Chrysler Group LLC, the automaker run by Fiat SpA, appointed the first group of U.S. Fiat franchise locations as the automaker moves to bring the Italian brand back to the nation.
The Chrysler dealers that were granted Fiat franchises have plans in place and will be ready to take orders for the Fiat 500 subcompact car, the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based company said in a statement on its website today.
The automaker didn’t give an exact number of franchises appointed in what it described as the first phase and said additional dealers will be appointed later in the year. Chrysler repeated that it would like Fiat dealers in 119 markets. The company has said it wants about 165 U.S. Fiat locations.
“We have carefully considered each of these dealer proposals looking for the best locations and the most creative plans,”Peter Grady, Chrysler’s vice president of network development, said in the statement.
