FCA’s Fiat brand said it would axe production of the 500 and 500e in North America though current stocks of 2019 model year cars would last into 2020.
The models, the petrol version with a different automatic transmission from Polish built versions sold elsewhere, are made in FCA’s Toluca, Mexico factory. Output of the 500 there ended last June and the final petrol 500 is due off the line in November.
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FCA has built multiple variants of the 500 at Toluca: the base car, cabrio, 500e plug-in EV), Abarth, C Abarth & 500 Turbo. It also built the 500 for Brazil (Mexico and Brazil have a free-trade agreement) and China.
Though the European version sold in the rest of the world launched in 2007, the 500 didn’t reach the US and Canada until early 2011 after the production version made its debut at the Los Angeles show in November 2010.
FCA’s south plant at GEMA, a powertrain facility in Dundee, Michigan, started building the 500’s 1.4-litre petrol engines from Q3, 2010.
The 500 for North America differs from the Polish-made original which shared its platform and plant with Ford Europe’s Ka. As well as a larger engine there is a six-speed automatic gearbox. The car itself was also extensively modified for US regulations with larger bumpers and different headlamps.
A mildly facelifted 500 range was announced in July 2015 and the most recent news for North America’s 500 was the debut of a slightly revised model for the 2018 model year. The 2019 model year range hardly changed compared to 2018.
Fiart North America will continue to sell the 500X all-wheel-drive compact crossover, the five-passenger 500L utility vehicle and the Mazda-built 124 Spider roadster.
