Chrysler sets price rules for sales of Fiat 500

1/28/2011

Chrysler Group LLC wants dealers to avoid haggling with shoppers over the price of the Fiat 500 when reintroducing its parent company's brand to America, betting that will make young customers more comfortable in showrooms.

Chrysler, operated by Fiat, is bringing the 500 and the Italian automaker's namesake brand to the United States and dealers have been given advertising standards that include prohibitions on promoting vehicles for less than the manufacturer's suggested retail price, said Laura Soave, head of the Fiat brand in North America. While automakers typically can't prohibit discounts, the company limited the number of U.S. Fiat franchises to minimize competition among dealers.