via 500FREAKS
I really think that's a way lofty goal. AFAIK this car doesn't perform as well as the Mini, nor as famous of a heritage. Maybe price is the only thing going for it. Anyone think they'll actually sell 50,000 of these cars in the first year alone?A report out of the Associated Press has Fiat’s 2011 U.S. sales target for the Fiat 500 at 50,000 units. Fiat hopes to achieve this though a network of 165 dealers, which will mostly be located in cities with the largest projected small car markets. Ambitious plan? Certainly, considering BMW sells approximately 50,000 Minis annually.
The U.S. version of the Fiat 500 will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November and will be positioned as a direct competitor to BMW’s Mini, according to these people, who did not want to be identified since the briefing is not public. Chrysler also plans to introduce an electric version of the Fiat 500 in 2012, they said. -- http://www.500freaks.com/?p=26599