2018 Fiat 500 to be Built at Toluca

We have just confirmed that the new 2018 Fiat 500 for the NAFTA region will be built at the Toluca Mexico plant. This is contrary to media reports saying that production would be shifted to Fiat's Poland plant located in Tychy. The Toluca plant has been the home of the North American Fiat 500 since its debut in 2010. It was widely speculated by the press over the past few years that production of the 500 in Toluca would be displaced by FCA's shift towards producing trucks and SUVS.* While this may eventually happen, for the time being, production of the 2018 model year Fiat 500 will remain in Toluca.

The unveiling date of the 2018 Fiat 500 has yet to be confirmed. Sometime during the first quarter is the safe bet. The car is coming, and we can't wait!


Besides the Fiat 500, the FCA plant in Toluca, Mexico produces the Dodge Journey, Fiat Freemont, and Jeep Compass. Production of the North American Fiat 500 began in December 2010. Production of the 2017 Fiat 500 ended in August of last year. Preliminary reports from sources back in Spring 2017 said that production of the 2018 model year 500 would begin late in the first quarter of this year.

Read more

Discuss the 2018 Fiat 500 on the Fiat 500 USA Forum

2018 Fiat 500 Standard Engine?

Manufacturing The North American Fiat 500

*Fiat to Move 500 Output From Mexico to Poland
*Switching to SUVs

Fiat Spider Record Monza Exhaust Coming!

Fiat enthusiasts will be happy to hear the long awaited Record Monza exhaust system upgrade for the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth is on its way! This special exhaust upgrade features a Dual Mode Muffler that has a valve that bypasses the muffler depending on engine load. Its name honors Carlo Abarth's speed record he personally set at the Monza race track in 1965.

Record Monza Dual Mode Exhaust - $895.00 preliminary catalog pricing.

We received insider information that dealer orders for the Abarth Record Monza Exhaust will open as a 'factory' upfit (Abarth only) beginning next month and will also be available over the counter by late April. Cars ordered with a Record Monza will have the exhaust system hand fitted when the car arrives in the US, just like the Abarth Racing Heritage stripe.  European Abarth Spiders feature this same hand fitting when arriving in Europe.

The initial batch of cars fitted with the exhaust will come with a limited edition Abarth fender badge to commemorate the launch, celebrating the first US Fiats available with a ‘factory’ exhaust upgrade option. From what we heard, upfit pricing will be right around $995 with the over the counter version coming in around $895.



The Abarth Record Monza features a muffler bypass that activates depending on engine load. Typically anything over 3000 rpm will be in bypass mode and sounds awesome.

The Record Monza is a direct bolt-on for Abarths, but requires a little lower fascia trimming to fit on the Classica and Lussos models (a template is included with the instructions).

Check with your Abarth dealer for details. Note this is breaking news so your dealer may need to get up to speed on this. Tell them you read it on Fiat500USA.com!

Discuss this and other accessories on the Fiat 124 Spider Upgrade and DIY Forum

Abarth Spider Racing Heritage Option

Mopar Accessories Website

Mopar Gears Up for the Fiat Spider

Fiat 124 Spider Accessories Part Numbers

Read more about the Fiat 124 Spider

Source and images: FCA US LLC

Marchionne Press Conference at Detroit Auto Show

Sergio Marchionne, FCA CEO, addresses reporters from around the world at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. With any luck, we may hear what is going on with the 2018 Fiat 500 for North America.


There will be two live press events. The first is 11:30 AM EST and the second is 2:00 PM EST. They will be an on-demand replay of the conferences immediately after the live program. Don't miss it!

Discuss on the Fiat 500 USA Forum

Fiat 2017 North American Sales Total 41,329

Fiat sales in North America (USA, Mexico, and Canada) reached a total of 41,329 units in 2017 compared to the 44,460 sold the previous year. Sales last year of 500, 500X and 500L models in the US and Mexico were down, with just the 124 Spider showing an increase mainly due to the car being introduced halfway through 2016. In Canada, 500X and Spider sales were up for the year.

The Fiat brand sold 26,492 cars in the US during 2017, 19 % less compared to 2016. Fiat sales in Mexico set a record, totaling 12,498, a 33 % increase over the previous year. It should be noted that Fiat Mexico sells a variety of models besides the 500 series and Spider and this increase in sales is due to these other models. Canadian Fiat sales totaled 2,359, off just 1 % from 2016's total of 2,355 cars.

Fiat USA Sales: 26,492
Fiat Brand Sales in Canada: 2,339
Fiat Brand Sales in Mexico: 12498
Total: 41,329


Fiat 500 Sales
The model breakdown in the US shows that there was a total of 12,685 Fiat 500 hatchback, Cabrios and Abarth sold in 2017. This number is down 18 % compared to 2016's figure of 15,437 cars.

In Canada, there were 840 Fiat 500s sold in 2017 compared to 1,028 in 2016. Fiat 500 sales in Mexico were 440 during 2017 versus 1,821 in 2016.

Fiat 500L Sales
Despite the fact that Fiat 500L sales in the US have been up for the last four months of the year, the
Fiat 500L sales in the US for 2017 totaled 1,664, down 47 % compared to 2016's figure of 3,118 cars.

Fiat sold 42 500L MPVs in Canada last year versus 303 sold in 2016. In Mexico, 143 500L's were sold last year versus 338 in 2016.

Fiat 500X Sales
Fiat 500X sales totaled 7,665 last year, down 35% compared to 2016. In Canada, Fiat sold 856 500X crossovers, which is up 26 % over the 766 total sold in 2016. Mexican sales of the 500X in 2017 amounted to 156 cars, compared to the 491 units sold in 2016.

Fiat 124 Spider
Sales of the Spider totaled 4,478 units last year, an 81% increase over 2016's total. It should be mentioned last year marked the Spider's first full year of sales as the car was introduced halfway through 2016. There were 601 Spiders sold in Canada, a 133% increase over 2016. Surprisingly, Spider sales in Mexico for 2017 tallied just 6 compared to the 3 sold the year before.

Discuss this story on the Fiat 500 USA Forum

Looking Forward
The 2018 model year brings refinement and enhancements to the 500l, 500X and Spider model ranges. The 500L, in particular, has been given a redesign with an upmarket look. The 500X crossover gets some new colors, and a special edition called the Urbana that sports unique trim and an enhanced infotainment system.

2018 Fiat 500L Model Year Changes

2018 Fiat 500X Model Changes

The 124 Spider model range also gets some new colors and more flexibility when ordering and combining options. Fiat dealers are now taking orders for the 2019 Spider which offers increased content on the base Classica edition compared to 2018, plus new striping options. Abarth Spider fans will be happy to hear that the 2019 Abarth Spider will now have an Abarth logo on the steering wheel replacing the Fiat logo used in previous years.

2018 Fiat 124 Spider Model Changes

2018 Fiat 500
Conspicuously absent from 2018 model year news is information on the 2018 500 hatch, Cabrio, and Abarth models. Initially, we were given information last Spring saying 2018 would bring changes that would make a 500 enthusiast happy and to look for the car arriving in the second quarter of 2018. However, details have been carefully guarded, and insiders say there likely won't be any announcements or unveilings until after the Chicago Auto Show or later.

A clue was published on the Fiat 500 USA Forum that shows all 2018 Fiat 500 models coming with a 135 hp turbocharged engine. This information comes from a brochure published on the Fiat USA website and subsequently and immediately taken down. We can get no confirmation at the moment if that is correct or not.

More About the 2018 Fiat 500 on the Forum

Fiat 500 production for the NAFTA region for the 2017 model year ended in Toluca, Mexico in August of last year.* Rumors have it that 500 production for North America will resume at the Tychy plant in Poland, where the European 500 is manufactured. However, there has been no announcements or information leaked out as to when North American production will begin. If a new 2018 500 is to arrive in Spring, it seems likely we would have heard something by now. It will be curious to see how this plays out. Obviously, we will watch very closely and bring you details as soon as we can.

Model year changes archives.  See what has changed over the years.

Fiat Brand Sales in the United States, January - December 2017

Fiat 500	Current Month	Last Year	Vol Change	Current YTD	Last Year YTD	Vol Change
Dec 500 500L 500X 124	687     111     673     283     1,738	1,411  102  843  250   2,606	-53%    9%    -20%   15%    -33%	12,685     1,664     7,665     4,478     26,492	15,437        3,118        11712           2475        32,742	-18%     -47%     -35%     81%     -19%
Nov 500 500L 500X 124	782     127     556     288     1,733	1,147  96  822  350   2,415	-32%    32%    -32%   -23%    -28%	12,018     1553     6992     4191     24,754	14,026        3,016        10869           2235        30,136	-14%     -49%     -36%     88%     -18%
Oct 500 500L 500X 124	801     159     561     248     1,769	1,276  119  783  444   2,622	-37%    34%    -28%   -44%    -33%	11236     1426     6436     3923     23,021	12,879        2,920        10047           1875        27,721	-13%     -51%     -36%     109%     -17%
Sept 500 500L 500X 124	1,016     209     638     343     2,206	1,481  103  839  490   2,913	-31%    103%    -24%   -30%    -24%	10435     1267     5875     3675     21252	11,603        2,801        9,264           1431        25,099	-10%     -55%     -37%     156%     -15%
August 500 500L 500X 124	937     141     680     382     2,120	1,246  131  899  460   2,736	-25%    8%    -27%   -17%    -23%	9,419     1058     5237     3332     19046	10,122        2,698        8,425           941        22,186	-7%     -61%     -38%     254%     -14%
July 500 500L 500X 124	1026     171     597     450     2,244	1,089  225  944  480   2,738	-6%    -24%    -37%    -6%    -18%	8,482     917     4577     2950     16926	8,876        2,567        7,526           481        19,450	-4%     -64%     -39%     513%     -13%
June 500 500L 500X 124	995     184     553     510     2,242	1,115  279  934  1   2,329	-11%    -34%    -41%     New    -4%	7,456     746     3980     2500     14,682	7,787        2,342        6,582            1        16,712	-4%     -68%     -40%     New     -12%
May 500 500L 500X 124	1,240     163     703     564     2,670	1,573  335  1,262  0   3,170	-21%    -51%    -44%     New    -16%	6,461     562     3427     1990     12,440	6672        2,063        5,648            0        14,383	-3%     -73%     -39%     New     -14%
April 500 500L 500X 124	1,201     115     758     465     2,539	1,504  466  1,128  0   3,098	-20%    -75%    -33%     New    -18%	5,221     399     2724     1426     9,770	5099        1728        4,386            0         11213	2%     -77%     -38%     New     -13%
March 500 500L 500X 124	1,671     106     726     419     2,922	1,494  535  1,056  0   3,085	12%    -80%    -31%     New    -5%	4,020     284     1966     961     7,231	3595        1262        3,258            0         8,115	12%     -77%     -40%     New     -11%
Feb 500 500L 500X 124	1,131     72     640     302     2,145	1120  370  1,161  0   2,651	1%    -81%    -45%     New    -19%	2,349     178     1240     542     4,309	2101        727        2,202            0         5,030	12%     -76%     -44%     New     -14%
Jan 500 500L 500X 124	1,218     106     600     240     2,164	981  357  1,041  0   2,379	24%    -70%    -40%     New    -9%	1,218     106     600     240     2,164	981        357        1,041            0         2,379	24%     -70%     -42%     New     -9%

*Correction 1/24/17: We originally reported that Fiat 500 production for the NAFTA market ended in Toluca, Mexico last year to make way for truck production. This was incorrect.

Fiat Sales Archives - All Fiat sales figures since the beginning

Fiat 500 Award Archives

Sources: FCA US LLC, Fiat Mexico, Fiat Canada
Images: FCA and Author