Is Fiat done in America?

How many new Fiats have you seen on the road lately? For Americans, the answer is likely not many. Fiat returned stateside in 2011 with the small but spunky 500 hatchback and soon expanded its lineup to include the Mazda MX-5-based 124 Spider, 500L crossover, and even some Abarth performance models.

However, the brand has been trimming its lineup in the states. In December of 2020, it was announced that it would cease offering the 500 hatchback, 124 Spider, and 500L for North American customers once inventory had been depleted. The U.S. also missed out on the new electric and hybrid 500 announced that year. That left just one model available for American buyers: the supersized 500X.

Annual sales in the U.S. peaked for Fiat in 2014, when the company shifted over 46,000 units. But since then, the company’s North American sales have floundered. By 2019, monthly U.S. sales had shrunk to triple digit figures. In September of this year, the company had its worst sales month since its return to the U.S. with just 69 units finding their way off dealer lots.

The brand will be lucky to crack 1,000 units of total sales in the U.S. for 2022. With pathetic sales figures like the that, it really does beg the question of how much longer Fiat can hang on in America. The lack of available models, abysmal sales, and apparent lack of interest from Stellantis to reinvigorate the lineup indicate that Fiat is a dead brand walking.

The situation isn’t totally hopeless for Fiat to remain relevant in America. Photos of a prototype Abarth 500 EV have surfaced and could be a counterpoint to the Mini SE EV. Fiat also offers the Strada compact pickup in the South American market which could go toe to toe with the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. That said, its unlikely that the Strada would meet federal crash standards and though Stellantis is considering offering a compact pickup in the U.S., it would be sold as a Ram.

So why has Stellantis seemingly let Fiat USA die on the vine? One of the nails in the coffin may have been hammered when the Fiat Chrysler/Peugeot merger became official. Fiat was hardly setting sales records before that deal became official. The new global conglomerate may have decided it wasn’t worth the effort and resources to revive Fiat in the U.S. and opted to let it die a slow death instead.

Fiat returned to the U.S. with a lot of fanfare and some very memorable ad campaigns under Sergio Marchionne’s watchful eye. But now the company appears to be a zombie brand awaiting its expiration date. Ironically, the marque that Marchionne put so much effort into bringing back to North America may become a victim of his stance that the auto industry needed a mass-consolidation if it was going to survive.