- CAR AND DRIVER. OCT/2019 illustrations by BEN SUMMERELL-YOUDE/FOX SYNDICATION
What to Fix: Fiat Edition
We can’t solve our own problems, so what makes us
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Advice:
THE FIX
It’s Ave Maria time at Fiat. Our armchair-product-devel-
opment strategy opens with killing the homely 500L and then
looking into the little red light on this here neuralyzer and
[blinding flash]. In the mid-’60s, Fiat introduced the simple,
affordable, rear-drive 124 sedan (which then spawned the
original 124 Spider). Start by building a modern version of
that car on the Mazda-based bones of the current Spider. It
would return to Fiat’s roots by being a poor man’s BMW
3-series—rugged, affordable, fun to drive, and designed to
give buyers the same “Damn, I look good” confidence that
comes from wearing Italian leather loafers.
While enthusiasts may want the sedan, we recognize the
market’s needs and would also have Fiat build two strong
sellers off the new platform: a compact crossover and a
pint-size off-roader that would bring back the Campagnola
name (the Campagnola was Fiat’s postwar answer to the Jeep
CJ). A longitudinal engine will provide the right proportions, a
premium feel, and balanced handling. Optional all-wheel drive
will ensure more sales. For the sedan and crossover, think
rear-drive Mazda 3 and Kia Soul from Italy. The Campagnola
would be a unibody Wrangler rendered in seven-eighths scale.
All versions would get a snorty but reliable and unstressed
175-hp 2.0-liter four backed by a six-speed manual or eight-
speed automatic transmission. High-performance Abarth,
hybrid, and electric versions
could hit later. Keep the tech
straightforward and overbuild
it so it’s reliable. With starting
prices under $25,000 and
an upper limit in the low
$30,000s, these Fiats would
be useful, sporty, and just the
right amount of offbeat. After
all, who doesn’t want the
romance of an Italian vacation
in their garage?THE PROBLEM
Fiat returned to the U.S. market in 2011 on the strength of the
adorable 500. Things got off to an encouraging start, with sales sur-
passing 43,000 in 2012. Sales peaked at 46,121 units in 2014 and then
rolled over into a nosedive. In 2018, Fiat’s entire aging and unloved
lineup—500, 500L, 500X, and 124 Spider—managed a meager 15,521
sales, fewer than the number of F-150s that Ford sells per week.
FIAT 500L U.S. SALES
FIAT BRAND U.S. SALES
46,12112,413201420122013201105K10K15K010K20K30K40K50K20152013201620142017201520182016 2017 201815,5211413