Fiat FC-500c

After some loud music and swirling spotlights, a small, red 1957 Fiat 500 drove onto the stage. A very attractive lady got out of the car. Attractive females and shiny automobiles have always been a part of car shows. But it became instantly obvious that this was not a typical female model or product specialist employee. This was Laura Soave, the Chief Executive for Fiat North America.

Run by Fiat, Chrysler hopes to have better sales in the last part of 2010, sales that would be boosted by the Americanized version of Cinquecento, or Fiat 500. The focus changed on smaller cars is part of Chrysler's efforts to improve its position. Among the several small models under development, the first one to hit the market has the Fiat badge attached to it. An electric version of the Fiat 500 is expected in American showrooms in 2012. The concept car with an electric drivetrain was introduced at the Detroit auto show in January. Although the car will have a Fiat nameplate, the engineering of the car will be done in Michigan and the car will be built specifically for the United States. However, the electric car will come one year behind Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and the electric Ford Focus.

Fiat FC-500c