FIAT of Fremont – CA
Carlos Hidalgo
FIAT of San Francisco – CA
Kent Putnam
FIAT of Puente Hills – CA
Alexander Hwang
FIAT of Torrance – CA
AutoNation, Inc.
Motor Village of LA – CA
Howard Drake
FIAT of Westminster – CO
AutoNation, Inc.
FIAT of Denver – CO
Doug Moreland
FIAT of Hartford – CT
E. Clayton Gengras Jr.
FIAT of Branford – CT
John Lavallee & Robert Lavallee
FIAT of Wilmington – DE
Larry Giacchino
FIAT of Daytona Beach – FL
Randall Dye
FIAT of Sarasota – FL
Donald Osborne & R.W. Geyer
FIAT of West Palm Beach – FL
Jim Arrigo
FIAT of Winter Haven – FL
Ralph Mahalak
FIAT of East Orlando – FL
Frank Rodriguez
FIAT of Sawgrass – FL
Jim Arrigo
FIAT of Clearwater – FL
Alfred Andrews
FIAT of Fort Myers – FL
Frank Galeana Jr.
FIAT of West Miami – FL
Robert Potamkin, Alan Potamkin, & Walter Ritter
FIAT of Winter Park – FL
John Fields
FIAT of Morrow – GA
Don Jackson
FIAT of Newnan – GA
Don Jackson
FIAT of Buford – GA
AutoNation, Inc.
FIAT of Marietta – GA
Fred Brillanti
FIAT of Honolulu – HI
Marc J. Cutter
FIAT of Highland Park – IL
John Fields
FIAT of Schaumburg – IL
Aaron Zeigler
FIAT of Orland Park – IL
Michael Bettenhausen
FIAT of Greenwood – IN
Tom Miller
FIAT of Carmel – IN
Fernando Falcon
FIAT of Gary – IN
Cary Bosak & Skip Bosak
FIAT of Olathe – KS
Steve Landers
FIAT of Louisville – KY
Winston Pittman
FIAT of New Orleans – LA
Raymond Brandt
FIAT of Shreveport – LA
Steve Landers & Denny Rogers
FIAT of Norwood – MA
Peter Catanese
FIAT of Peabody – MA
Brian Kelly
FIAT of Cape Cod – MA
Joe Laham
FIAT of Worcester – MA
Herb Chambers
FIAT of Owings Mills – MD
Jerome Fader
FIAT of Glen Burnie – MD
Creston Tate
FIAT of Gaithersburg – MD
Harry Criswell
FIAT of Frederick – MD
Creston Tate
FIAT of College Park – MD
John Darvish
FIAT of Portland – ME
John J. Quirk
FIAT of Clinton Twp. – MI
Carl Galeana
FIAT of Novi – MI
David Fischer
FIAT of Bloomfield – MI
Bill Golling
FIAT of Inver Grove Hts. – MN
Peter Hasselquist & Jack Shimota
FIAT of Brooklyn Center – MN
David Luther
FIAT of Creve Coeur – MO
Louis Fusz Jr.
FIAT of Cary – NC
Rick Hendrick &
Gerald Desmond
FIAT of Omaha – NE
Mickey Anderson
FIAT of Cherry Hill – NJ
Charles Foulke, Jr.
FIAT of Dover – NJ
Eric Nielsen
FIAT of Somerville – NJ
Albert DiFiore
FIAT of Ramsey – NJ
Ray Van Duren
FIAT of Albuquerque – NM
Patrick Melloy
FIAT of Las Vegas – NV
Carolynn Towbin & Josh Towbin
FIAT of Westbury – NY
Joel Sporn
FIAT of Rochester – NY
Ray Helfrich
FIAT of Orchard Park – NY
Bill Loecher & Scott Biehler
FIAT of Albany – NY
Stanley Metzner & Donald Metzner
FIAT of Patchogue – NY
Gary Brown
FIAT of Manhattan – NY
John Monninger
FIAT of Albany – NY
Stanley Metzner & Donald Metzner
FIAT of Staten Island – NY
Joe Manfredi & Nick Manfredi
FIAT of Larchmont – NY
Alfredo Gulla
FIAT of Brooklyn – NY
John Giuffre Sr.
FIAT of Toledo – OH
Jim Yark
FIAT of Akron – OH
Adam Huff
FIAT of Cincinnati – OH
Robert Reichert
FIAT of Bexley – OH
Bobby & Bill Dawes
FIAT of Youngstown – OH
Bob & Chuck Eddy
FIAT of Strongsville – OH
Gary Panteck & Paul Hrnchar
FIAT of Dublin – OH
Dwayne Hawkins
FIAT of Mentor – OH
James Brown
FIAT of Oklahoma City – OK
Bob Nouri
FIAT of Tulsa – OK
Group 1 Automotive
FIAT of Beaverton – OR
Brad Tonkin & Ed Tonkin
FIAT of Allentown – PA
Frank Gerenser III
FIAT of Greensburg – PA
Paul Schimizzi
FIAT of Downingtown – PA
Jeff D’Ambrosio
FIAT of Wexford – PA
Corina Diehl
FIAT of Langhorne – PA
Bruce Toll
FIAT of Providence – RI
Michael Grieco
FIAT of South Charlotte – SC
Damian Mills
FIAT of Nashville – TN
Gary Mathews
FIAT of Memphis – TN
Al Gossett
FIAT of San Antonio – TX
Ernesto Ancira Jr.
FIAT of El Paso – TX
Mack Massey
FIAT of Houston – TX
Jack Helfman
FIAT of Clear Lake – TX
John Garff
FIAT of Austin – TX
Nyle Maxwell
FIAT of The Woodlands -TX
Alfred Flores & Bruce Glascock
FIAT of Fort Worth – TX
Hershell Hunter
FIAT of Plano – TX
Ray Huffines
FIAT of Sugar Land – TX
Group 1 Automotive
FIAT of Hurst – TX
Conrad Holt
FIAT of Salt Lake City – UT
John Garff
FIAT of Newport News – VA
S. Rick Gallaer, Jr.
FIAT of South Richmond – VA
James Whitten
FIAT of Fredericksburg – VA
James Gramm
FIAT of Norfolk – VA
Bill Shepherd
FIAT of North Richmond – VA
Frank Pearson
FIAT of Sterling – VA
AutoNation, Inc.
FIAT of Seattle – WA
AutoNation, Inc.
FIAT of Vancouver – WA
Richard W. Hannah
FIAT of Tacoma – WA
Phillip W. Bivens
FIAT of Kirkland – WA
Greg Rairdon
FIAT of Milwaukee – WI
John Bergstrom
FIAT of Kenosha – WI
Andy Palmen