Fiat dealers may open in Suffolk

Chrysler Group plans in coming weeks to name its first dealers to sell Fiats, and at least two local retailers, in Amityville and St. James, say they are interested. Some others, though, are taking a pass for now.

Italian carmaker Fiat SpA, which withdrew from this country in 1983, owns 20 percent of Chrysler, and its first vehicle for its return to the U.S. market, the Fiat 500 to be assembled by Chrysler in Mexico, is scheduled to begin arriving at dealerships in December, said Chrysler spokesman Ralph Kisiel.

The company plans to have 165 Fiat dealers operating nationwide by the end of February and, ultimately, 200, Kisiel said. The final total will be in 119 markets considered strong ones for small cars, including Nassau and Suffolk, with Southampton specified as a particular target market. About 600 of Chrysler's 2,314 U.S. dealers are in those 119 markets, which also include the five boroughs of New York City.

Today is the deadline for applications for Fiat franchises, which are to be awarded beginning next month, Kisiel said. "They only started trickling in last week," he said. Chrysler plans to offer at least two more Fiat models in this country: a convertible variant of the 500 due next year and a sportier version of it due in 2012.

Co-owner John J. Vigorito of Security Dodge Chrysler in Amityville said he wants a Fiat franchise and has land on Merrick Road in Amityville for a new showroom. "We're moving forward with the Fiat deal," he said. Also interested is Brett Saslow, owner of Smith Haven Dodge Chrysler Jeep in St. James, who said he'd put Fiat cars in what is now a used-car showroom. "This gives us a chance to attract that young Generation Y buyer who wants to be in a small, socially-conscious type of vehicle," he said.

But Marc Brodlieb, owner of Town & Country Jeep Chrysler Dodge in Levittown, said, "I just don't want to make the investment right now." Owner Peter Rhein of Port Jeff Chrysler Jeep in Port Jefferson Station said Chrysler hasn't provided enough information for him to make a decision - including the number of dealers it plans in each market area. Dick Mullen Jr., an owner of the Southold dealership that bears his family name, said he doubts he'd get a Fiat franchise because of his area's low population.

Former Chrysler dealer Mark Calisi, who sells Chevrolets, Kias, Mazdas and Volvo on Route 58 in Riverhead and is fighting to regain a Jeep and Chrysler franchise, which, coincidentally, would be the closest Chrysler dealership to Southampton, said he's dubious about a Fiat franchise because Chrysler is demanding stand-alone showrooms for the cars rather than permitting them to be displayed with other brands. Another drawback, he said, is the small number of Fiat models to be available, at least for the first two years.

But Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry for TrueCar

.com, said Fiat is likely in the coming years to add a larger sedan and possibly a small SUV and minivan and also to give Fiat dealers first crack at its Alfa Romeo cars, which also are expected to return to this market. "I think Fiat's chances of success are extremely high," he said.

Chrysler's website lists 13 Long Island dealerships, not including Calisi's.

At about 140 inches, the 1.4-liter four-cylinder-powered 500 is about six inches shorter than a basic Mini Cooper. Chrysler isn't expected to announce prices until November when the U.S. version of the 500 is unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show, but in countries where it is sold now, the 500 ranges between the equivalent in U.S. dollars of the midteens to the low $20,000s.