German Car Forum

wow that interior is smokin.. love the white steering wheel..
very cool little car

Auto Express: Here comes the 500.
Fiat 500 | Auto Express News | News | Auto Express

New Fiat 500 In Depth @ WCF...

Driving footage from WCF...


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The lovely keys:





I badly want this car.

i can't see the pics Luw. Can you rehost them?

PS. Even though the car is looking very hot and has the potential to sell a lot, in the pics that Mr. Bartek posted, i think that i can easily see that the car is kinda cheaply built. In the first pic (rear seats) those black plastics look awful. At least they could use a better design.

I will rehost them soon.

It's cuter than N'SYNC in pink:

love the white steering.. its so 50´s--- need gloves to drive

The steering is hot, even better looking than the one in the new Benzes. Lol

Will this glove do?

^dont even talk about that glove.. i would give my left nutt..haha

very cute car Luw. I really like that retro design, both inside out!

Yep it is just that, possibly the cutest on the planet. I'd take this over the Mini easily.

M

Except, from those pictures, that interior doesn't look built to last to me -- I'm sorry Marcus, this Fiat has nothing on the Mini.

I find the 500 to look more luxurious, I like the Mini too though. But like Roberto have said in the past, the Mini looks like a Giant MP3 player.

Well I'd wait to see what it actually feels like, the reviews have stated that its built pretty good. The Mini looks the same before and after the redesign, I mean really you have to be Mini expert to tell the difference. The Fiat is much more pleasing to my eye.

M

Is There More for Fiat's 500?
Sporty model and convertible planned; wagon, SUV studied

TURIN, Italy - Fiat wants to capitalize on its sales leadership in European minicars by turning the new 500 into a full model range.

Beyond the known variations - a three-door hatchback now, an Abarth performance model later this year and a convertible next summer - Fiat is considering a three-door station wagon and a four-wheel-drive SUV based on the wagon. Fiat has said it may sell the Abarth 500 in the United States after 2010.

The company has not yet approved the new 500 station wagon. Nor has it approved a program to create an SUV by combining the station wagon body and the 4wd system from the Fiat Panda.

"By the end of the year, we expect to decide on the 500 and SUV," a Fiat executive told Automotive News Europe on the condition of anonymity.

But a wagon concept appeared in a video shown at the 500's media introduction in June. During the video, Fiat 500 designer Roberto Giolito displayed the wagon version of the new 500. Like the original 500 Giardiniera launched in 1960, the potential new model shown in the video is a three-door wagon.

Fiat built 3.9 million units of the original 500 between 1957 and 1977. About 372,000 units were Giardiniera wagons.

Following Mini

Fiat has used BMW's Mini brand as a model for the 500 launch. Broadening the product range is yet another parallel. The second-generation Mini is available as a three-door and convertible. Mini will add the Clubman station wagon this fall and is considering a crossover model.

Similarly, Fiat has committed to three versions of the 500. Fiat launched the minicar in Italy on July 5 as a three-door hatchback with a choice of two gasoline engines (a 69-hp 1.2-liter or 100-hp 1.4-liter) or a 75-hp, 1.3-liter diesel. The hatchback will be the only choice when the 500 goes on sale in France this month.

The first derivative - the Abarth sporty version - will debut either in October at the Tokyo auto show or in December at the Bologna auto show in Italy.

The Abarth 500 will be launched with a 135-hp turbo version of the 500's 1.4-liter gasoline engine. Still under development is a hotter Abarth 500 SS (an abbreviation for Super Sport) with 155 hp.

Convertible is next

Fiat already has approved a 500 convertible derivative that is scheduled to debut next summer.

During the video at the 500's media introduction here, designer Giolito sketched a pillarless 500 convertible with a canvas top.

Sources familiar with the matter told Automotive News Europe that Fiat has not decided on the final configuration of the 500 convertible. A pillarless version is under consideration.

Creating demand

If all the 500 derivatives are approved, Fiat thinks it could have annual demand for nearly 200,000 units by the end of the decade.

Initial demand is strong enough that Fiat is considering increasing its production schedule. The original plan was to build 58,000 units of the 500 this year and 120,000 units in 2008. Fiat group CEO Sergio Marchionne said the company already plans to increase 500 output to 150,000 units next year.

On June 1, Fiat authorized Italian dealers to start placing orders for the 500.

"By the end of June, we had already received more than 25,000 dealer orders," said Luca De Meo, Fiat Automobiles CEO. "If Italian orders continue at this pace, we might delay the new 500 introduction outside Italy."

Is There More for Fiat's 500? - AutoWeek

M

If the 500 is successful you can count on Fiat milking their retro cow like BMW is doing with the Mini.

But I don't condider the Mini to be Retro like the 500.

If the Mini is Retro -- then one could also say the Rolls-Royce Phantom is Retro -- maybe they are in subtle ways, but I think they are much more cleverly designed. The 500 is as sweet and lacking in substance as candy floss (cotton candy).

Fiat 500 sold out in 3 weeks, prompts extra production



Fiat’s recently launched 500 minicar is proving so popular that management has decided to increase production. According to Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, annual production for the 500 will expand to 140,000 from the current 120,000 level starting from next year. It’s hard to imagine that Fiat’s original plans were to build just 58,000 units of the stylish minicar this year.

The 500 minicar is already sold-out for the year after hitting showrooms just three short weeks ago. “As of yesterday, we had received 57,000 dealer orders for the 500, of which 51,000 are from Italy and 6,000 are from France,” Marchionne told Automotive News.
Fiat will now have to expand its Tychy plant in Poland to build the extra minicars as well as accommodate production of the upcoming Ford Ka mini that’s due for launch by autumn next year. Within the next 12 months, the Tychy plant will be capable of building 140,000 500s, 240,000 Panda hatches and 120,000 Ford Kas.


Source: Motor Authority » Fiat 500 sold out in 3 weeks, prompts extra production

I can envision this car coming here and it along with the Smart and founding Mini will establish a permanent premium-minicar market.

M

Review: Fiat 500 1.3L Multijet

Adorable.

M

The thing that makes this car so special is the millions of combinations you can configure your 500 in. It's amazing.

The more I see it, the more I like it! If Fiat decides to enter North American market, this is the car they should do it with.

Fifth Gear Review:


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