The Fiat brand sold a total of 17,283 vehicles in North America in 2019, a 34% decline compared to the 26,104 units sold in 2018.
Fiat USA Sales: 9200
Fiat Brand Sales in Canada: 384
Fiat Brand Sales in Mexico: 7,699
Total: 17,283
The top-selling Fiat model was the 500 hatch and Cabrio series, followed by the 124 Spider and the 500X crossover and 500L MPV.
Fiat 2019 Sales Totals in US
The Fiat brand sold 9,200 cars in the US during 2019, 41 percent less compared to 15,551 sold in 2019.
Fiat USA Sales Totals 2019 / 2018 Comparison
| Model | 2019 Sales | 2018 Sales | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 500L 500X 124 | 3267 771 2518 2644 9200 | 5370 1413 5223 3515 15551 | -39% -45% -52% -25% -41% |
Fiat 2019 Sales in Canada
Fiat Canadian sales dropped 41 percent to 384 units from 2018's total of 647 cars. Curiously, the best selling Fiat model in Canada is the Fiat 124 Spider. Go figure!
Fiat 2019 / 2018 Sales in Canada Comparison
| Model | 2019 Sales | 2018 Sales | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 500L 500X 124 | 117 12 50 205 384 | 270 13 79 285 647 | -57% -8% -37% -28% -41% |
Fiat Mexico 2019 Sales Totals
Fiat brand sales in Mexico totaled 7,669, a 23 percent decrease over 9,938 units sold the previous year. It should be noted that Fiat Mexico sells a variety of models besides the 500 Abarth and 500L. There were a total of 101 Fiat 500s and 50 500Ls sold in Mexico last year. Sales of the 500X and Spider were discontinued back in 2018.
Fiat 500 Sales for 2019
The continued scarcity of Fiat's traditionally best selling model, the 500 hatch and Cabrio over the past two years have had a significant impact on sales. The model breakdown in the US shows that there was a total of 3,267 Fiat 500 hatchback, Cabrios, and Abarth sold in 2019. This is down 39% compared to 2018's 5,370 cars. By comparison, sales in 2017, when these models were readily available, reached 12,685.
Contributing factors are seen as the 500's production being stopped most of the 2018 model year for retooling and then the subsequent build-out of the last batch of 2019 cars. Frequent issues expressed on the Fiat 500 USA Forum by potential buyers were a lack of availability of cars, the discontinuation of the many bright and cheerful colors, and the scarcity of manual transmissions for certain models. These sentiments were also echoed by the dealers we talked to.
The question on whether sales would pick up if the supply issues were fixed will sadly never be answered as Fiat USA has discontinued sales of the 500 in North America after the 2019 model year.
Looking at the other countries, in Canada, there were 117 Fiat 500s sold in 2019 compared to 270 in 2018. Fiat 500 sales in Mexico last year amounted to 101 versus 440 in 2018.
Fiat 500L Sales for 2019
Fiat 500L MPV sales in the US for 2019 totaled 771, compared to 2018's figure of 1,413 cars. The 500L was updated and received a mild restyling for 2018, which helped bump sales that year.
Sales of the 500L in Canada and Mexico were down very slightly last year. Fiat sold 12 500L MPVs in Canada in 2019 versus 13 sold in 2018. In Mexico, 50 500L's were sold last year versus 52 in 2018.
Curiously, the versatile 500L has been a consistent top seller in Europe since its launch in 2012, yet never really caught on here in America. The 500L has the interior room of a full-sized car within its subcompact outer dimensions and unmatched practicality.
Here are some of the class-leading features the Fiat 500L offers:
- Best-in-class standard power and torque
- Best-in-class cargo room
- More seating and storage configurations than anyone in its class
- Best-in-class storage system
- Best-in-class front headroom
Fiat 500X Sales for 2019
Fiat 500X sales in the US totaled 2,518 last year, a 52% decline compared to 5,223 for 2018.
Again, a lack of availability is the often stated issue potential customers have expressed to me in conversations. Here's a snippet of one from someone in California from a few weeks ago:
"I don’t understand how Fiat can sell cars with no stock...Last I counted were about 18 cars among five dealerships in the Bay Area. One 2019 500X."
This sales performance is a bit surprising as the 500X received a refreshed design and a new engine for 2019 and has been garnering positive press reviews. The 500X is built on the same platform as the big selling Jeep Renegade (76K units last year) but is tuned to deliver sophisticated European driving dynamics compared to more traditional Jeep SUV ride and handling. Of course, it is difficult to sell cars if they are not available, and that seems to be the biggest issue here.
In Canada, Fiat sold only 50 500X crossovers, compared to the 79 total sold in 2018 - a 37 percent drop. Mexican sales of the 500X ended in 2018.
Fiat 124 Spider Sales for 2019
Sales of the 124 Spider in the US totaled 2,644 units last year, compared to 3,516 in 2018, a 25% decline.
The charismatic 124 Spider is the most affordable roadster available in the US, is more refined, and has an easily tuned turbocharged motor for substantially added performance compared to its sister car, the Mazda MX5, yet sales are one-third that of the Mazda's. That begs the question, why?
In Canada, the 124 Spider is the best selling model out of the entire Fiat brand. There were 205 Spiders sold in Canada in 2019, compared to 284 sold the year before. Sales of the Spider were discontinued in Mexico in 2018.
What's Next?
Looking to the future, there is a renewed push to market the 500X with the announcement of a Sport model coming this year, plus Fiat will be showing off its Centoventi concept car here in America this week. The Centoventi gives a hint of the future of the Fiat brand and gives some hope that we will see these future products here in North America.
2019 Fiat News Recap
The big news for 2019 was Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot S.A. formally agreed to merge. The two companies will combine in a 50/50 partnership headquartered in Holland and will become the 4th largest car manufacturer by volume, ahead of GM, Hyundai, Ford, and Honda.
Read more:
Fiat announced in September that 2019 would be the last year of the 500 hatch and Cabrio models here in the US. The next-generation 500 is expected to debut in March at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. So far, there has been silence on whether we will see that model on this side of the Atlantic. The new model will feature an all-electric powertrain.
Fiat announced they will be bringing the 500X Sport model over from Europe for 2020. The 500X Sport is an exclusive trim package with added features not available on other 500X models.
2020 Fiat 124 Abarth Spider with Scorpion Sting Appearance Group
Fiat added new appearance packages for their 124 Spider series. The Abarth Spider Scorpion Sting Appearance Group and 124 Spider Urbana Edition give the exciting sportscar added flair.
Fiat was founded in 1899 and is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. Fiat unveiled a concept car called the Centoventi (one hundred twenty in Italian) to commemorate the occasion. The Centoventi hints at future Fiat models and ushers in the next generation of EVs and gives a look at how cars will be sold.
Fiat Brand Sales in the United States, Fourth Quarter 2019
| Model | Current Year | Last Year | Vol Change | Current YTD | Last Year YTD | Vol Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 500L 500X 124 | 699 166 442 430 1737 | 1653 182 1002 600 3437 | -58% -9% -56% -28% -49% | 3267 771 2518 2644 9200 | 5370 1413 5223 3515 15551 | -39% -45% -52% -25% -41% |
Sources: FCA US LLC.
Images: FCA and author
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