Last year, the United States became the largest market for the Fiat 500, with 43,772 sales, ahead of Italy's 42,919.
The United States is so crucial for the car that some product planners want the next-generation, due in 2015, to be longer and wider than the current car, company sources say.
In the meantime, Fiat continues to expand the U.S. range of the 500 family: The four-door, five-seat 500L -- L for large -- went on sale in June.
500 hatchback: A redesign is plan-ned for 2015, possibly concentrating global production in Poland. Currently, 500s for North America, South America and China are assembled in Toluca, Mexico, while the European version is built in Poland.
Fiat is designing the next Fiat 500 in Turin, Italy. While the design theme will be an evolution of the iconic minicar launched in 1957, the size of the new generation is debated. In the United States, a slightly longer and wider 500 hatch is preferred. But a bigger 500 would lose its traditional positioning in Europe. The 500 is Europe's No. 2 selling minicar behind the Fiat Panda.
After the redesigned 500 hatch debuts in 2015, Fiat will add derivatives such as the 500C convertible and Abarth sporty versions at a cadence of a derivative a year.
500 five-door subcompact: Fiat is working on a larger five-seat 500 hatchback subcompact that would fit between the 500 two-door hatch and the high-roof four-door 500L. The still unnamed model, to compete with nameplates such as the Ford Fiesta, is set to appear in 2016 in the United States and Europe. In Europe the car will replace the aging Punto, which has been Fiat's best-selling nameplate in the region for 20 years.
500L: The four-door, five-seat high-roof 500L hatchback went on sale in June. The model is aimed at second-generation 500 customers and consumers looking for a small but roomy wagon. Pricing for the four trim levels -- Pop, Easy, Trekking and Lounge -- starts at $19,900, including shipping, and tops out at less than $28,000, depending on options.
500X: Fiat is developing the 500X small crossover with Jeep. The 500X will be based on the same Small U.S. Wide platform that underpins the 500L and is expected to be about 6 inches longer than the 500L. Fiat will offer the 500X with four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.
Fiat's plans call for 500X production for Europe and North America to begin in September 2014 at the Melfi plant in central Italy. The plant will start producing the Jeep variant, code-named Fiat project 520, in June 2014. U.S. sales of the 500X are scheduled to start in early 2015.
Panda L crossover: Fiat is considering a U.S. version of a compact crossover planned for Europe in 2016. The model, aimed to attract buyers of the Nissan Rogue (called Qashqai in Europe and Dualis in Japan) will be bigger than the 500L and 500X and smaller than the Freemont, which is the European version of the Dodge Journey.
After making the 500 a subbrand, or family of vehicles, the Italian automaker is looking at transforming Panda into a second subbrand. The Panda subbrand would stand for functionality and flexibility of use.
If Panda becomes a subbrand, it would be offered in three sizes: the standard Panda, a subcompact model not planned for the United States at the moment; the Nissan Rogue-sized Panda L; and the European version of the redesigned Journey called the Panda XL.
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