Was Laura Soave fired for improper relationship?

[katsi]

I hate to say it ,but I have had a bad feeling about the Fiat return to these shores.And the car...I know this is unpopular,but I just dont care for the 500.The quirky styling doesnt appeal to me,and apparently many others.I feel like they were a little late with the 'retro' car theme.The Minis and Beetles have been here awhile,and the idea has grown stale.We shall see,but it is a shame they didnt bring us something exciting for the first offering.

WOW Someone finally said it out loud. I feel the same. It's a cute car for someone's daughter but not priced well enough to compeet with other first time or college student cars. A cheap Kia will get your kid off and running and through college untill he or she can afford a car of their choosing. Sure, It'll be worth about $2,500.00 as soon as you drive it off the lot but still a (dare I say it) a reasonable car. And, the Fiat 500 just can't compeete in that price range. And lets face it, although you may disagree with me, for 17K - 24K I'm not buying the 500. I want something a bit more significant for that amount of $. The whole thing makes me feel as if Fiat EXPECTS the average american consumer to know who they are. I bet most people here in the states think it's a new car company (how many times have you been to your local auto parts and they ask you if it's a Ford or Chevy Fiat). Unfortunatly Fiat will probably follow in the footsteps of Saturn. most people thought it was some kind of Chineese car company. Hardly anyone "REGULAR" knew it was GM (not talking about us carg guys here). So, I totally agree with you. The 500 would have been a good "offering" but it needed something else to go with it. It's kinda like going out to dinner and ordering the chicken special and when it comes, it's just a hunk of chicken on a plate with no sides.
Sorry
Katsi

[FulviaHF]

Not even counting the one that parks next to me in the apartment garage, I see them virtually every day. I can hardly run a 10-munite errand without seeing one. So I'm sure they're having problems moving them in some parts of the country, but out here in LA they seem to be selling pretty well.

[vandor]

... not priced well enough to compeet with other first time or college student cars. A cheap Kia will get your kid off and running ...

One needs to compare apples to apples. That cheap Kia is not going to have 7 airbags, stability control, power locks, power windows, etc. All that stuff is standard on the 500. So, sure, for much less money you can get a much lesser car.
I think the biggest drawback to the 500 is its size. Just 6" longer and it'd be a lot more usable and could better compete with the Honda Fit, Mazda 2, etc.

[spidernut]

Fiat's biggest mistake was creating independent Fiat dealerships when they only have one model of car. They should have colocated with the MOPAR dealers. The 500 has been Fiat's car with the most accolades. It makes sense to bring it to the US Market due to its success in so many other markets. However, any car that small will be a tough sell especially at the high prices they're asking for the 500.

I agree 100% that the advertising and marketing roll-out was terrible. Other than having Martin Sheen or Lady Gaga advertise the car, I'm not sure the ads could be any less appealing. Fiat had the same problems in the late 70s and early 80s with ads and cars that just don't appeal to the US market. Had it not been for the Spiders and X19s, Fiat would have disappeared really quickly.

I am intrigued by the 500, but my Honda Civic is larger, faster, was priced much lower, has a reputation for reliability, is more comfortable and gets about the same fuel mileage....38.5 mph from Sacramento, CA, to Portland, OR, and back. Since the 500 is $2K more than what I paid for the Civic, I could never justify getting the 500.

The US is a tough car market and mistakes are not easily forgiven. Hopefully Fiat hasn't mis-stepped too badly.

[AndyS]

... not priced well enough to compeet with other first time or college student cars. A cheap Kia will get your kid off and running ...

One needs to compare apples to apples. That cheap Kia is not going to have 7 airbags, stability control, power locks, power windows, etc. All that stuff is standard on the 500. So, sure, for much less money you can get a much lesser car.
I think the biggest drawback to the 500 is its size. Just 6" longer and it'd be a lot more usable and could better compete with the Honda Fit, Mazda 2, etc.

Actually , the Kia Forte does have all those things standard and an MSRP of $15,200.37 MPG HWY as well. 156 HP DOHC 2 liter engine. Even the $12,000 Rio has 7 air bags, and an option for power door locks. The competition is intense in the car industry right now. Great for consumers, not so great for companies trying to break back into the us market

[ga.spyder]

I drove a Kia Forte a few months back.I have a buddy who is a Kia salesman and begged me to drive it and see how it compared to the 500 I had driven at FFO.The fit and finish wasnt as good as the 500,but it performed waaay better.I had a hoot driving it,and it probably would win a head to head 'bang for the buck'' matchup with the Fiat.Maybe the Abarth will turn it around a bit for Fiat.Would love to know the pricing...why is it such a secret?

[katsi]

Maybe the Abarth will turn it around a bit for Fiat.Would love to know the pricing...why is it such a secret?

I remember reading somewhere that the abarth was going to come in arround 25K. Can't back that up but, I do remember reading it.

One needs to compare apples to apples. That cheap Kia is not going to have 7 airbags, stability control, power locks, power windows, etc. All that stuff is standard on the 500. So, sure, for much less money you can get a much lesser car.
I think the biggest drawback to the 500 is its size. Just 6" longer and it'd be a lot more usable and could better compete with the Honda Fit, Maz

Not quite the point I was trying to make. Being an X Kia Optima owner, I can truely say that I will never again, by choice, own another Kia. So, I am not advicating Kia over Fiat. Just trying to make the point that Fiat's ONE AND ONLY offering to the US market is the 500. Which, by the way; comes in at the top end of the scale of lower end cars. And, their are a lot of em out there to compeete with. Not to mention, I can not recall any of those wonderfull points of interest you made concerning airbags and electric gadgets, being brought to my attention in ANY of the J-Lo fiat advertizements. Fact is, I've seen all the Fiat 500 advertizements and I have not been informed of any of those wonderfull attributes of the Fiat 500. I have, however; been left with the impression that it is Italian and therefor apparently sexy. Something I am told but a concept that gets lost when I actually LOOK at the fiat 500 (it's not a pretty car). Now, the 124 Spider is a pretty car. And, lets face it, if it looked like an AMC pacer, most of us would not be on this web site. Let alone spening the amount of time and money to drive such a sexy and fun Italian automobile. Again, I said MOST OF US. Yes, I know some guys like the pacer.

Ouch - Come to think of it, the 500 looks like the Pacer's slightly thinner younger sister.

[FiatMac]

I was talking to my Daughter-in-Law over Thanksgiving about the Fiat 500. She had seen only one or two in Atlanta and had seen the JLo commercials. She is not impressed with the looks, and based upon what she had seen, classed it with the SmartCar! In other words, a small econobox.

[MrWampus]

... I bet most people here in the states think it's a new car company...

Ha! You are so right! I drove my spider to the grocery store a few weeks ago and there as a teenage kid wrangling grocery carts from the parking lot. He stopped me as I was geting in my car and gushed about what a cool car I had and where did I get it and what year was it etc. I told him it was a 1981 and he looked puzzled. He said, "Isn't this the same company that makes that little 500? I thought they were new." I gave him a brief history lesson about Fiat and went merrily on my way. He said that he would MUCH rather have my 30-year-old spider than a brand new 500.

Me too, brother. Me too.