Fiat casts a shadow on the unfavorable "return" plan in the United States

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It may be too early to say that the Fiat 500 was a failed model, but the bleak start cast a shadow over CEO Silgio Marchioni’s plan to expand the US market.

For the popular actress Jennifer Lopez, the appearance of Fiat's ad is not the best moment for her. The 42-year-old pop singer recently appeared in an ad for the Fiat 500 sedan. The advertisement met for the first time on the Monday Night Football show in early September this year. Although her dance moves are good, people’s reaction to this online advertisement is not enthusiastic. A Youtube user replied coldly: "I don't believe that rich people like her will drive this kind of car."

What Fiat is looking for is not this reaction. The company launched this compact car earlier this year and plans to launch more models. However, with the emergence of various real problems, Fiat's high expectations have gradually fallen to the ground. This is especially the case with the brand chaos and the unclear positioning of target customers. It may be too early to say that the Fiat 500 was a failed model, but the bleak start cast a shadow over CEO Silgio Marchioni’s plan to expand the US market.

Chrysler LLC, already owned by Fiat, has started selling the Fiat 500, but sales are slow. Only about 15,000 units were sold in October. Machioni purchased the troublesome Chrysler in 2004 and quickly brought it back to life, becoming one of the most classic success stories in the automotive industry. In the past three years, he has fully controlled Chrysler and plans to align the two brands, including returning to the US market.

Chrysler had expected Fiat 500 to reach 50,000 units in its first year of sales, but this goal has now been unable to complete. This is due in part to the slower-than-expected pace of distribution of 124 dealers and to customers. Knowledge is low. There are very few Americans who know about the Fiat brand. Only a few remember the Fiat models from two or three decades ago, such as the Fiat 124. This car had to withdraw from the American market due to its poor quality and reliability.

The Fiat 500 is priced at $15,000. Car website Edmunds. Michel Cribes, a senior editor at com, believes that the sales of the mini-car category in the United States have always been small, so the Fiat 500's appeal to consumers is also very limited. In addition, she also believes that due to the company's invitation to Jennifer Lopez to endorse the Fiat 500, so this car may be mainly attractive to women, and may be less attractive to men.

Car marketers are always in love with the release of the Fiat 500 for comparison with the successful launch of the BMW Mini brand. The BMW Mini was launched in 2001 and has about 90 dealers in the United States. Its annual sales volume is about 50,000 units. The BMW Mini's success is a textbook case of classic marketing. It tells us how to use low-cost, flexible marketing strategies to achieve success - for example, tying a BMW Mini to a Lincoln Navigator. On the roof of the car, then drive it around the city center.

Fiat also plans to launch an Abarth version of the Fiat 500 in Los Angeles on November 16th, which may be more pleasing and power-raising. This may stimulate sales. According to Ziintan Talati, senior editor of the automotive website TrueCar, this Abbas version of the Fiat 500 "will attract customers who like more power and can compete with BMW's Mini Cooper S."

Although it is too early to say that Fiat is in trouble, Chrysler will still be careful to ensure that after a slow start, Fiat 500 sales will continue to increase. Kleist lacks a real luxury car brand and now it is planning to add more Fiat models, eventually introducing Fiat's Alfa Romeo luxury sports sedan into the US market. However, if the US distributors are not satisfied, then all these good wishes will be lulled out - unless the Fiat 500 has accumulated enough sales to make them feel that it is worthwhile to pay a visit to the auto showroom.