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THE NEW FIAT 500: THE ICONIC ITALIAN CITY CAR IS BACK
After 50 years one of the most important cars in the history of the Italian automotive industry is back. On 4th July 2007, the new Fiat 500 was launched in Turin (www.fiat500.com), exactly on the same day and in the same spot where the original Fiat 500 was presented fifty years before, in an event that marked the end of the hardships of the postwar era for Fiat and for Italy as a whole. Even then the 500 - destined to become an iconic car - was marketed as 'Nuova' as it was replacing the Fiat 500 of the 1930's, affectionately know in Italy as the 'Topolino' (Mickey Mouse).
The 1950's Fiat 500 became, after several modifications, the ultimate runabout for those millions of Italians who, thanks to the time of economic boom, experienced a rise in their living standards that allowed them for the first time to buy their own car, often through the help of installments. Now the Turin auto group is counting on the new 500 to expand its share in the small car market, where Fiat has traditionally been strongest. The original 500 was one of the main factors that contributed to the establishment of Fiat's leadership in this sector, even though the breakthrough in sales only came after a few years.
There were several reasons for the car's initial lukewarm reception: the trim was too bare, the seating was limited to two people, the price was too close to the 600, which was very popular back then and could seat four. It used to cost 150,000 lire more, a substantial amount in those days, but for many it was worth paying - perhaps spreading the cost by installments - to have a 4-seater car. Successive mechanical, design and styling refinements allowed the 500 to gain lost ground and to eventually to become, by the mid-sixties, Italy's best selling car.
Even when its successor, the 126, was introduced to the market in 1972, the 500 maintained its iconic status, as it continued to win the hearts of several thousands motorists. For its current heir, therefore, taking the 500 myth into the 21st century will be a tall order. Styled by Fiat's in-house design department and built in Tychy (Poland), the new 500 is a compact 3-door hatchback: 355cm long, 165cm wide and 149cm tall. Thanks to a choice of three engines - 1.3 16 valve 75hp Multijet turbodiesel, 1.2 8 valve 69hp and 1.4 16 valve 100hp petrol, matched to 5 or 6 gear manual gearboxes - Fiat's new baby promises maximum driving pleasure.
Deliveries will start on the 15th September. In the first 12 hours of opening the order books, on 2nd June, Fiat managed to sell an entire month's production of what the CEO Sergio Marchionne has branded "our traveling manifesto". A manifesto that took the 'Made in Italy' symbol around the world and that in July 2006 deserved the accolade of 'The sexiest car of all times' from the British magazine 'Top Gear'. Even James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 had to succumb to the irresistible charm of this Italian icon.
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