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]

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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.