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Fiat 500: images and video
Click image for a gallery of desktop-sized photos
Yesterday we brought you a sneak preview of the much-anticipated Fiat 500. This marks the revival of one of the most iconic small-car designs in automotive history, a milestone in the Italian automaker's recuperation, and for buyers, an enticing new little runabout to add to the shopping list. Today, Fiat has officially released details and images of the sprightly Cinquecento. The car will be properly launched on the 4th of July, a date that marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the original 500.
In the meantime, Fiat has provided us with the following: they've confirmed the car will launch with a choice of three engines. A 69hp 1.2-liter 8-valve four, a 100hp 1.4-liter 16-valve four, or a 75hp 1.3-liter 16-valve Multijet turbodiesel will be available and can be mated to a choice of five- or six-speed transmissions. That's before any performance-oriented Abarth versions enter the mix. The tiny car measures just 355 cm long, 165 cm wide and 149 cm tall, riding on a 230 cm wheelbase.
The Nuova 500, which will be built in Tychy, Poland, alongside the upcoming Ford Ka, promises to take the market by storm when it goes on sale, first in Italy, on September 15, with production targeted at 50,000 for 2007 and 120,000 for 2008.
Follow the jump for the preview video and the press release, or click below to view the images in high-resolution.
[Source: Fiat]
PRESS RELEASE
The new Fiat 500
On July 4, 1957, in Turin, Fiat presented the Nuova Fiat 500, a real icon of our times, with which Fiat concluded a revival that had begun straight after the Second World War. On July 4, 2007, exactly 50 years later, again in Turin, Fiat will present the new Fiat 500 which will be marketed immediately after the launch. And the new car will conclude an equally important cycle of revival for Fiat Automobiles SpA.
Developed by the Fiat Style Centre and manufactured in the plant in Tychy (Poland), the new 500 is a 3-door model with very compact measurements: it is 355 cm long, 165 cm wide, 149 cm tall and has a wheelbase of 230 cm, The car is extremely entertaining to drive, due to its three engines: a 75 bhp 1.3 16v Multijet turbodiesel unit and two petrol engines, the 69 bhp 1.2 8v and the 100 bhp 1.4 16v, all of which are available with five or six speed mechanical gearboxes.
The model confirms Fiat Automobiles SpA's undisputed leadership in this category - a result of its extraordinary heritage of technical, design and human experience accumulated in over a century - and it takes a quality leap forward in terms of comfort and safety, technology and equipment for this segment. The new 500 is the most up-to-date solution for the motorist who enjoys' his 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, but also appealing and full of fun.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Rick Lyon 10:15AM (3/21/2007)
Looks more like it should have been named Fiat50. Or Fiat49.5 :-)
I really wish there was a US section and everyone else section so I can separate the cool and interesting cars the rest of the globe gets from the heavy, slow power hoarding and boring US cars. It's like a tease every other article.
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Jim 10:32AM (3/21/2007)
"a 75hp 1.3-liter 16-valve Multijet turbodiesel will be available and can be mated to a ...six-speed transmission"
Please send one to me in Ohio.
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Gardiner Westbound 10:35AM (3/21/2007)
It would be helpful if Autoblog would translate the measurements into English.
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JC3 10:40AM (3/21/2007)
Somebody needs to introduce a trendy microcar like this in the states.the mini is too expensive.
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ssgtakeo 11:11AM (3/21/2007)
Gardiner, the rest of the world uses metric, it's about time you learned to do the basic conversions yourself.
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Dinger 12:32PM (3/21/2007)
Jim says -
"a 75hp 1.3-liter 16-valve Multijet turbodiesel will be available and can be mated to a ...six-speed transmission"
Please send one to me in Ohio.
I ask why? So you can lose it in the parking lot at Cedar Point?
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Lee Gibson 11:32AM (3/21/2007)
"It would be helpful if Autoblog would translate the measurements into English."
Yeah, because math is hard.
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Lowcountryguy 1:52PM (3/21/2007)
Sweet.
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Richard Warren 1:38PM (3/21/2007)
"It would be helpful if Autoblog would translate the measurements into English"
If you can't do the math, just go here:
http://www.worldwidemetric.com/metcal.htm
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GOKARTN 4:53PM (3/21/2007)
I'm suprised that I am the first to comment on this but, there is a lot of MINI in that car. Some of the interior parts look almost identical.
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Spule 4 5:31PM (3/21/2007)
The new Fiat 500 captures the water cooled front wheel drive set up of the original.......oh, wait.
Yup, another poser like the VW. At least call it the 600 and the motor bits would be right. Or a 127 for that matter?
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rgseidl 6:27PM (3/21/2007)
@Gardiner:
Length: 17.65 millifurlongs
Width: 0.902 fathoms
Height: 586614 thou
Wheelbase: 0.457 pole
Give or take a barleycorn. I hope that clears things up. Napoleon didn't do much for humanity, but at least he got the fricking units straightened out.
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Aaron Stein 9:46PM (3/21/2007)
i agree that it's a tease for us to see all this neat stuff that we can never have. on the other hand, i wouldn't want to meet a 'slade going the wrong direction in one of these. they really are best left to play bumper car with each other in the italian traffic circles...
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Aaron Stein 9:45PM (3/21/2007)
i agree that it's a tease for us to see all this neat stuff that we can never have. on the other hand, i wouldn't want to meet a 'slade going the wrong direction in one of these. they really are best left to play bumper car with each other in the italian traffic circles...
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mo 10:18AM (3/22/2007)
GOKARTN said :-
"I'm suprised that I am the first to comment on this but, there is a lot of MINI in that car. Some of the interior parts look almost identical."
Frank Stephenson who designed the new MINI when at BMW, has been the Head of Fiat Design for a few years now.
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yoclouds 12:05PM (4/03/2007)
Folks, the shape and interior resmble more of Subaru R1, check out:
http://www.oneshift.com/articles/article.php?artid=69&pageid=1&view=1
Another Italian, Andreas Zapatinas, who was previously with Alfa Romeo designed the R1. Looks like Italians have a common idea what a small car is all about! I own the R1 by the way, changed the tyres to 175/55/15 and you get one fantastic microcar there! Love the Fiat 500 nonetheless!
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MultiplePersonalities 5:30PM (4/03/2007)
Frank Stephenson, the man who designed the 2001-2006 MINI Cooper R50/52/53 is the man responsible for the Fiat 500 pictured above. He is a genius of automotive design. This explains why there are similar design elements between the 500 and the MINI.
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Richard Marques 7:12PM (4/12/2007)
HOT! I miss Fiat. I'd love to see an updated X1/9 make a comeback too. I wonder if one could import one of these from Italy to the States?
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am 11:49PM (4/27/2007)
richard - unfortunately not many x1/9 around in italy anymore...
guys as an italian moving to the states i'm having a lot of troubles in finding a decent car... is cinqecento getting to US?
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islandmanagers 3:41PM (5/05/2007)
I own a '67 500, and all I can say is, "Holy Quacamole! a car that small with a hundred horses pulling it (as opposed to the whopping ELEVIN in my 500)??!! Krikie!!" Just imagine upping that 100 to 130 or so with a performance package! BOO-YAAAA!
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