Small Jeep SUVs To Be Built In Italy


Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Fiat wants to fill some of its empty Italian production capacity. Fiat has planned to build a pair of small SUVs at its plant in Melfi, Italy starting in 2014. With almost all Chrysler plants running at or near full capacity, the Melfi plant will probably build the new Fiat and Jeep SUVs for export to North America. The final decision hasn’t been verified but should come soon. The new small Jeep is expected to replace the Patriot and/or Compass, which are both produced in Chrysler's Belvidere, Illinois plant. Fiat sales are at their lowest in 35 years, and the European market doesn’t help any of this. Exporting a “potentially popular model” like a new small SUV could help Fiat sales.