At least one Orange County Chrysler dealer has gotten word that it soon will be among those selling Fiats here: Costa Mesa’s Orange Coast Chrysler Jeep Dodge.
Jon Gray, president of Orange Coast Chrysler Jeep Dodge, said he got word of the news Wednesday from Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler Group LLC, which is operated by dominant shareholder Fiat Group Automobiles SPA of Italy.
The dealership and others have been vying to be among some 165 across the country to sell Fiats.
Orange County is one of 14 California markets targeted for Fiat dealerships.
Several other dealerships here also are hoping to sell Fiats. It’s unclear if others here have been selected.
Selected dealers are expected to build a separate Fiat showroom. Fiat dealerships—called studios—are set to be smaller than a typical Chrysler dealership.
The stylish, Italian-designed Fiat 500 is expected to hit showrooms by early next year.
The Fiat 500 and its convertible version are set to debut in the U.S. at the LA Auto Show in November.
Chrysler also said Wednesday it plans to look at proposals from outside the Chrysler dealership network.
This is Fiat’s second try at cracking the U.S. market.
In the 1980s, Fiat failed miserably here amid quality problems with its cars.
Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of Fiat and Chrysler, retooled the Italian automaker when he took over in 2004.
In 2009, Fiat bought a sizeable stake in Chrysler, which was kept afloat amid the economic crash with $14 billion in federal loans.
