Production of the new Fiat 500L can now get underway, as Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne together with Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia opens a new production facility in Kragujevac, where the B-segment version of the Fiat 500 is going to be made. The €1 billion facility is ought to ready the 500L for its commercial launch, planned for the last quarter of 2012.
The heavy investment in the Serbian plant will result in employment of more than 2,400 people by the end of 2012, plus a further 1,000 with suppliers at the nearby supplier park. Once ready, the 1.4 million square meter Kragujevac plant will have the capacity of producing up to 200,000 cars per annum.
In welcoming the Prime Minister, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne paid tribute to Serbia’s significant program of modernization which has created “a dynamic environment that is attractive to foreign investors. It is a great privilege for Fiat to be able to participate in the country’s future growth”.
As for the car, the elongated MPV version of the 500 features a 5-seater single-volume structure which is 414 cm long, 178 cm wide and 166 cm high. It is a further development of the concept of ‘cab forward’ introduced by Fiat with the 600 Multipla, a precursor to the concept of the compact people carrier.
