here in Indiana we have our FIRST FIAT Studio (dealership). O'Brien FIAT of Greenwood opened today in the Greenwood Park Mall. the Studio is located on the Northside of the mall at the Johnny Rockets entrance. once inside, just turn left. pretty cool having a dealership...oops, STUDIO inside a shopping mall!!!! cars are arriving slowly. only one on display now but they have 17 on the way, due in a week. by the end of the year, there should be 130 FIAT Studios across the U.S. the car is VERY impressive, in both fit and finish. time will tell how well they will be received by the American public.
So, what do you do, take it for a spin around the inside of the Mall? Seems a tad bit dangerous, especially on Friday and Saturday evening when that place is crawling with teenagers! I used to live in Greenwood, I'm familiar with that Mall. It is a unique concept having it in a mall, what was the asking price for the one they had available?
Interesting decor and looks good, though the FIAT logo looks ancient like it was created and unchanged since the 60's. We have a used car dealership with a smaller satellite "studio" in a mall here, holds four cars. I guess to get attraction for the real deal a few miles down the road.
Fiats are not exactly known for reliability here in the U.S. The fact it is produced in Mexico doesn't help any, either. With a $16,000.00 starting price, I think it may be a hard sell. Atleast these boutiques are not anywhere near a Chrysler dealership. I think that was a smart move.
lo they're not quite as bad as they were back then. They don't rot anywhere near as badly, though they are still known for the odd gremlin here and there - but so's the mini! The 500 is popular and sells mainly to women of a certain age (20's - 30's). I personally think Fiat are onto a winner with the 500.
It looks like a great little car. I love the way an old and very popular design has been revived - sort of a 'modern retro' style, with a distinctly Italian flair. The sportier Abarth model should attract a bit more attention, and I've heard there's an electric version as well. I would expect sales to be best among people who are neither in their seventies, nor remember them.
the thing is, can you make a go of it selling a few of these and a few of those? i see the 'new' vw bug every once in a while (driven by women mostly younger) and wonder if it's worthwhile.
I doubt she'd be impressed by the fact that you remember the Fiat 500 the first time around. Just a hunch. But you never know - a surprising number of women are interested in older men. It could be worth your while, but you won't know if you don't try.
