Chrysler includes Fiat 500 in New York auto show debut

 

Chrysler's Jim Press came out to the stage in a blue Fiat 500 for the Pentastar press conference. Saying he had nothing to announce, he did make the case for people to have confidence in the future of Chrysler.

Press said the vehicles in the pipeline would renew confidence in the American company. Just a little ironic, since it recently divorced a German and is set to marry an Italian.

Then he brought out the next version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Calling it 100% new -- the vehicle looked like a cross between the current SUV and the last-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee. The interior, however, appeared to be a vast improvement over the current generation.

Press ended the introduction by stating that he hoped people would have confidence in Chrysler in the months ahead.

-- Doug Stewart

Photo: Doug Stewart

Do American car buyers trust Fiat?

When Fiat pulled out of the U.S. market 25 years ago, it left behind a reputation for selling cars that were temperamental and repair-prone.

With the Italian automaker now plotting a return to these shores, a new survey indicates that the bad mojo may have worn off a bit over time.

When market research firm TNS asked 2,500 U.S. adults what their expectations were regarding Fiat vehicles, 22% said they expected quality and reliability to be below the industry average.

Not a ringing endorsement, to be sure. But the same percentage of respondents said they expected Fiat to sell vehicles that were above average in quality and reliability. That, according to TNS, “suggests earlier decades-old quality concerns are smaller today than some expected.”

Fiat scored highest in terms of fuel economy expectations, with almost 40% of those surveyed saying they expect Fiat vehicles to provide better-than-average mileage.

The Fiat 500, a tiny two-door hatchback designed to compete with the popular Mini, has been a huge hit in Europe. If Fiat brings the car to the U.S. and it fails to deliver superior mileage, TNS warned, the company “risks lost sales from disappointed customers.”

Fiat, which pulled out of the American market in 1984, has been studying various paths for returning to the world’s biggest car market. The latest version involves buying a stake in faltering Chrysler, thereby gaining access to Chrysler’s U.S. manufacturing operations and dealer network.

It has also weighed bringing its Alfa Romeo brand back to the U.S., a car once beloved here as a classic '60s sports car and the chosen ride of Dustin Hoffman in the 1967 film “The Graduate.”

-- Martin Zimmerman

Photo: The Fiat 500 at Torino Palasport Olimpico on July 5, 2007 in Turin, Italy. Credit: Giuseppe Cacace / Getty Images