The Giardiniera [station wagon] version of the Fiat 500 (top) which will go head-to-head with the MINI Clubman (bottom) is firmly on track despite recent rumours that its development had been frozen.

The Giardiniera [station wagon] version of the Fiat 500 is firmly on track despite recent rumours that its development had been frozen as it has been revealed that four versions of the city car will be sold in the United States. The details came from the 500's designer Roberto Giolito who told Automotive News Europe that four different versions of the 500 will be sold in the U.S. when the car is launched there next year. The 500 Giardiniera will again be based on Fiat's 'Mini' architecture and will have a stretched 240cm wheelbase.

As well as the Giardiniera and the standard 2-door, 4-seat version of the Car of the Year 2008 winner (with its two FIRE petrol and one Multijet turbodiesel engine range), also heading stateside will be the brand-new convertible (500 C) with its electrically-operated sliding hood and which was launched in Europe last week. The fourth member of the 500 range set to woo American car buyers will be the powerful stand-alone Abarth option, while a fifth, SUV-style derivative, is also being closely considered. This last model will be based around the Giardiniera and will feature the four-wheel-drive running gear from the Panda, creating a distinct car that will go head-to-head with MINI's forthcoming Crossman.

In leveraging out the 500 range Fiat is copying the success of BMW's MINI brand which has expanded from an original single model that - like the 500 - drew on a historically affectionately remembered car, into a niche range. Like the 500, the MINI has a convertible model and also a high-performance option (branded under the Cooper name) as well as a stretched estate (the Clubman) which will be a direct rival to the new Giardiniera. The Italian carmaker has also had much success with producing a niche range built around its other A-segment model, the Panda, on which the 500 is based, and the success of the Panda Cross (SUV) variant could also tempt Fiat to give the go-ahead to the SUV-style model in order to bolster the 500 offering further. BMW is also preparing to expand the MINI range with an SUV/crossover version of the Clubman (refered to as the Crossman).

Meanwhile a decision on where to build the 500 in North America was expected to be taken over the weekend. On Friday Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters at a meeting of the U.S.-Italy Council that: "This weekend we'll be choosing which Chrysler [factory] we'll be using to produce the Fiat 500 aimed at the US market." It is widely reported that Fiat will plump for Chrysler's facility at Toluca in Mexico which is currently home to the assembly of the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Dodge Journey. The former model, which is now entering the final stages of its product lifecycle, will be phased out to make room for the arrival of the 500's tooling. The Toluca plant also features the brand-new Chrysler Park, and suppliers located in the park include TRW, Magna Intier, IPO, Seglo, HBPO, Android, Brose and Gestamp. Suppliers build complete component modules and use the latest industry "just in time" (JIT) delivery. As well as JIT, "just in sequence", is also employed. Just in sequence delivers the modules directly to the assembly line; not only on time, but in sequence. There has been media speculation over the weekend that Toluca won't in fact be chosen after all and instead a U.S. plant will become home to the 500.