FROM THIS WEEKS AUTOEXPRESS
Meet The New 500
t's going to be cheap - and very cheerful! This week's mag features the first world exclusive pictures of the stunning new baby Fiat that's set to turn the city car market on its head.
The all-new Fiat 500 is a retro-styled sensation that will become one of the cheapest cars available in Britain when it arrives in showrooms in 2006, with entry-level models set to cost from only £5,000.
For that, buyers will get an amazing little car which echoes the look of the famous Nuova 500 - the Fiat that powered generations of buyers the world over between 1957 and 1975 and gained a huge number of celebrity fans, including Michael Schumacher and Sophia Loren. Based on a shortened Panda platform, the 500 will replace the Seicento, which remains in showrooms in Europe despite having been withdrawn from sale in the UK following the debut of the Panda.
Fiat first hinted that a 500 was in the pipeline when it wowed crowds at this year's Geneva Motor Show with the sensational looking Trepiuno concept car, which company insiders suggested at the time was the key to Fiat's financial comeback plans. The firm has suffered heavy losses in recent years, following a decline in sales. But with the acclaimed Panda - outright winner of Auto Express's New Car Honours 2004 - Fiat proved that it could still do what it has always done best, and build small cars with classless appeal and great driving characteristics.
The new 500 is sure to blur class boundaries. With looks like this, it is set to become one of the most fashionable small cars around, much in the vein of the BMW MINI - but at a fraction of the cost.
Our spies have informed us that, despite some initial resistance to the project within Fiat's senior management, the 500 has now been given the green light for production, and dev-elopment for the new car is already significantly underway. Fully built prototypes are expected to start testing by the end of next year, ready for a production debut at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, where the Fiat is sure to become Europe's most talked-about new car.
Details about the 500's engines remain sketchy, although it's expected that the basic model will be powered by a 55bhp 1.2-litre petrol unit. Unlike the original 500, the motor will be mounted in the front, leaving the rear free to incorporate a proper hatchback.
A new 1.0-litre 16-valve powerplant is also being co-developed with General Motors. A 65bhp 1.2-litre petrol unit will be available, too, while in most European markets the 70bhp 1.3-litre Multijet diesel, which first appeared in the current Punto and Idea mini-MPV, is to be offered.
Inside, the 500 will have four separate seats, with the rear two removable to boost load space. Fiat is said to be carefully planning the 500's market debut, as it wants the car to appeal to a new breed of buyer rather than tempt customers away from the Panda.
So there will be two very different types of 500 - the three-door base car, which will remain true to the Nuova 500's budget roots; and more upmarket models with leather trim and unique body styling, to appeal to MINI buyers.
Craig Cheetham
Meet The New 500
t's going to be cheap - and very cheerful! This week's mag features the first world exclusive pictures of the stunning new baby Fiat that's set to turn the city car market on its head.
The all-new Fiat 500 is a retro-styled sensation that will become one of the cheapest cars available in Britain when it arrives in showrooms in 2006, with entry-level models set to cost from only £5,000.
For that, buyers will get an amazing little car which echoes the look of the famous Nuova 500 - the Fiat that powered generations of buyers the world over between 1957 and 1975 and gained a huge number of celebrity fans, including Michael Schumacher and Sophia Loren. Based on a shortened Panda platform, the 500 will replace the Seicento, which remains in showrooms in Europe despite having been withdrawn from sale in the UK following the debut of the Panda.
Fiat first hinted that a 500 was in the pipeline when it wowed crowds at this year's Geneva Motor Show with the sensational looking Trepiuno concept car, which company insiders suggested at the time was the key to Fiat's financial comeback plans. The firm has suffered heavy losses in recent years, following a decline in sales. But with the acclaimed Panda - outright winner of Auto Express's New Car Honours 2004 - Fiat proved that it could still do what it has always done best, and build small cars with classless appeal and great driving characteristics.
The new 500 is sure to blur class boundaries. With looks like this, it is set to become one of the most fashionable small cars around, much in the vein of the BMW MINI - but at a fraction of the cost.
Our spies have informed us that, despite some initial resistance to the project within Fiat's senior management, the 500 has now been given the green light for production, and dev-elopment for the new car is already significantly underway. Fully built prototypes are expected to start testing by the end of next year, ready for a production debut at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, where the Fiat is sure to become Europe's most talked-about new car.
Details about the 500's engines remain sketchy, although it's expected that the basic model will be powered by a 55bhp 1.2-litre petrol unit. Unlike the original 500, the motor will be mounted in the front, leaving the rear free to incorporate a proper hatchback.
A new 1.0-litre 16-valve powerplant is also being co-developed with General Motors. A 65bhp 1.2-litre petrol unit will be available, too, while in most European markets the 70bhp 1.3-litre Multijet diesel, which first appeared in the current Punto and Idea mini-MPV, is to be offered.
Inside, the 500 will have four separate seats, with the rear two removable to boost load space. Fiat is said to be carefully planning the 500's market debut, as it wants the car to appeal to a new breed of buyer rather than tempt customers away from the Panda.
So there will be two very different types of 500 - the three-door base car, which will remain true to the Nuova 500's budget roots; and more upmarket models with leather trim and unique body styling, to appeal to MINI buyers.
Craig Cheetham
