Fiat 500, 500E, Abarth discontinued from American market.

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Fiat has decided, effective for the 2020 model year, to withdraw the 500 models from the American market. Although they sell well in the D.C. area where I live (two of my own neighbors on the same condo-block own 500s), it has not really endeared itself across much of the country outside of big cities, where its miniscule size aids and maneuverability and parking. Like the Smart Car and the Nissan Cube, it was never really designed for the American market to start with....it is just too small for most of our tastes. The famous Fiat reputation for unreliability doesn't help much, either. Its only reasonably reliable vehicle (by modern standards) is the Mazda-Miata-derived 124 Spyder.....which, IMO, is much better-looking than the Miata, front and rear.



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

JOEL STOCKSDALE

Sep 1st 2019 at 12:03AM
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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 Eand Mini Cooper SE retro chic EVs, this could be a smart decision for Fiat and give the little hatchback some fresh relevance.