Fiat 500 2013 News

Fiat is making the most of its biggest moment since returning to Australia, with the new 500 named as car of the Australian Grand Prix Celebrity Challenge. Thirty-two of the instantly recognisable baby cars will be fitted out for the annual novelty event, in which more cars finish in the kitty litter than over the line.But with the Australian allocation sold out four months beyond the March launch date, the racing 500s will be readapted for road use and sold.Fiat has released full pricing and specification for its instantly famous 500 baby car three months ahead of its local launch.Prices start from $22,990 for the 51kW 1.2-litre petrol model with five-speed manual transmission, rising to $29,990 for the 74kW 1.4-litre petrol with the Dualogic robotised manual.ABS brakes with electronic brake distribution are standard, but not ESP, except on the 1.4-litre cars. These models also get anti-slip regulation, hill holder and brake assist.Then we get to the three trim levels — Pop, Sport and Lounge — and the 17 main options.These are combined with a choice of three engines (apart from the petrol units there is a 1.3-litre turbo diesel, all of which meet Euro V emission standards) and three transmissions (the five- and six-speed manual or the five-speed Dualogic).With such a bewildering array of (mainly cosmetic) embellishments, buyers can personalise their 500s to a Mini Cooper-like degree. Indeed, Fiat has said that it's unlikely any two pieces of this post-modernist motor will be precisely identical.A sell-out success in Europe, this modernised homage to the original 1957 Fiat 500 combines a light kerb weight of less than 1100kg with modest but willing engines. The 1.2 makes 100km/h from standing in a fairly glacial claimed time of 12.5 seconds, but achieves combined-cycle fuel consumption of 5.1 litres per 100km.The 1.4 petrol is a tad thirstier and does it in 10.5 seconds, using 6.3-litres, while the diesel gets there in 11.5 seconds and uses 4.2 litres.Despite its air of novelty, a brief drive on a recent European trip showed carsguide the 500 is a proper car and one that promises to be both a practical urban conveyance and fun to drive. SnapshotFiat 500Price: from $22,990Engines: 1.2L/4-cylinder; 1.4L/4-clyinder petrol; 1.3L/4-cylinder turbo dieselEconomy: 5.1L/100km (1.2); 6.3 (1.4); 4.2 (1.3)Transmission: 5- or 6-speed manual, or 5-speed Dualogic 

And when that project has its origins in the family's homeland, it's all the more special.

That newly reincarnated bastion of mini-motoring, the Fiat 500, arrives in Australia from March. As thousands of car enthusiasts converged on the centre of Fiat's home city Turin this week to mark the launch of the new Cinquecento, the car's Australian pricing and basic specification were announced. The reborn 500 will be available here with the current top-of-the-range engines. The 1.4-litre petrol and 1.3-litre direct-injection turbo-diesel as seen in the bigger Fiat Punto. Pricing will be in the mid-$20,000 range. It is expected that the 'hottish' Abarth version, with a 110kW 1.4-turbo engine, will arrive late in 2008. A convertible will follow in 2009. A video of the Abarth Cinquecento being tested on the Nurburgring, with a tasteful exhaust burble clearly audible, has been airing on YouTube. But suggestions of an appearance at this year's Sydney motor show were quashed by the importer, Ateco Automotive. Although the 500 is sure to add some spice to Fiat's local passenger car range which; currently consists solely of the Punto; the reception in its home city has been hyperbolic. Some 200,000 people have converged on the Turin city centre. Perhaps more impressively, in excess of 12,000 orders for the 500 were placed on a single day. Hundreds of old 500 models, including the original Topolino (Little Mouse) from the 1930s and the spiritual predecessor of the current 500, which was manufactured between the 1950s and '70s, were driven across the European continent to the Fiat fiesta. It's a daunting prospect to anyone of more than average height who has ever folded themselves into an old 500 for a trip further than the shops. This weekend, 30 other Italian cities will donate their fabled main squares to presentations of the new 500, including the Piazza del Popolo in Rome and Piazza del Duomo in Milan. But this outpouring is more about the future than the past. Fiat's Polish plant, which currently produces the Panda and Seicento (600), is being readied for the new minicar, which will be joined next year by its Ford sister vehicle, the Ka. At that point, the Polish facility will be producing more than 500,000 cars per year. Minicars have always been logical means of mobility in Europe's congested cities. Now in Sydney's ever-worsening traffic conditions, the appeal of an inexpensive, economical, environmentally friendly but stylish car is suddenly appealing. Developed by the Fiat Style Centre and manufactured in the Tychy plant in Poland, the new 500 is a three-door model with ultra compact measurements: 355cm long by 165cm wide; 149cm tall with a wheelbase of 230cm. If the bigger potholes that pockmark NSW roads can be avoided, the 500 promises to be a fun drive, especially with the 1.3JTD which is good for 66kw and a fat 200Nm. The new 500 incorporates design aspects of the old model. It is seen as a competitor for BMW's lower-end Mini range and the Smart. Fiat officials say its dealers have already ordered 23,000 of the new model against the 58,000 sales target for this year, and 120,000 on a full-year basis. Australians are sure to be well represented among buyers.  

The cute tiddler will make its European debut in July. It will arrive here in time for the Sydney Motor Show before launch early in 2008. In July, 1957, Fiat presented the Nuova Fiat 500, which became something of a motoring icon. On July 4, 2007, exactly 50 years later, and also in Turin, Fiat will present the new Fiat 500 which will go on sale immediately. It will conclude an important cycle of revival and renewal. Developed by the Fiat Style Centre and manufactured in the Polish Tychy factory,the new 500 is a 3-door with compact measurements – only 3.55m long, 1.65m wide and 1.49m tall. It is said to be an entertaining drive and powered by a choice of 1.3-litre turbo diesel and two petrol engines of 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre – all of which are available with five or six-speed mechanical gearboxes. Fiat says the new 500 is ‘‘the most up-to-date solution for the motorist who wishes to enjoy a car in complete freedom, appreciates it for day-to-day use but also wishes to drive a car that is entertaining and practical, environmentally-friendly and accessible, as well as being appealing and full of fun.’’

A cute little Fiat 500 Bambino stole the thunder of the milliondollar supercars and exotica on display at the 2006Australian International Motor Show at Darling Harbour. The 36-year old machine, lovingly restored by Sydney Fiat fanatic, Lloyd Jamieson, is proving to be a drawcard to the Alfa Romeo and Fiat stand. "It's the toy-like shape, people love it," Mr Jamieson said yesterday. He has spent the best part of five years converting it from a wreck into a picture of motoring perfection. "I have it insured for $20,000 but I wouldn't sell it," he said. The Bambino was recently voted the world's sexiest car, beating cars including an Aston Martin made famous in James Bond movies and Maseratis, by UK motor magazine Top Gear. It said: "Everyone, from strapping blokes to fainting flowers of womanhood, looks sexually charged behind its wheel. Even a nun in a 500 seems to telegraph a faint tingle of the procreative urge." The Fiat's performance on the road is extremely modest. Its tiny motorbike-sized 500cc engine has a top speed of just 100km/h. And it takes 26 long seconds to get from standing still to 80km/h. The good news for Fiat lovers is that the company is working on a modern version of the little car, following in the tracks of the new Mini andVWBeetle. Fiat spokesman Edward Rowe said the new Fiat 500 will make its debut at the 2007 Sydney motor show.