Fiat’s US Invasion is Afoot
July 7, 2010 by William Maley
Fiat will have their own dealer network, not a combined one with Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, or Ram. Letters were sent out to 2,300 Chrysler franchises giving them general guidelines about applying for a Fiat franchise. One of the guidelines is to operate a separate facility with different sales and service team for the Fiat showroom. Chrysler spokesman Ralph Kisiel said,
“Dealers are going to have to demonstrate how they will market, sell and service Fiat vehicles with a new customer service model,”
Kisiel also said that Fiat dealers will be located around 125 metro areas in the US that have a high number of small car registrations and high potential for selling small cars. Chrysler in a statement said, dealers who are interested in a Fiat franchise must be within one the 125 metro areas, meet customer satisfaction and minimum sales requirements, and show that they have the financial resources to support the brand.
Kisiel said, that dealers interested in a Fiat franchise but who are outside the 125 metro areas will be considered but have to meet the standards and financial requirements.
Chrysler hopes to announce a list of Fiat dealers in September.
Source: Detroit News
