Ford CEO Alan Mulally Believes Fiat 500 Won’t Succeed in the USA

There's been a lot of hype surrounding the U.S. launch of the Fiat 500, with many predicting a commercial success for the Italian mini even before it landed on this side of the Atlantic. However, there's one industry executive that doesn't believe in Fiat's retro-penned hatchback. We're talking about Ford CEO Alan Mulally. When asked about the market prospects of the Fiat 500 in the United States in an interview with Italian-language news magazine Panorama, Mulally said: "I do not see large market in the U.S.A. for a smaller car than the Fiesta. Those that tried failed." Even though Mulally did not elaborate, it is believed that his reference to "failure" was aimed at Dailmer's Smart ForTwo which saw its U.S. sales plummet from 24,622 cars in 2008 to a mere 5,927 units last year. The Chrysler Group recently celebrated the the production launch of the American market Fiat 500 at the Detroit firm's Toluca plant in Mexico. The starting MSRP for the Italian mini, which is offered with a 1.4-liter four-cylinder producing 101HP, is $15,550.                                 PHOTO GALLERY