The main priority is the re-launch of Alfa Romeo in the US, which is on track for a 2009 debut. The Fiat 500 would arrive a year later. “We cannot exclude that our new 500 would go, in some forms, to the US market, but not in the short term,” Marchionne explained at a recent press event.
The new 500 will officially go on sale in Europe next month, with the Abarth 500 expected to cost more than €15,000. At current exchange rates this equates roughly to $20,195, which is well above the $18,700 starting price for the Mini Cooper.