Details emerge on next-gen Fiat 500

A new report indicates the all-new 2016 Fiat 500 might be longer and wider than the current model in order to better cater to the needs of consumers in the United States, the city car’s biggest global market.  Fiat is still split on what direction to take the car in because noticeably increasing its size would make it less practical in big European cities.

Currently under development in Fiat’s headquarters in Turin, Italy, the next 500 will follow the path blazed by BMW’s MINI Cooper and gain evolutionary styling updates rather than an entirely new look.  The print edition of trade journal Automotive News finds Fiat might take advantage of the new model’s arrival to shift production in Poland, a move that would boost productivity in Europe and clear up much-needed production capacity for high-volume models in Toluca, Mexico, where U.S.- and China-bound 500s are currently built.

Unlike the MINI, the next 500 will be offered exclusively as a three-door hatchback but Fiat is plotting a larger five-door hatch with a 500-inspired design to slot in between the entry-level hatchback and the family-focused 500L.  Expected to ride on the Dart’s Compact U.S. Wide platform, the yet-unnamed car will replace the Fiat Punto and go head-to-head against the Ford Fiesta in key markets all around the world. Â

Official details about the next 500 will begin to emerge next year.  The car will debut as a three-door hatchback, and the Abarth and C-badged convertible variants will arrive before the end of the decade.

Photo by Ronan Glon.<![CDATA[
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