Fiat 500X Cabrio: FCA’s surprise third SUV for 2021

Of the three new SUVs FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) is due to launch in 2021, two had already been on the radar: the Alfa Romeo Tonale and the Maserati Grecale. The real surprise is the confirmation of a third model, the Fiat 500X Cabrio-a brand-new variant that has now been officially signed off.

Fiat 500X Cabrio: a late addition to FCA’s 2021 SUV line-up

It is an unusually late expansion of the Italian compact SUV range. After all, the 500X first arrived in 2014 and received an update in 2018, which makes the timing of this new version even more unexpected.

In practice, open-top SUVs rarely translate into strong sales-models such as the Nissan Murano and Range Rover Evoque underline that point-yet that did not stop Volkswagen from introducing the T-Roc Cabrio in 2019.

How the Fiat 500X Cabrio conversion differs from the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabrio

Fiat is now following suit, but with a very different approach to the alternatives mentioned above. Where Volkswagen had to carry out extensive (and costly) bodywork changes to turn the T-Roc into a convertible-everything behind the A-pillar is, effectively, a new car-Fiat is set to apply the same idea used to turn the small 500 into the 500C.

In other words, rather than engineering a full convertible from scratch, the new 500X Cabrio will retain most of the body shell already familiar to us, including the four side doors. The changes focus on the roof-which becomes a retractable fabric top-along with the tailgate and the rear window, which will be made of glass.

Production and cost strategy: building the 500X Cabrio in Melfi

By taking this route, Fiat can keep development and manufacturing costs down. And because it preserves virtually all the attributes of the “closed” 500X-meaning fewer compromises in everyday usability-the odds of the newcomer performing well commercially appear to be in its favour.

The Fiat 500X Cabrio will be built in Melfi, Italy, alongside the rest of the 500X family, which further strengthens the business case. By contrast, the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabrio is not produced at Autoeuropa with the other T-Roc models; instead, it is assembled in Osnabrück, Germany, at the former Karmann facilities.

Tonale and Grecale

It is not yet clear exactly when the Fiat 500X Cabrio will be unveiled this year, but it is also expected to introduce a new mild-hybrid engine option that will be rolled out across the wider range. There is firmer information, however, on the other two SUVs due from Alfa Romeo and Maserati in 2021.

The Alfa Romeo Tonale is scheduled for its international presentation in September, with sales beginning either at the end of 2021 or in early 2022. The Tonale is based on a reworked version of the underpinnings used by the Jeep Compass and will be produced in Pomigliano, Italy, during the second half of this year-a site that currently builds the Fiat Panda.

The SUV also takes the Giulietta’s place in the brand’s line-up, albeit indirectly. Production of the Giulietta ended at the close of last year, and there is no expectation of a direct replacement.

The Maserati Grecale is set to begin production in November at the Cassino plant in Italy-the same factory that manufactures the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio. This all-new SUV from the trident brand will sit below the Levante, and its links to Alfa Romeo models go beyond simply sharing a production location. The Grecale uses the Giorgio platform, the same architecture as the Giulia and Stelvio and, as noted yesterday, the same platform that has also been adopted as the basis for the new Jeep Grand Cherokee.