When the Fiat brand returned to America in 2011, it was the adorable little Cinquecento (500) that led the charge. Ultimately, the Fiat 500L multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), Fiat 500X crossover SUV, and Fiat 124 Spider sports car joined the timelessly styled city car in the U.S. market. But small, quirky, Italian vehicles are boutique items in a market where buyers voraciously consume trucks and bigger SUVs.
First to arrive, the diminutive Fiat 500 was also the first to go, leaving the U.S. after the 2019 model year. Now, Fiat has announced that it is canceling the 500L MPV and the 124 Spider roadster. The 500L, designed for Europeans, never caught on in the U.S., and amount of SUV styling cues could change that. The 124 Spider, based on the Mazda MX-5 Miata and built in Japan but with a turbocharged Fiat engine and classic styling that resembled the original, addressed a shrinking segment.
The changes leave the 500X as the only Fiat for the 2021 model year. It continues in Pop, Trekking, Sport, and Trekking Plus trim levels, and the base price is $24,840 plus a $1,495 destination charge.
This year, the 2021 500X Pop and Trekking get new seat upholstery and dashboard trim. There’s also a new Sport Value Package for the 500X Sport. It installs 19-inch wheels, LED headlights and fog lights, front and rear parking sensors, a dual-pane sunroof, a Beats Audio premium sound system, navigation, heated front seats, and a windshield wiper de-icer.
Every version of the 2021 Fiat 500X has a turbocharged 1.3-liter 4-cylinder engine generating 177 horsepower and 210 lb.-ft. of torque. A 9-speed automatic transmission puts the power to all four corners through a standard all-wheel drive system.
It’s been almost 10 years since Fiat returned to the U.S. market following the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) merger. Now, FCA is merging with France’s PSA Group to share resources and facilitate a return of the Peugeot brand to America by 2025. What does that mean for Fiat? Based on the brand’s current dependence on a single vehicle and leftover 2020s, unlikely anything good.
Fiat and trusted publications are the sources of information in this article. It was accurate on December 30, 2020, but it may have changed since that date.
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