Filed under: Euro, Hatchbacks, FIAT
Fiat 500 named 2008 European Car of the Year
Hot on the heels of the announced winner of EVO's Car of the Year award comes the revelation from the bigger European Car of the Year, which bestowed the citation for 2008 to the impossibly charming Fiat 500. While EVO's, like Motor Trend here, is awarded by one magazine, the European Car of the Year is named by a collection of several major European publications in several different languages from several European countries.
As we reported earlier, the 500 made the short-list of seven finalists from a pool of 33 nominees. Ultimately the retro Italian hatch beat out some stiff competition from Ford (Mondeo), Kia (cee'd), Mazda (2), Mercedes (C-Class), Nissan (Qashqai) and Peugeot (308).
Not only did the 500 take it by a wide margin – 385 points to the runner-up Mazda2's 325 – but the recognition pushes Fiat even further ahead in the annals of the award's history. Fiat itself has won the contest no less than nine times, while its subsidiaries Alfa Romeo and Lancia add another two and one, respectively. Now if they'll only start bring the 500 stateside, it can start racking up the awards here, too.
[Source: Autovisie via Italiaspeed]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Wolharig badeendje 4:02PM (11/16/2007)
I knew it...
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k.w.a 4:04PM (11/16/2007)
this is the only serious Mini competition
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Joshua 4:34PM (11/16/2007)
Seems like appearance wasn't a part of the criteria....
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Xcountryflyer 4:48PM (11/16/2007)
I wish the Mazda2 had won but perhaps they will bring the Fiat to the US--I doubt it. It's a cool small car.
Andrew 11:54AM (11/17/2007)
Remember that this Fiat 500 (2007) is designed to keep it's original 1950s looks. So you can't attack them for trying to do what the Mini did for BMW. After all there's more to a car than it's apperances. It's a brand thing.
Stéphane Dumas 5:22PM (11/16/2007)
Xcountryflyer, there could be some hopes if Ford will bring the next-gen Ford Ka (who'll use the Fiat 500 platform) here (the Ka is distributed in Mexico). Then the next question is: will the next-gen Ford Ka will win next year even if it use the Fiat 500 platform?
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alain 5:35PM (11/16/2007)
I read a few days ago on the Italiaspeed website that Fiat will be watching to see how well Smart does here. If it does well, we may not only see the 500, but the upcoming small Alfa as well. I'd love to see the 500 here, but multiply that by ten for the Alfa. This wasn't just some auto writers speculation by the way. The person saying this was (I think) the CEO of Fiat.
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Devin 9:09PM (11/16/2007)
I, for one, am extremely shocked that the Mondeo did not win. Granted, I really don't know much about the Fiat or the Ford, but the Mondeo is just sooooo gorgeous.
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johnny.barker 10:28PM (11/16/2007)
This little car makes me happy. :)
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AndyMF 3:23AM (11/17/2007)
Me too!
Flea 5:45AM (11/17/2007)
heh, me three. I guess Fiat caught the magic here where all the other microcars failed.
Marco_VESS 6:54AM (11/17/2007)
I'm pleased that the 500 won - it's easily been the most interesting car to come out of Europe this year. The Mazda 2 is a good car, but let down by cheap materials and the fact that it doesn't really advance the B-segment any.
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Avinash machado 7:47AM (11/17/2007)
So retro is once again popular.
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Blastman 10:18PM (11/17/2007)
What an ugly goofy-looking turd. Is this the new modern Fiat theme -- Goofy?
One can use old styling cues from the 1950's, but don't use ugly or goofy ones.
The new Mini is a great looking car.
The front of this 500 looks like a old Neon which has had its face squashed.
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Flea 5:33AM (11/18/2007)
that's quite a harsh comment, especially considering how tens of thousands of people in Italy and France bought all of 2007's planned production of it BEFORE it was even launched. That makes it hugely successful in the two european countries where design is most important for a car.
you could at least write "I THINK it looks like a turd", but like this you sound like some anglo-german who is terribly pissed his beloved mini is going to get kicked in the nuts by this car which is considered awesomely cute by countless people around the world...
G3D45 8:21AM (11/20/2007)
FIAT is building so unreliable cars and is still winning whole Europe contest? It is a real shame. There are too much South European journalists in the contest who like Italian cars.
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foxzz 10:42AM (11/20/2007)
its such a cute car... much better then all those ugly american cars whitout any styling, you american fools need to learn something from us, west europeans!
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foxzz 10:45AM (11/20/2007)
an old neon??? wtf, you need to come first in europe and see him with your own eyes before you say something like that... but i guess you aint got the money to come here, you spend all your cash on your old ford with 70000miles on the counter
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