Why? Why do they have to ruin such beautiful and retro designs with the SUV idea? You just can't SUVize the 500 because MINI did with the Countryman. I am really pissed off now.
What's that with all the 500-family expansion with van & now with SUV/crossover? I don't get it. It's like VW would "SUVed" or "VANned" the Beetle. It makes sense in MINI case though. Why? Because it's a SEPARATE & INDEPENDENT BRAND, not just a retro model (or sub-brand) of some bigger regular brand. As it's the case with VW Beetle, Fiat 500 - both are just retro models within the core brand.
* LOL It makes sense just because Mini is BMW, and everything what BMW makes has sense and is right. Who says Fiat won't make "500" a new brand just like Citroen wishes to do "DS" a new brand of BMW did "MINI" a new brand ? Mini was never a brand but just a model of BMC, Morris Mini Minor, then Austin Mini.
DS is just a new family of cars. More premium one. The DS cars still wear Citroen nameplate & badge though. So does the 500 wear Fiat name & badge. What could possibly happen in the future , or what was in the past... that's not the point here. Right now MINI is a separate & independent brand (within BMW Group), not a sub-brand of BMW ... nor just a retro model based on a iconic car (like Beetle, 500 etc). I'm just saying what makes more sense. No matter who owns MINI, FIAT, Citroen etc.
ΜΙΝΙ was just a model, now it is a brand, and the demographic they target, have mostly no idea of what BMC and the others were. Now, it's a whole new brand with a very specific created line-up and an even more strategic chosen target group. On the other hand, the 500 is only a model that goes by the same idea as the MINI line-up, and it sits in a line-up that consist of just ordinary cars, apart from it. The FIAT line-up. You can't say that the whole FIAT line-up goes by the same virtues of the 500, while this is true in the MINI case. Citroen is somewhere in the middle, creating a sub-brand within its line-up. The DS series of pumped up ordinary Citroens, which do look better, truth to be told. What I think EnI is trying to say, is that it was ok for FIAT to have one retro car, but if they want to have a series of those retro styled fashion items, they need somehow to differentiate them from their ordinary cars. BMW chose a new brand (mini) while Citroen chose a sub-brand. Fiat needs to do something now.
There were quite many version of the first Fiat 500. It is becasue of today's era, where SUVs are very important, that we see a 500X. The point is not in making a new brand or sub-brand, just expanding the Fiat 500 range. Before there was the 500 Giandiniera, now nobody would by that, but a 500 "SUV", likely yes. Is the making of many 6 Series versions, Coupé, Convertible, GranCoupé and GranTouring, making it a new brand ? No, so the same goes for the 500.
dispite this emotional discussion here, my 2cents: the 500 is a very unique and brilliant car, but this 500X is simply just another compact suv
Exactly, too much negativism towards the poor 500. Also not only Fiat used to made the Giardinera, but also the Multipla I don't like the way the 500L copies the Countryman design, because the last thing I expect is from an italian company is to copy a design, but the to complain about Fiat making variations of the 500 is plain no sense.
