Fiat Aficionados Unfazed by Freemont’s Dodge Lineage

GENEVA – A popular T-shirt declares in huge letters the wearer is “I.B.M.” And in fine print, it adds: “Italian by marriage.”

That’s how Italian consumers seem to regard the Fiat Freemont midsize cross/utility vehicle, which is based on the Journey – a Dodge conceived in Detroit and assembled in Mexico.

“It is a Dodge, no doubt,” global brand chief Olivier Francois says. But it also has been “accepted by the Fiat customer as a Fiat.”

The Italian auto maker has delivered 30,000 Journeys since the vehicle’s mid-2011 European market launch. This outcome was unexpected, Francois tells WardsAuto.

“Amongst all the Chrysler Group offerings, we picked (the Dodge Journey),” he says. “Not because I needed such a product. Honestly, there is not a big demand.”

Broadly speaking, Francois says the Freemont’s appeal rests with its functionality. It also is rugged, moreso for ’12 with the addition of an optional all-wheel-drive system.

These attributes resonate particularly well with fans of the stalwart Panda subcompact, which is all-new for ’12, but “I’m afraid to call it ‘Big Panda,’” Francois says, adding that would be cheesy.

“Freemont is a Dodge product. I’m not going to make some marketing thing and say, ‘It’s a Fiat.’ It’s a Dodge. We call it Freemont because it sounds American so people relate.”

The AWD version of the Freemont can be equipped with a 2.0L 170-hp turbodiesel I-4 featuring Fiat’s MultiJet 2 fuel-injection technology, or Chrysler’s 3.6L 280-hp Pentastar V-6 – a Ward’s 10 Best Engines winner this year and last.

Fiat also attempts to leverage its American connection with a limited-edition European-market “America” model of its 500 minicar. It features unique badging and side-view mirrors adorned with the Stars and Stripes.

“There is a great deal of pride in Italy about the fact that little Fiat is now also landing in the ‘New World,’” Francois says of the iconic brand’s return to the U.S. after a 29-year absence.

Since relaunching with the 500 in March 2011, Fiat enjoyed its best U.S. sales month in February with 3,227 deliveries. The previous record was 3,107 in August.

The 500 is “really coming into its own” in the U.S., says Tim Kuniskis, Fiat’s top executive in North America. Consider that December historically is a strong sales month, he adds.

From 2007 through 2011, average monthly U.S. sales volumes industrywide show December ranks fourth behind March, August and May, according to WardsAuto data.

“I don’t want to make any predictions, but if we can beat December in February, that’s a good sign that momentum is building,” Kuniskis says.

Positive momentum would be welcome because Fiat 500 sales trailed launch-year expectations, which were closer to 50,000 deliveries. Through February, the 500 accounted for 24,907.

A high-performance Abarth-brand 500 expands the U.S. Fiat lineup as it enters showrooms this month. The 500 range already includes a cabrio version. Gucci-branded special-edition models began arriving on dealer lots last fall.

Next up is the 500L, a 5-passenger people-mover based on the C-segment Fiat Punto’s platform. Chrysler was inspired to introduce the model in the U.S. because American consumers, while intrigued by the 500, felt limited by its diminutive size.

“Now they can have the 500 look, feel, brand and all that – but in a package they can use,” Kuniskis says.

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has said he would like to see a U.S. 500L launch in December.

Says Kuniskis: “If it comes early, fantastic. But we’re planning on ’13.”

[email protected]