You might not look at automotive sales stats, but we sure do. We instinctively know by looking around that the Fiat 500 isn't exactly a hot seller. Typically driven by AARP members, it's just a bit too cute and a bit underpowered to be all that appealing. The Fiat name doesn't help things much. Only the 500X crossover permutation does decently in terms of sales, while the 500 and ugly 500L sit on lots unsold. Any day now, it should get a power bump, but will that change anything?
Sales of the Fiat 500 are down over 70% from last year, and they weren't even that robust, to begin with, amounting only to several thousand over the course of last year. Fiat saw that the little car should get more juice, so it's ditching the 101 hp naturally-aspirated 1.4-liter 4-cylinder for a turbocharged version.
Power jumps from a meager 101 to a respectable 135 with 150 lb-ft of torque thanks to the forced induction mill. That's just 25
The 500 has a few things against it. First of all, hatchback sales aren't exactly going gangbusters. The top-selling hatchback is the Ford Focus, and it's not even very high on the list. Also, hatchback sales
The 500 is also a bit too small. It's got a diminutive cargo section, making it impractical to haul larger loads (a mere 9.5 cubic feet behind the second row and only 30 cubes using all the rear space). It's tight on room, too, and it only has two doors, making it impractical for more than two people. Passengers have to contortion themselves into the back, and even then the experience is tantamount to stowing away inside
Finally, Fiats generally don't have the best reputation for reliability, and all of their vehicles for sale in America are rather niche. The 500 is too small, the 124 Spider is a two-seat convertible, and the 500L is, well, hideous. The horsepower bump may not actually help sales at all, in our opinion. The 500 just has too many things working against it, and the downward spiral in sales may be
