What you’re looking at is the Fiat 500X, the sister car to the Jeep Renegade and the most important Fiat-brand product in memory.
This leaked shot of the new subcompact Fiat SUV shows what Fiat’s third North American vehicle will look like. Expect it to use the FCA 1.4L MultiAir Turbo 4-cylinder engine, along with front or all-wheel drive (though it won’t be as rugged as the Renegade Trailhawk’s off-road oriented AWD).
Why is the 500X so crucial for Fiat? Simple. The Fiat brand is struggling globally – its push into the American market has been less than successful, and it has little traction outside of South America. Fiat recently idled its Serbian factory (which produces the 500L) due to weak demand, and American dealers are crying out for new product. The small crossover market is the one global bright spot in the automotive industry and this is Fiat’s chance to capture some market share in the segment. The Renegade might be a little too bold, brash or “American” for some consumers both at home and abroad. This is FCA’s chance to give them an alternative.
Fiat, how about you sell this as something other than a 500? Lets leave forcing the same face on every car, without regard for how rediculous the result is, to companies with the brand equity of Porsche.
Seen on a message board, circa 1982:
“Oldsmobile, how about you sell this as something other than a Cutlass? Lets leave forcing the same face on every car, without regard for how rediculous [sic] the result is, to companies with the brand equity of Dodge.
Crying for a Panda huh
The only Fiat branded cars I am open to are an very clean old X1/9 and the new Miata platform mate. If the latter offers a compelling reason to get it instead of a Miata.
I am just wondering what is going on with the brand strategy that every car has to have the same face. But it probably is cannibalization fear. The Panda is too much like a Jeep.
Or the brand equity of Ford? VW? BMW?
Don’t get me wrong, don’t like the whole family face thing all that much, but it hardly has to do with brand equity.
How is this significantly different from the 500L?
I mean that in the sense of “How much can this really help?” It’s essentially the same car, just a little bit taller (and not much baller) and with a smattering of black plastic cladding.
I could see the Bravo and Punto working out in North America (kinda, sorta) as they don’t step on either Chrysler or Dodge’s toes. Even the Multipla could get a few sales (people bought the Aztek on looks, after all). This doesn’t solve any issue that the 500L already fails to solve.
The Multipla and Bravo are both out of production. The Punto, being old, is barely competitive as is.
Styling. Over at Nissan, the Juke is essentially the same car as the Versa Note, but one is in a popular segment, and the other is not.
Sort of. The Juke is on the Versa platform, but is much more cramped, gets a different engine and is much, much different looking.
The 500L and 500X share the same name, similar specs and look pretty much identical. I already thought the 500L was a compact crossover; heck, I still think it is. I don’t think consumers will really see much point.
This would be like Nissan selling a Versa Note, and a Versa Note X with a 1″ lift kit and some black cladding.
You mean like what Subaru does with the Legacy/Outback?
Compare the sales of those 2…
And while you are at it take a peek at XV vs Impreza. Keep in mind for both comparisons that we are also talking about a country that prefers sedans over hatchbacks/wagons. Don’t underestimate marketing and appearance.
A better comparison would be the Fit versus the HR-V whenever that shows up. The 500L is a boxy, bland, practical 500, while the 500X has the CUV cachet.
When you look at the images of the 500L and 500X side by side, the differences are very visible. The 500L still has the Fiat 500 flattened nose where the 500X’s nose is more squared off and longer. The rest of the body shape follows that theme and could really put the 500X over the pug-nosed siblings in sales.
At least it has a normal A-pillar, I think.
“How is this significantly different than the 500L?”
This is much more carefully aimed at American buyer tastes. Once this is on sale in the US there is no reason to bother with the 500L anymore, and I expect it will disappear pretty quickly.
It’s good looking, but it’s the renegade that could actually save the FIAT name in the US. If car guys see that the renegade has at least jeep level reliability and longevity, then it will rub off on FIAT and fix what I think is their biggest problem. That problem is a history that screams cheap rust buckets.
If, in the meantime, 500s turn out to be crap, it may be time to withdraw again.
Will FIAT make it? Can they last long enough to show they are reasonably reliable?
I have had my 500c for 2 and a half years now and had my first issue last week. The battery went bad. But they know they are fighting an image problem and service has been great. Roadside assistance that was included at no cost with the purchase of the vehicle covered getting it to the dealer where they replaced the battery under warranty. I am a life long Mopar man and this has been the best experience I have had.
I’m at almost 2yrs with my Abarth and absolutely nothing has gone wrong with it at all. And I am a fussy b@stahd when it comes to cars under warranty.
That is good. The problem for FIAT is that I can say the same thing about my 8 year old Hyundai. One dead battery in 8 years and that was at Fort Drum in January. Hyundai actually brought a battery to the house and installed it even though the car was 2 years old at the time. Apparently cold weather cars got a different battery and ours was purchased in SC. Still, I have yet to see a Hyundai Service Center…but I did do my own timing belt.
I find it hard to think of why you’d choose this over the Renegade, unless you like your styling more generic. Also, could they have sent out a worse picture of the car? It looks like a picture taken of the building, with a car coincidentally in the corner.
As much as I like the idea of the Renegade, all tall and blocky, the kinked beltline and huge D-pillar give me pause. The 500X, while looking somewhat more generic, looks ‘cleaner’ to me and could offer better visibility thanks to its slender C-pillar.
re: “hard to think of why you’d choose this over the Renegade”
Because not everybody has the same taste in cars. Plus Fiat has delivered great interiors in the 500 and 500L, and that might tip a purchasing decision.
I agree, but not because of styling.
I don’t know about the rest of the country, but around here the Chrysler dealership includes Jeep but not Fiat. If that’s similar in a lot of American cities and towns, I think the Renegade will easily out-sell the 500X, most likely by a large margin.
That’s definitely true. 9 out of 10 buyers in this rural area would buy a Jeep “because it’s a Jeep,” and avoid Fiat for essentially the same reason.
The car has not been officially shown off yet. That pic is probably rushed. The only thing that is official is a teaser video and a dedicated site counting down to the reveal at the Paris Salon.
The brand needs something else. It doesn’t need more 500_ variants. Make a convertible. Let us have the Panda.
DO SOMETHING.
They’re trying to pull a Mini, and it’s not really gonna work. However, what’s annoying is:
Small BMW = MINI
MINI = MINI
Fiat = 500
500 = Jeep
Fiat = Alfa
Alfa = Jeep
Jeep = Fiat
Agreed. Panda connotes cute and friendly, and the current model is handsome. An updated version would be preferable to this bland, alphanumeric CUV appliance.
The 500, almost a sub-brand in Fiat, might be trying to pull a Mini. The rest we don’t know yet. As pointed out in relatively recent articles by Derek and me, the destiny is being developed now and will only be seen by consumers in 2015 and 16. And quite possibly not for the US unless they put a Dodge badge or something like that on them.
the 500X is a newish vehicle, is awaited with great expectation i Europe and South America, and I keep hearing noises of it alone bringing almost 30% more volume to the Fiat brand over next year. Cheaper than the Renegade, it could also gain some traction in the US though I hardly think it’ll be earth shattering there.
Well, it’s certainly better looking than a 500L. Unless priced significantly less than the Renegade, I don’t see why anyone would buy this over it’s Jeep brother.
This looks less polarising than the 500L, but interior space seems to have been compromised for the sake of style.
I think this would do good for the Fiat brand in the US, where buyers are averse to oddball styling. For me, the interior space of the L won, and a dealer desperate for sales agreed to a fabulous price.
how do you like your 500L? I admit to having a bit of a fascination with them.
I think the 500X has potential. I wonder, if it’s basically the Renegade (a Fiat in drag) without the drag, whether it will be built at the same Italian factory spec’d for the Renegade. If so, that would make it the only Italian-made Fiat sold in the US (500 from Mexico, 500L from Serbia). Most people will say it doesn’t matter, but if Fiat has anything in the US to trade off of, it is it’s Italian-ness. Those few incremental sales to consumers who desire authenticity may make a difference to a niche brand.
It wouldn’t make financial sense to build two vehicles underpinned by the same platform and sharing various parts (engines, transmissions, infotainment,…) in two different factories, unless one of them isn’t enough to keep up with demand (which is unlikely ATM).
The 500L is very honest car in a land of poseurs who think a CUV is the ideal family car.
All the 500L is is a family hauler (for small families) wrapped in a bubbly oompaloompa body with styling cues from the 500 mini-car. It’s not pretty; Internet fanboys love to rag on it. But in the real world it’s nothing but compliments. Normal people think it looks cool.
No pretense of any performance or off-roading capability. Enormous headroom and a very comfy elevated rear bench. A perfect step-in height. A neat interior with decent build quality. The much-praised uConnect interface. The car is so short that I can open the rear hatch with my garage closed.
I wish it had just a bit more room in the trunk. My son’s stroller barely fits, folded and lying flat. Also, Fiat’s DCT is kind of slow-witted, which exaggerates the turbo lag of the 1.4L engine. Also, I’m not sold on Fiat’s long-term reliability, so we bought a 100k warranty.
The 500X should give Fiat sales a good kick in the US. It’s much more conventionally styled and it has that “CUV” pretentiousness that Americans thirst for.
Good analysis. I’d dearly like a 500L. Love the style and as a minivan trumps the 500X’s looks (and Renegade’s), but I know I’m in a huge minority.
Ha, a huge minority. That would be small minority!
It’s hard for you to be objective about Fiat though, Marcelo!
A huge minority of one! LOL!
As to being objective about Fiat, read these pages tomorrow. Plenty of hits!
Finally, looks and likes are preferences. Clearly the Renegade looks better than the 500X. But to me the 500L looks better than the Renegade, just because it’s a van. As such vn trumps crossover. At least to me.
I’ve crawled in and around the Fiat 500L and to be quite honest I wouldn’t call it a “van”. The load floor isn’t down at a van’s load floor level (in the sense that the Caravan has a MUCH lower floor). But then, when I was selling Dodges way back when, the Colt wagon was called a “minivan”, too.
Hose this ditzy little thing; it’s not even tall. And it isn’t as actually/apparently rugged or high-riding as the Renegade.
And it doesn’t have round headlights.
It’s just a little car.
I’ve only owned one Fiat, a ’76 128 2-door sedan. Never a problem. It rolled 5x in a bean field and I lived and my passenger only got bruised ribs. Buzzy though in fourth gear. I wish Fiat would have invested in another gear or two for the 500 car. I’m sure it would have increased sales.
Fiat will forever be a niche brand in the US with its current styling. Better to get a dodge subcompact out asap to get some more sales in that space. Renegade will probably be a huge hit where it is sold, so at least they are doing that part right.
Fiat needs to build the Strada minitruck in Mexico and bring it here, giving the niche all to itself. And Fiatsler needs to stop spending millions on V-8`s like the Hellcat and start spending it on developing better 4 bangers than the market trailing Fiat motors.
V8s make fiat big money, 4 cyclinders don’t.
Why get left behind in the segment that produces the most revenue?
ie trucks.
In the US, the 1.4T is not rated to pull a trailer. Not in any FIAT nor the Dodge Dart.
If you can’t tow a utility trailer, it’s not a utility vehicle.
And if FIAT wants to expand their lineup, how about that FWD Brazilian pickup?
Isn’t this exactly the kind of brand engineering that this blog used to rightly excoriate GM for? Building two cars on the same platform is fine. But all this is is a restyled Jeep.
If all FIAT can offer is vanilla versions of Chrysler products or 500 variants, what future can the brand possibly have in North America? MINI developed its variants after the Cooper was a hit. The 500 was never as popular or cool enough to share the cool factor with its not-so-cool siblings.
The 500 actually outsold the Mini for 2012 or 2013, I forgot which year.
500e EVs are wildly popular in California, even though Fiat doesn’t make money on those.
The 500 sells just fine for a Euro cute hatch. The 500L needs to be a volume seller in the US, but people don’t notice it because it shares the same crass advertisements with the 500. Rename it to 600 and advertise it against CUVs–for its space, fuel economy, short length, etc. Watch sales take off. It needs to be seen as the small family car that it is.
Not really. GM got scorched cause all they did was change the badges. On this one and others currently like it, makers have gotten smarter and none of the sheetmetal is exactly the same. If you look closely, you’ll see the hard points are the same, but a casual person doesn’t notice.
In case you haven’t noticed, this kind of platform usage is what all automakers are doing with their mass market cars. This clearly isn’t just a badge swap.
Yep, get more bang for the buck spent on developing new platforms that cost just so much.
It’s a stretch of our imagination to call that a 500. If they want to sell more cars in North America, why not sell more cars in North America? I mean, introduce the Alfa range. Looks like a mid-range MiTo is 14.5K British Pounds, so about $24K in the US.
What I’m seeing through the commentary here is a lot of hate on a product that they know nothing about, but think they do. They’re putting hate out based on a grossly obsolete reputation and they’re commenting on power and performance without ever ONCE sitting down in one. I’m at least willing to keep an open mind and to be quite honest if I hadn’t already committed to getting a ‘Tigershark’ Renegade I would be tempted by this as a nearly ideal couple’s car. Come on now, it’s a bloomin’ 5-door hatchback that actually looks decent without any aspirations towards pretentiousness. Small? yes. But I think you’ll be surprised how many of these actually hit the roads. Its biggest competition will be the Renegade itself.
True.
Lets cut to the chase. Fiat as a brand will never, ever be truly successful here as long as it only brings over, and my apologies to the ladies, “chick cars”. Most self respecting males and many women are not going to plunk down 15-25 grand on a cute urban car styled, lets be honest here, for young women. Imagine Volkswagen’s lineup consisting of only Beetle variants, you get the picture.My wife, the girly girl that she is despises the 500’s styling as well. How about some Bravos, Pandas or Puntos thrown in the mix? Just leave the Freemont, we’re all good with that gem.
Too many assumptions, only the first of which is that Fiats are “chick cars”. While I agree that most people who post to boards like this one prefer the ‘Bigger is Beter’ meme, it’s obvious just watching the roads that the typical small-car driver is NOT female. A tiny car like the Fiat 500 offers an agility that no larger car can match–an agility that has been featured in more than one film. Granted, they don’t have the all-out horsepower of bigger cars, but I might note that even now the most popular international rallye cars are almost universally the smallest model a given brand produces.
And the 500L, X and Renegade are all riding the Panda platform. In fact, the 500L and X both look very much like the Panda itself, just given the 500 nose. As for why–well, everybody in the States has heard of the Fiat 500–how many have really heard of the Panda? And, for that matter, don’t forget that the Chinese are producing a car called the Panda as well–prime grounds for a confusion of models which may be WHY the Chinese are doing it.
I suppose I was not clear enough. I love me a small, nice handling compact or subcompact. Refer to the ” imagine if VW sold only Beetle derivatives” line. For background I own a full service car wash and detail shop and see 100’s of vehicles every day. The new Fiat’s, what few we see get a universal thumbs down from my staff, male and female. Fiat could bring over their other offerings and call them whatever they want here, the Panda could be called the Fiat Wombat for all I care, just change it up a bit! My point is the styling isn’t sexy, it’s polarizing. Should they sell the 500 here? Hell yes, it fills a niche but to be successful for the love of God bring over some fresh product. Or better yet the entire Alfa lineup. That I could get behind.
There are so many cool European offerings that don’t get a chance here which is a shame. If Honda can sell Fits by the boat load why can’t VW sell Polos by at least the truck loads? I rented a stylish Peugeot 307 or something a couple of years ago in Spain, small on the outside, big on the inside, insanely comfy seats and a nice ride. Thought to myself ” why can’t we get this in the states”? Maybe it was the scent of anti-freeze wafting its way through the ventilation system of this sub 10,000km car that was the answer.