Fiat 500 hits the market in China
The funky 500 may have been big news in Europe for some time, and more recently in America, but Chinese consumers are only just able to get a taste of Italy’s mini car after Fiat left the Chinese market for several years. The 500 will be available in three different trims and will be priced from 169,800rmb to 228,800rmb with only a 1.4L engine to chose from.
The 500 sits in between the Smart range from Mercedes and the MINI range from BMW, both of which seem to be doing exceptionally well in the Chinese market, so of course there is a chance for the 500 to shine here as well.
Fiat initially entered the Chinese market with joint venture partner Nanjing Auto in 1999, however this partnership fell apart in 2007. Although Fiat gained a strong market entry both participants in the venture failed to keep up with the changing market conditions which ultimately lead to its demise, Fiat are now working with Guangzhou Auto to produce the new Fiat range for the Chinese market and should be able to sell locally made vehicles in China in the next 2-3 years, in the meantime Fiat will be relying on imported models such as the 500.
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