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Fiat 500 - Viva Italia!
05 October 2007
If you want to see the new Fiat 500 before (almost) everyone else, make a trip to London Olympia this weekend. It is the first time the Fiat 500 – or Cinquecento as it is also known – has been displayed to the British public in such relaxed surroundings. You can wander around it, touch it and if you ask nicely, even have a sit inside. Fiat has carefully designed the new car to rekindle the spirit of the original 500 – the best selling Italian car ever. It is to Italians what the original Mini is to us Brits, and the Volkswagen Beetle is to Germans. In other words – a design icon that became a part of the national culture. There is no more fitting place then, than at Viva Italia 2007, which celebrates Italian lifestyle, design and culture. “The exhibition captures brilliantly the magic of Italy – and I believe the Fiat 500, which will be on our stand, captures the magic of modern day motoring.” Says Elena Bernardelli, Marketing Director. The original Cinquecento was designed and built between 1957 and 1977 in Fiats hometown, Turin. It was tiny – measuring just less than 10ft in length and had its diminutive engine in the boot. The new car may be more conventional in size and mechanical layout, but it has certainly got the looks and Italian flair of the old model. In Italy it was launched in July this year, exactly 50 years after the last of the original Fiat 500s was built. It goes on sale here in January and can be fitted with one of three engines – a 75bhp diesel or one of two petrol motors; the 69bhp 1.2 litre petrol or 1.4 litre 100bhp petrol. When ordering the car it is possible to personalise it in a myriad of ways with accessories ranging from wheels to Italian flag badges and sporty spoilers. Fiat is hoping that each car will be unique. Prices have not been made official yet, but the range is expected to start at £11,000. What is clear is that the cheeky Fiat’s greatest competitor in the UK will be the new Mini – just like in the old days.
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