Fiat to build five-door 500

Fiat will build a five-door version of its Cinquecento cult car to join the three-door to spearhead the Fiat push into the United States, sources have confirmed.

The stretched 500 will be seen in Europe late next year, but is unlikely to be seen outside the continent until at least 2012.

Code named L0 (L zero), the LWB 500 will be amongst a raft of new models announced by Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne on Wednesday when the combined company's five-year plan is announced. It is not known whether Fiat will announce the longer 500 for the US, but production for the US has been confirmed.

The five-door will also get a new production facility for both the US and Europe. It won't be built in the three-door 500's Bratislava plant in Slovakia (which also builds the Panda and the Ford Ka), but in the gigantic Mirafiori plant in Torino. That's because the car is not only longer than the 500, but wider as well.

It will also fall outside the cute hatchback sphere and come under the umbrella of the high-roofed small minivans, like Ford's C-Max, Opel's Meriva and Renault's Scenic.

Meanwhile, when the short-wheelbase, two-door 500s head to the US, they'll get there from Chrysler's Toluca plant in Mexico, which will make it four 500 models for Americans to try. Our sources insist the US will get the 500, the 500C Cabrio, the five-door 500 and, in 2012, the 500 Abarth.

But while Fiat is concentrating energy on taking both its Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands to the US, it's not neglecting Chrysler small cars, either.

It is also mulling over creating a uniquely-Chrysler A-segment car for 2013, to be built off the next Punto, in the ex-Zastava Yugo plant in Kragujevac, Serbia.

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