Fiat Considering a Coupe Version of the 124 Spider: Report

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Fiat believes it can attract more buyers to the brand by offering a fixed-roof version of the 124 Spider.

According to Autocar, a coupe version of the recently released roadster is under development, and could make its appearance next year.

The report states that Fiat doesn’t plan to go the Mazda MX-5 RF route and offer a retractable hardtop (or fastback, in the case of the Miata). This would be a simple coupe, but not a fixed hardtop like past roadster conversions we’ve seen. The rear of the car would see a redesign to accommodate the roofline, the report claims.

Sources tell Autocar that the trunk opening will likely remain where it is, as a large-scale reconfiguration would be too costly for the struggling automaker.

Fiat sales are falling, especially in North America, and turning one product into two could help the brand boost its appeal and squeeze out a few more sales. Brand-wide volume tumbled 14 percent in the U.S. in July, while the Spider recorded 480 sales in its first full month on the market. It remains to be seen just how popular the 124 Spider will be, and how long it can sustain interest.

A fixed-roof 124 variant, which will probably ditch the “Spider” name in favor of “Coupe,” would allow the automaker to bolster its sporting credentials, which is something it’s already trying desperately to do. ( Track school, anyone?)

There’s no word yet on drivetrain offerings, though in North America it’s safe to assume the existing 124 drivetrains will carry over. Also unknown is whether Fiat plans to offer regular and Abarth version of the coupe.

[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Aug 24, 2016

    GM, Ford, and old Chrysler in the 1960s would have designed a coupe along with the drop top from the get-go, and made both available the first year of production. You can give FCA a bit of a break in that development wasn't entirely in their control, but somebody in sales/marketing would have brought it up very early in the joint design process. That's assuming FCA had any real input to begin with, and that might be a questionable assumption.

  • 28-Cars-Later 28-Cars-Later on Aug 24, 2016

    Note to Fiat on the 124: needs more HELLCAT.

    • See 2 previous
    • Redav Redav on Aug 30, 2016

      @wumpus The Miata engines are just variations of their existing 2.0L & 1.5L transverse engines. A V8 would be a whole different beast.

  • GabIta GabIta on Aug 25, 2016

    I feel like highly unprobable a coupé version coming. Coupé market is almost dead in Italy / Europe, and a specific model just for a slice of US market may not be profitable. Consider also that the chassis is not produced by Fiat (ok,officially is co-produced with Mazda, but we know who really did the 90% of the job :D ...), so any modification so deep would be quite difficult, both technically and maybe for the mild opposition of Mazda, that still has its burns to soothe for not having got the highselling "abarth" engine). Furthermore, there is a big legacy regarding Fiat Coupé (I think it never landed on your shores https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Coup%C3%A9) that can not be inherit just adding a roof to a spider.

  • Rpol35 Rpol35 on Aug 25, 2016

    Neat idea but I hope they have done their target marketing analysis carefully and know their bottom $$$ capital investment. I have to believe the market for such a car would be pretty limited.

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