Quote:
Originally Posted by JSH
I suspect US sales were planned from the beginning.
That is a stronger possibility - if the Hyundai and Ford sell well.
|
Federalization was not planned from the beginning and Fiat used it as a mid cycle refresh to roll common structural improvements for both Euro and US versions to reduce costs and improve the crash rating in the US testing.
It actually was a big deal at the time and covered by the automotive media that Fiat was modifying/improving a Euro chassis for sale in both markets with minimal differences between the 2.
There are 14 key differences between World Fiats and US one, all are irrelevant like the bumper and lights and merely are a hassle to dot regional government requirements, safety is lateral comparing the World vrs US version considering one is safer to pedestrians while the other focuses on a higher belt mark hit.
The underlying platform is the same in an attempt to satisfy both regions unique highway and city requirements