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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

As Seattle Fiat dealership of Rairdon Auto Group has previously reported, Rairdon Seattle Fiat dealers will begin selling Fiat cars by December. After a 30-year absence, Seattle Fiat dealerships will only be able to offer one model, the Fiat 500.

Chrysler hopes to sell 50,000 of the stylish, bulb-shaped 500s the first year they arrive. Eventually four versions will be offered, a standard 500, a cloth-top convertible, a high performance version with up to 185 horsepower, and in 2012, an electric version.

Dealers have been asked to build separate showrooms and have separate sales and service staffs for the cars, in order to help create a distinctive European aura for the 500.

Dealers were happy for a chance to sell a competitive small car, because they have had little to offer in the segment.

“There’s no doubt about it. It’s a home run,” said Alan Helfman vice president of River Oaks Chrysler Jeep in Houston. “It’s not going to make it from day one, but it will be a good seller, and it’s a market I don’t play in right now.”

Helfman, whose dealership is near Rice University, said the car will appeal to younger people who care about the environment and fuel economy.

Pricing for the 500 wasn’t announced, but it’s expected to be around $15,000. Sales of minicars make up only about 5 percent of U.S. car sales, but the 500 can draw in customers and lend its European sophistication to Chrysler’s entire lineup.

“Our dealers will be able to interact with a group of individuals that are not part of their current customer base,” said Laura Soave, a former Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG executive who is now head of the Fiat brand in North America.

Rairdon’s WA Fiat dealerships are excited to make new changes to our current Seattle Chrysler dealerships. The sale of the Fiat can not come soon enough. A European flare at Seattle Fiat dealers will add a nice touch. If you have questions about Fiat in America, please call a WA Fiat dealer at 877-337-2123.