Fiat 500 to hit America soon

The Fiat 500 is coming to America, and it appears to be on a fast track.

Richard Gadeselli, a Fiat spokesman at the automaker’s headquarters in Turin, Italy, sent an e-mail message to confirm plans to take the 500 — voted as Europe’s Car of the Year in 2008 — to Chrysler dealerships just in time for Christmas 2010. That’s barely 18 months away — just around the corner in auto development terms.

A publicity blitz has already started to acquaint Americans with Europe’s hottest small car. The pint-, er, liter-size microcar was the star attraction at an event at the Italian Consulate in New York earlier this week. And the car was seen motoring down Wall Street and having its picture taken next to the bull sculpture in Bowling Green Park.

At the New York auto show in April, before Fiat had agreed to take a stake in Chrysler, Jim Press, Chrysler’s vice chairman, made a grand entrance onto the press conference stage in a Fiat 500.

Mr. Gadeselli said Fiat believed the 500 would appeal to the same sort of buyers who have made the Mini such a success. “It is the same sort of boutique car that we think will sell in good numbers in the U.S.,” he said.

Although Fiat and Chrysler will be collaborating on several vehicles, the 500 is the only one that will wear the Fiat badge in the United States. Fiat has previously announced plans to reintroduce its Alfa Romeo brand in America by 2011, including the 8C sports car and MiTo hatchback.

“Chrysler will not be producing Fiat models, but new Chrysler models based on Fiat technology (platforms, drivetrain, suspension) clothed in a pure Chrysler style,” Mr. Gadeselli explained. Chrysler will design and engineer up to six of its own small or midsize vehicles based on Fiats.

“There is a misconception that Chrysler is going to build cars like the Fiat Bravo and just stick a Chrysler badge on it,” he added. “Actually, the vehicle architectures will be based on our stuff, and there will be some shared powertrains. But the vehicles will be U.S. vehicles, designed for U.S. customers by a U.S. company.”