News July 10 2007

Born on the 4th of July - the new Fiat Cinquecento

You have to hand it to the Italians - they certainly know how to throw a party - and that's exactly what they did last week to mark the birth - or rebirth of the Fiat Cinquecento (500). The new 500 arrived on 4th July - the 50th birthday to the day of the original car and owners of the original car gathered in Italy from around the world, behind the wheels of their beloved original 500s, a car which you may recall was voted the sexiest car of all time in a recent Top Gear poll in the UK.

The original 500 was in a way a symbol of the rebirth of Italy after the Second World War and was the perfect car of its time, bringing motoring within the reach of the average family for the first time. The new 500 also marks something of a rebirth for Fiat, now doing well again after a somewhat difficult period. Fiat have made use of modern technology (mainly the internet) to consult a very wide range of people during the design phase, and also to build up to the launch in a way that even Bill Gates would have been proud of.

The new model is designed to be compact on the outside but spacious on the inside, safe, economical and with a small environmental 'footprint'. The 500 will arrive in Australia in March 2008, fitted with the two top engines, the 1.3 JTD turbo diesel and the 1.4 petrol engine. In anticipation of the launch, Fiat Australia has launched a special new area of its web site - www.fiat.com.au - with new information on the 500 added weekly as the local launch date approaches. Full details and prices for the Australian specification Fiat 500 will be announced when the new 500 arrives in March 2008.

Pictured below: Luca De Meo, CEO Fiat Automobiles, and Sergio Marchionne, CEO Fiat Group Automobiles, with the new Fiat 500.

© italiancar.net 10/07/07