The 2017 Fiat 124 Spider is stylish, fun to drive and priced well under $30,000 for all but the top version. It's easily the best car in Fiat's four-vehicle U.S. lineup and a worthy successor to the storied original Fiat 124 Spider that debuted in November 1966. But the reincarnation of that iconic Italian sports car is built in Japan by Mazda. The two-seat convertible coupe -- powered by a turbocharged inline-four -- shares a platform with Mazda's MX-5 Miata, and the cars are built in the same plant. But the 124 Spider has a Fiat engine and transmission that together produce 160 hp and 184 pounds-feet of torque, both higher than the comparable MX-5. The 124 also has different body panels that change its dimensions enough to separate it from its Japanese cousin.
MAZDA
The fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 has certainly been warmly received, both by critics (especially) and by U.S. car buyers. But the MX-5 is far from the raging success it once was, nor did Mazda expect it to be in a world which awaits autonomy and worships at an altar topped by Range Rovers, Escalades, and G-Wagens.Thus, it wasn’t surprising to see Mazda seek out more use for its rear-wheel-drive platform; nor was it surprising to see FCA — always in search of partners — come together in a roadster marriage.Mazda sold nearly 36,000 Miatas to Americans in 1990. But the launch of the second-generation Miata resulted in barely more than half that many sales. Mazda didn’t quite sell 17,000 MX-5s with the launch of the third-generation model in 2006. Expect only 11,000 MX-5 sales in the U.S. in 2016.
FIAT
The addition of the 124 Spider to the Fiat range did not stop Fiat sales from falling in the U.S. in July. Brand-wide volume tumbled 14 percent because of a 44-percent 500 decline and a 28-percent 500L drop. The 500X’s eight-unit improvement and the 124’s 480 extra sales were more than cancelled out, in pure volume terms, by a 930-unit decline from the 500 and 500L. With four models, Fiat sold 2,754 new vehicles in the United States in July 2016. The brand’s best-ever July occurred two years ago with 3,807 sales sourced from two models.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles reported 480 U.S. sales of the Fiat 124 Spider in July 2016. The Spider is a thoroughly transformed version of Mazda’s fourth Miata: different body, distinct suspension tuning, unique powerplant.With the 124 Spider’s arrival in the United States, 13 months of Mazda MX-5 Miata sales growth came to a screeching halt. Mazda USA reported a 22-percent year-over-year drop in MX-5 sales. With volume down to 881 units, U.S. MX-5 sales fell to a five-month low precisely one year after sales of the MX-5 rose to a seven-year July high. Coincidence? Who cares — total Hiroshima-built roadster sales jumped 20 percent in July, good news for any enthusiast who wants to see the MX-5 live a long and prosperous life.
The answer from our vantage point is the Miata will sell better - by far. The cards are stacked against the Fiat for three main reasons. First, the Mazda dealer network is significantly larger than Fiat’s. People do shop locally for new vehicles to some degree, and Mazda has long been established in the U.S. Both are small compared to the Big 3 (Toyota, GM, and Ford), but Mazda is the bigger footprint.
