Fiat 500 hatchback and convertible to be discontinued

GRtak

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https://www.autoblog.com/2019/09/01/2019-fiat-500-hatchback-cabrio-abarth-ending-production/

The Fiat 500 hatchback and cabrio have been discontinued
That includes the 500 Abarth


The Fiat that brought the brand back to America is going away after this year. All forms of the 2019 Fiat 500 — hatchback and convertible — are being discontinued with the current 2019 inventory being sold off through 2020. This includes the electric, standard turbo and the Abarth iterations. Once the little 500 is gone, Fiat's lineup will consist of the 500X crossover, 124 Spider sports car and the 500L micro-minivan thing.
The decision to cut the little 500, easily Fiat's most identifiable model, strikes us as a bit strange. Certainly it has drawbacks, and it's still basically the same car that was introduced in Europe over a decade ago. Its small size and two-door form factor also aren't particularly popular in today's crossover-consumed market, but the 500 wasn't Fiat's worst seller. In fact, as of June, the most recent month for sales data available, it was leading the Italian brand's sales. And the year before, it was the Fiat's best seller over the same time frame. The 500L has actually been the worst seller so far this year, with only 399 being sold through June, which is a drop of 56% versus last year. The 500X, a crossover, is trailing the 500 and the 124 with 1,484 sales, a drop of 54% compared to last year.
Even if other models were selling better, it would seem like a decent car to still have around to show how the bigger models got their designs. And at the very least, the 500 Abarth presented a cheaper halo option to the 124 Spider.
No announcements of a 500 replacement have been made. There are rumors of a next-generation model, and it might be previewed at Geneva as a full EV. It could use the modular battery system that was featured in the Fiat Centoventi concept from the last Geneva Motor Show. Having seen the Honda E and Mini Cooper SE retro chic EVs, this could be a smart decision for Fiat and give the little hatchback some fresh relevance.
 
Yes, I assume that this will only be in the USofA.
 
Good riddance to those models and the impending removal of the other '500's. Despite Cellos88GT's claims, the US consumer experience with them has been more or less consistent with Italian cars of the past - pretty bad.

Not sure what women with purse dogs will buy for a city car after this, though.
 
Maybe all of North America. Not sure of the Mexican market, but it would seem logical.
 
Aw shame! Though I completely understand why.
 
The 500 is spectacularly dated and very overdue for a replacement. Given that Fiat is only in the business of making small cars, a new 500 should be in the pipeline.
 
The 500 is spectacularly dated and very overdue for a replacement.

I have to say, I still quite like the way it looks, especially the facelift but... yeah, considering it's been built since 2007 iirc I, too, was wondering when a replacement will finally arrive. I hope the looks aren't gonna be too radical of a change.
 
It's probably going to be very derivative.

What I'm really hoping for is the eventual Panda replacement that's said to be based on the Centoventi concept, but of course that will only have a presence in Europe (and maybe Japan) since the U.S. never got any Pandas and the Centoventi is heavily inspired by Panda design.
 
It's probably going to be very derivative.

What I'm really hoping for is the eventual Panda replacement that's said to be based on the Centoventi concept, but of course that will only have a presence in Europe (and maybe Japan) since the U.S. never got any Pandas and the Centoventi is heavily inspired by Panda design.

I’m not sure why they don’t offer the panda here. It’s a decent size and not “lol city car” size making it useless for more than one person.
 
It’s on the same platform as the 500, just more efficiently packaged. And it needs to have a 2.3l I4 to sell in the States.
 
Good riddance to those models and the impending removal of the other '500's. Despite Cellos88GT's claims, the US consumer experience with them has been more or less consistent with Italian cars of the past - pretty bad.

Not sure what women with purse dogs will buy for a city car after this, though.

Miata?

I know it is not a city car, but it is still very cute.
 
Miata?

I know it is not a city car, but it is still very cute.
RWD might scare them off. Even my wife was concerned about the X being RWD (it's 4WD but obviously can't run in 4Hi unless snow/heavy rain) till she drove it for a while.
 
I was never a fan of the 500, well, apart from the Abarth versions, and I started to dislike its design when I read Peter Stevens' opinion on it, as well as styling of most other retro styled cars.

What I'm really hoping for is the eventual Panda replacement that's said to be based on the Centoventi concept, but of course that will only have a presence in Europe (and maybe Japan) since the U.S. never got any Pandas and the Centoventi is heavily inspired by Panda design.

I hope for this as well. The Panda is 500's less fashionable, but way more usable sibling. In case they release a new generation of the Panda and drop the 500, Fiat would be left with 500X, 500L, 124 Spider and the commercial vehicles. The 500X and L should be either phased out as well or replaced by a single model, possibly a non-retro styled compact sized CUV. Think of the Citroën C3 Aircross, something of that size and general shape. Practical, yet modern-looking, so it could actually sell. The 124 Spider can stay, as I like it too much despite the fact it's a retro-styled car. And I hope they bring back the Punto, too.
 
RWD might scare them off. Even my wife was concerned about the X being RWD (it's 4WD but obviously can't run in 4Hi unless snow/heavy rain) till she drove it for a while.

You may want to check your owner's manual about that. Most 4WD vehicles can go any legal speed in 4Hi on dry pavement.
 
It can go fine in 4HI it just won’t turn very well especially at low speeds

Okay, yeah, there will be problems with steering angle and driveline bind at sharper angles. Being in NYC, I suspect all you have is sharper turns. :p
 
Okay, yeah, there will be problems with steering angle and driveline bind at sharper angles. Being in NYC, I suspect all you have is sharper turns. :p
Yeah most of my driving looks a lot like Gymkhana, minus you know the skill :p
 
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