In April Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said the 500’s production had already been sold for the years 2007 and 2008. That amounts to more than 180,000 cars. With demand much higher than expected, Fiat has been forced to increase production for both years.
The situation is extremely urgent. In less than a month, Fiat sold the 2007 production in only two countries. Fiat received 51,000 orders from Italy and 6,000 from France. In France, the 6,000 cars were sold in less than one week. Fiat will increase the production from 58,000 to 65,000-67,000 units. The planned production figure for 2008 will jump from 120,000 to 140,000 vehicles.
Fiat plans to expand its Polish factory based in Tychy. The Italian carmaker has limited options. It already produces the Panda in Tychy and will start producing the next Ford Ka next autumn. A further complication is that this production increase may encourage Polish employees to go on strike to push for higher pay.
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