Fiat to Announce U.S. 500 Factory

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

“This weekend we’ll be choosing which Chrysler [factory] we’ll be using to produce the Fiat 500 aimed at the US market” said the CEO of Fiat Group, Sergio Marchionne. “We shall probably produce the full Alfa Romeo range. The reason why we’ve slowed on the brand’s development was to follow the US situation. Now that we’ve clarified the Chrysler dossier, we know what to do in order to link up to their distribution network and we can actually offer the full range of products. The new 147 will be coming out next year and will go into production in Cassino this year, so we’ll be seeing it at the Geneva Show in 2010. A whole series of vehicle developments will follow on from this. We shall probably also be making the so-called crossover, the new 69, when the Alfa flagship comes out, but on a platform shared with Chrysler. The whole range will be re-designed.”

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

More by Robert Farago

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 35 comments
  • San Giuseppe San Giuseppe on Jun 28, 2009

    I'm guessing the Toledo Jeep plant is a finalist; its a newer highly flexible facility that has capacity potential with Liberty sales down.

  • Matt51 Matt51 on Jun 28, 2009

    If the price is right! - I just might buy one.

  • CommanderFish CommanderFish on Jun 28, 2009
    bluecon You boys like Mexico?! Chrysler's Toluca plant is currently producing the PT Cruiser and the Dodge Journey. The PT is getting canned, the Journey could be made in Belvidere (with the Caliber/Compass/Patriot) or Sterling Heights (with the Sebring/Avenger) as well. My guess is that they'll move the Journey to Sterling Heights so that plant has something to do besides twiddle its thumbs with the failures that are the Sebring and the Avenger, and Fiat is going to move on into Toluca.
  • Derm81 Derm81 on Jun 28, 2009
    My guess is that they’ll move the Journey to Sterling Heights so that plant has something to do besides twiddle its thumbs with the failures that are the Sebring and the Avenger, and Fiat is going to move on into Toluca. That is the talk round here as I am only a few miles from both Sterling Stamping and Sterling Assembly. Chrysler did put a lot of $$ into Sterling Assembly so I can it happening. Sterling Stamping.....SH cops always have to go here and bust drug dealers. This weekend Chrysler LLC covered up those ugly Daimler signs with even uglier tarps that say somethign about "world-class manufacturing"
Next