News

Seattle Fiat dealer, Rairdon Fiat, is excited for the opportunity to sell the Fiat to Washington Fiat enthusiasts. The start of Seattle Fiat sales, however, is expected to rival the sales of BMW’s MINI cars.

Chrysler officials told Seattle Fiat dealers that the Fiat 500 will offer lots of customization opportunities and that they expect customers to pre-order cars and choose from a long list of options and colors. They told Seattle Fiat dealers sales personnel will function almost like interior design consultants in helping customers choose from all the options available to them.

That approach will pit the 500 in direct competition with BMW AG’s Mini brand.

The 500 will be made at Chrysler’s Toluca, Mexico, factory with Fiat 1.4-liter MultiAir engines shipped from Dundee, Mich.

Seattle Fiat dealers who attended the event said Chrysler’s presentation was organized and impressive.

David Kelleher, owner of David Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Glen Mills, Pa., described Chrysler’s capital requirements as “reasonable.” He declined to give specifics.

“This is an opportunity to diversify yourself from being a high volume American brand dealer” into something different, “not competing and tripping over” other dealerships selling the same brands, he said. “That gives me diversity in my structure. That helps me weather some storms.”

Carl Galeana, owner of Van Dyke Dodge in Warren, Mich., said he is encouraged because he owns a Saturn franchise that will be going out of business at the end of October.

“This reminded me of one of my first Saturn meetings,” he said. “They signaled what the brand was and what they hoped it would be. It was very Saturn like.”

Galeana was also encouraged because Chrysler didn’t rule out the notion that single-point dealers who don’t have all four Chrysler brands could obtain a Fiat franchise.

Seattle Fiat dealer, Rairdon Fiat, couldn’t be more excited to start “owning” the high responsibility of being one of the only Chrysler dealerships in America to sell Fiat cars.

For more information about the Fiat in Seattle, please call 877-337-2123 or visit www.rairdon.com