We've seen a tremendous amount of hand-wringing in the automotive press about the relaunch of Fiat here in the United States. Was the launch premature? Certainly, when you consider the company had few dealers in place when the first 500s started rolling off the lines in Toluca, Mexico. Was the advertising ill-advised, especially that Jennifer Lopez TV spot? No question. The ad pigeonholed the 500 as a "chick car," a difficult label to live down. Just ask Volkswagen.

At its core, however, the automotive business is still about the product. With that in mind, the Fiat "problem" can be fixed. Here's how.

Until Alfa Romeos start arriving in U.S. showrooms in meaningful numbers (which now looks like 2013 at the earliest), the 500 lineup must be expanded beyond the original 500 coupe, the 500C convertible, and the just-launched Abarth high-performance models. To succeed, it is critical for Fiat to develop into a line that expands strategically. Can you say MINI?

The good news for Fiat aficionados is that, if concept cars, spy photos, and general speculation are to be believed, two pieces of the puzzle are already moving into place. The first is the sporty Zagato coupe shown last March in Geneva. This will be followed in 2013 with a four-door, mini minivan, or MPV, likely to debut this March at the Geneva Show.

Although I'm no expert in the production end of this business, it seems to me that with the slow launch of the Mexican-built 500 coupe and 500C convertible, it shouldn't present too much of a problem for Fiat to add the