NF500 / 2008 / January

A new year, and a new service for Fiat 500 fans visiting us here at NF500.

Today we’re proud to reveal our new Shopping page, which we hope will provide visitors with useful links, products and services from a number of suppliers, including a built in eBay shop front to new Fiat 500 related listings on the popular auction site.

Go and check it out, and hopefully you’ll find something you fancy for you or your 500.

The new Fiat 500 and the Alfa Romeo Spider make their USA debut this week (7-10 January 2008) at one of the world’s largest and most important exhibitions, but its not the Detroit International Motor Show, rather the Italians have gone to Las Vegas to take part in the 31st Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s largest electronics show with 2,700 exhibitors and 140,000 visitors walking through 1.8 million square metres of the newest and most advanced technology.

Fiat and Alfa Romeo are attending the CES to display Blue&Me, the joint venture between Microsoft, Fiat and Magneti Marelli that has produced a new benchmark for telematic system, the integration of communications, entertainment and navigation systems for cars in terms of both sophistication and, with more than 250,000 systems sold, success in the market place.

The Fiat 500 displays the standard Blue&Me system –which will be fitted as standard to the top versions of the Fiat 500 when it arrives in New Zealand and which is already fitted to the new Fiat Bravo – with its seamless blend of in-car entertainment and communications. The Alfa Romeo Spider, meanwhile, adds navigation with Blue&Me Nav, as well as EcoDrive, which helps educate drivers how to cut emissions and fuel consumption by offering real time information on the efficiency of their driving style.

Blue&Me, the result of a cooperative effort between Fiat Group Automobiles and Microsoft, was presented in world preview at the Geneva Motor Show 2006. Fiat Group Automobiles was the first motor manufacturer with whom Microsoft worked at developing a completely new platform. In the subsequent eighteen month period, this platform was followed by three further satnav versions, namely Nav and Map and environment friendly EcoDrive.

Following the launch, a year and a half ago, 250,000 Blue&Me systems have been sold, fitted to Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Fiat and Fiat commercial vehicles, with average take-up in excess of 20 per cent. Seven out of ten Fiat 500s incorporate Blue&Me as standard, confirming the wider appeal of a solution which is easy to use, flexible and cost effective.

BroadVision, Inc, a global provider of e-business solutions, today announced that Fiat Automobiles, has migrated its BroadVision Portal architecture to launch the new Fiat 500 model. As a result of the launch, the Fiat site saw an increase of daily users who are looking for information regarding different configurations and prices for the new car.

With the high impact launch of the new Fiat 500 and the ensuing marketing and communication campaigns, we recorded a surge in visits to our websites,

said Mr. Stefano Torcello, Fiat Group Automobiles ICT Process Leader for Internet applications.

Thanks to the proven scalability and robustness of the BroadVision architecture, we have easily managed to accommodate the growing traffic on our web sites.

Fiat Automobiles built most of its brand websites on the BroadVision platform to standardize the web technology; cut operational costs; and to quickly deploy additional websites. They chose BroadVision for its scalability, robustness and flexibility. The sites also integrated the BroadVision platform with several vertical applications, such as a powerful car configurator and the dealer localizer.

Fiat Group Automobiles is one of our most important customers in Europe,

stated Andrea Rubei, Vice President and General Manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at BroadVision.

We’ll continue to support and help them to improve their web platform in order to achieve a competitive advantage in a challenging market like automotive.

BroadVision supports several customers in the automotive sector including Renault, Toyota and Peugeot. These companies have been quick to recognize the potential of Personalization to improve customers’ web experience and increase their loyalty by taking care of their needs and providing them the right information.

Fiat’s websites on BroadVision include: www.fiat.com www.fiat.dk www.fiat.it www.fiat.hu www.fiat.fr www.fiat.ie www.fiat.de www.fiat.nl www.fiat.es and www.fiat.pt

This time it’s MSN who are providing the chance to win a brand spanking new Bossa Nova White Fiat 500 1.2 Pop.

MSN are also broadcasting the launch live on the 21st January, which is also when the winner will be announced. The competition again focuses on Fiat’s “Every Masterpieces” theme, and you’ll have to revisit the site a few times to solve the puzzle to have a chance of winning the price.

The competition is live on the dedicated MSN website Fiat 500 Mashup now.

F1 champion Kimi Räikkönen will be taking a Fiat 500 onto the ice as part of a joint F1 and MotoGP PR and Ski event taking place at Madonna di Campiglio, the home of Chalet Fiat.

Wrooom 2008 is a publicity event for MotoGP and F1, with Ducati, Alfa, Fiat and Ferrari all on show with a dramatic backdrop and sequence of interesting displays and challenges.

Apparently the 500 will feature heavily, with F1 racers taking the baby Fiat to the ice, as well as featuring in several ice sculptures and a Fiat 500 evening at the Chalet Fiat. The whole thing is rounded off with a fireworks and light display. Sounds like great fun if you can get on the guest list!

You can read a little more, including the full list of events at motograndprix.it.

We mentioned previously how Fiat are teaming up with Virgin Radio to drum up publicity for the new 500 prior to the January 21st London Eye launch event. The Virgin Radio website has been updated with competitions to win a Fiat 500 (but you have to listen to the Breakfast Show to do so) or as an alternative some cash prized which Fiat have put up for grabs. Full details on the Virgin Radio website.

Fiat UK marketing carries on building pace ahead of the January 21st launch with a dedicated YouTube channel.

Every Masterpieces is home to a sequence of shorts featuring Danny Wallace running over an example of an “Everyday Masterpiece”, such as the chopstick or football. For example, the following clip focuses on that object that always springs to mind when considering life changing everyday design (really?) the Marble. Finishing with an hilarious upside-down circle punch line.