I think it is fair to say that Fiat especially with the 500 have always targeted themselve at the sort of people who buy things like Minis and VW beetles, things that were a little be retro, (although retro seems to have gone out the window these day)
The 500L was supposed to go after the likes of the mums sizing up from a 500 who would buy something like a countryman back in the early 2010s, but unfortunately it was badly aimed as the MPVs were being replaced by the SUVs and while some might claim they are the same (in their mind) the 500L failed to sell well and was eventually axed.
The New 600 is an SUV shaped car designed to replace the 500L and the Punto, its much smaller than the 500X and is more akin to a small hatch back with an SUV look about it.
Well today Mini decided to P155 on the bonfire which has been Fiat's new car releases in recent years by launching the New Mini Aceman. A car that is basically the same in terms of market position as the fiat 600, but is about £4k cheaper and has about 50+ miles more range....
I think this is going to be a big problem for Fiat, and force them to now look at cutting the price of the 600, as its just not competitive compared to the prices of the new cars coming out, mini still has a good network of dealerships also so I can see them being more popular just because you can actually take it somewhere for repairs and servicing if needed.
www.fiat.co.uk
