The new Fiat 500

With the launch of the 500 designed by Dante Giacosa on 4 July 1957, the circle of reconstruction after the devastation of the war was closed and a period of far-reaching renewal of the manufacturer’s product range came to an end, paving the way in the following decade for a new series of successes – a time that may be described as one of the most brilliant in the hundred-year history of the Italian car marque. The parallel with the new 500, which closes the extraordinary cycle of revival of recent years, is more than obvious. Because of its stylistic and technological qualities, however, the new 500 also has to be the spark for a lasting process of expansion. And here history begins anew. It would be belittling to confine the phenomenon of the new 500 within the limits of a simple, nostalgic exercise in reinterpretation. The aim pursued by Fiat during development was not to design a car that should “look like” a 500, but one that could once again “be” the 500. The new 500 gives the starting signal for a process of innovation in a number of areas that are very important for today’s customers. The new vehicle also makes the ambitions of the Fiat brand with regard to its future positioning on the market unmistakably clear. The Fiat 500 preserves the original concept in terms of form and function in order, as is fitting in such cases, to awaken all the emotions, memories and values that make all “cult objects” immortal and raise them far beyond the limiting dimensions of the category. The emphasis, however, must lie above all on the innovations that the new model is able to introduce at this product level for the first time. Particular emphasis should be placed on the collaborative approach to the development of the model and to the marketing, involving more than 3,000,000 fans who contributed their ideas to the creation of the new 500 within the framework of the internet platform www.500wantsyou.com. This initiative represents a strong cultural discontinuity in the relationship between car manufacturer and customers, and makes Fiat one of the most open-minded organisations and one of the most receptive to society’s expectations. “500 – the car for the people by the people”: this slogan could sum up the development philosophy of this project, which in the best Fiat tradition makes it possible to “democratise” access to content and technologies never before offered in this segment. It is the first time that a car has come with a range of engines (1.2 69 hp, 1.3 Multijet 75 hp with DPF and 1.4 16v 100 hp) that is set to meet the limits laid down by the future Euro 5 emission standard more than two years in advance. With this Fiat makes it unmistakably clear that it intends to extend its leading position in the field of environmental protection still further. It is the first time that the design of a compact car – it is 3.55 m long, 1.63 m wide, 1.49 m high and has a wheelbase of 2.30 m – had the goal of achieving five stars in the EuroNCAP crash tests. And not only that. The new vehicle is even equipped for the challenge of six stars, should this new rating come into force. Safety at any price, without that price being affected by it, testifies to the will of the Italian car manufacturer to take a leading role in this fundamental area as well. Incidentally, this strategy coincides one hundred per cent with the decisions already taken in recent years for the Panda and the Croma, via the Grande Punto through to the Bravo. A safe product, not only with regard to its structural strength but also in terms of the quality of its equipment and service content: seven standard airbags (including the knee airbag, which the Fiat 500 alone offers among compact cars) as well as the availability of the state-of-the-art ESP system for all engine versions (included in the standard equipment in combination with the powerful 1.4 16v 100 hp) are an absolute novelty in this segment. It is the first time that a “small car” has been endowed so extensively: four trim levels (Naked, Pop, Sport and Lounge, the first of which will only be sold in some markets), three engine versions available at the market launch, twelve colours, six of them vintage shades which bring the fifties and sixties back to life, and the three-layer white that results from a painting process usually reserved for supercars, 15 interiors including the upholstery in fine DuPont fibre Cordura and leather from the Frau brand (a sophisticated upholstery that is unique in this segment), nine wheel designs as well as 19 different stickers, which together produce more than 500,000 variants. Not to mention the 100 original accessories designed specially for the Fiat 500: among the most curious of these is certainly the electric “fragrance diffuser”, for which three different scents are available; but there are also the coloured covers for the keys which, as is already the case with mobile phones, make it possible to match the colour of the key to the exterior colour of the car or simply to choose one’s own favourite colour. A variety of offer such as has never existed before for so affordable a vehicle. The Fiat 500 also launches, for the first time in this segment, an advanced hi-fi system called the “Interscope Sound System”, which through the simultaneous use of three different methods of signal processing provides unique sound conditions on board the vehicle. The extensive equipment of the new vehicle is rounded off by manually operated air conditioning or automatic climate control, headlamps with a DRL function (Day Running Light), the large glass roof (available both in a fixed version and as an electrically operated sunroof), which increases the brightness of the interior and is a homage to the famous folding roof of the 500 of the sixties, as well as the automatically dimming electrochromic rear-view mirror, which ensures that the driver is not dazzled by the headlights of following vehicles. 500 is an inclusive concept, not an exclusive one. In this way Fiat wanted to meet the preferences of all potential buyers, without distinction, from the most minimalist to the most eccentric customer. The idea of creating a product that is able to adapt to the requirements of the individual is also evident in the decision to leave all competitors behind in the process of integrating electronic technologies into the interior of a car (plug-in). Thus, for example, the Blue&Me system is available, which is convincing thanks to its excellent ability to integrate with the majority of consumer products (such as Bluetooth® mobile phones, MP3 players, iPod etc.), and as an alternative to it the iPod connection for listening to specific files. Six months after the market launch of the Blue&Me NavTM system, Fiat is announcing the further development of the Blue&Me Map platform. This is a new portable multifunction navigation device developed for the Fiat 500 in cooperation with Magneti Marelli, with an original design and innovative integration technology. In addition, Fiat and SEAT Pagine Gialle have prepared an integration prototype for Blue&Me Map with the databases of the white and yellow pages (Pagine Bianche/Pagine Gialle). Developed for the Italian market, the product complements the existing offer with further innovative navigation options by placing the public database of SEAT Pagine Gialle at the user’s disposal and thus enabling contact with 20 million inhabitants and 3.5 million companies in Italy. The concept of personalisation, however, is not limited to the product alone, but extends to services and forms of payment as well. With the “500 Cents” and “50to500” offers from Fiat Group Automobiles Financial Services, for example, the customer can acquire any version of the Fiat 500 including personalisation either at a price of 5 € a day with no down payment, or by paying 50 per cent of the purchase price when taking delivery of the car and settling the remaining 50 per cent after two years. Every time a customer takes up one of the aforementioned financing offers, he can make use of a manufacturer’s warranty running for 5 years/500,000 km, as well as of a number of services which include, among other things – and this too is a first at Fiat – a complete breakdown assistance service operating round the clock. If, on the other hand, a service is due, the car is collected from the customer’s home. Mobility is guaranteed to the customer himself in that his taxi expenses are reimbursed. Many benefits and possibilities, then, for the Fiat 500 is there for everyone. The 500 stands for “nuova Fiat”, and “la nuova Fiat” belongs to everyone. For the company the creation of the Fiat 500 embodies a new departure, the declaration of a new vision of the role that Fiat intends to take on in the market and in society in the future. The incentive for a new, conscious model of consumption. A model that makes use of experience in the automotive field, that relies on quality and feeling at the same time, that gives preference to uniqueness over mass conformity. A model in which the concept of simplification is not synonymous with going without. The Fiat 500 is the materialisation of this aspiration. With the 500 Fiat looks to the future calmly and full of confidence.