NF500 / 2008 / August

According to a report published today in the Guardian, Fiat is being widely tipped to struggle to reach its own performance targets as the global economy slows. This news comes in spite of the success of the Fiat 500 in both terms of sales, and national and international awards.

The article makes interesting reading, with most analyst sources citing Fiat Group’s heavy reliance on two markets, those in Italy and Brazil, as their main achilles heal. It is of note though that
Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne is thus far sticking to Fiat’s original, strong forecasts, stating that

I’m 56 and I’ve never had to change a forecast so far

Read the full report on the Guardian website.

The “perky” Fiat 500. Of course.

Evecars.com has just added to the Fiat 500s trophy cabinet by naming the small Italian car winner in both their Supermini and City Car categories in the Evecars.com Car of the Year awards 2008. Clearly making no attempt to destroy any “girls and cars” stereotypes, the Fiat 500 was noted for its style, optional extras and light steering when parking.

Commenting on the award, Alex Jenner-Fust, editor of evecars.com says:

The Fiat 500 stole our judges’ hearts with its retro-inspired style and deceptively roomy interior. It’s perky to drive around town, and has clever features such as the ‘City’ parking button, which lightens the steering to help you park. Better still, there are thousands of optional extras to help you personalise the car to suit your style.

Andrew Humberstone, managing director, Fiat Group Automobiles had this to say about the Fiat 500s latest accolade

We are delighted with this latest award which makes an exciting addition to 500’s already impressive honours list.

Customers continue to demonstrate how much they love the 500 and it’s good to see the experts showing us they are also big fans.

Worldcarfans have some exclusive photos of a heavily disguised Fiat 500 Abarth SS, which were apparently snapped very recently.

The Abarth SS is expected to be unveiled at the Paris Motorshow later this year, and these most recent “spy” photographs will no doubt lead to increased speculation about exact body modifications and power improvements ahead of any official news from Fiat themselves.

72 all-black Fiat 500s have been acquired on contract hire by well known phone manufacturers Nokia, in a fleet deal that will see the garishly decorated Fiats help kick-start a new high profile promotion.

The press release we’ve received from Fiat focuses on the “youthful brand image” that Nokia wishes to nurture with the 500 becoming a “lifestyle must have”. We’re not sure on the marketing speak, or how much of an impact the student brand ambassadors who will be driving the 500s over the next three to six months will have on the company’s sales figures, but the chosen livery, apparently inspired by early 90s shell-suits, is nothing if not eye catching!

As well as the 500 being viewed as a funky, youthful, lifestyle statement that will help excite and entice people to Nokia’s new 6220 phone, we’re certain that the financial side of hiring the 500s will certainly have encouraged Nokia to chose the Fiat 500 over its rivals. Current estimates rate the entry level 500 1.2 Pop as having a retained value at 47 per cent after three years.

This business win is typical of the fleet interest being shown in the Fiat 500 right now by companies large and small,

David Joyce, Fiat Auto Financial Services’ Business Finance Manager is quoted as saying;

The retro-styling of the new 500, which has already captured the public’s imagination, is now filtering through to fleet users.

Fiat is celebrating again, having scooped yet another industry award for its iconic 500 supermini.

The hugely successful 500, which was launched by Fiat earlier this year, has just been crowned Best City Car in the 2008 Auto Express New Car Honours. In doing so, the 500 brings to an end an impressive run for the Fiat Panda, which held the City Car title for the previous four consecutive years.

The award-winning Fiat 500 has already been crowned Car of the Year 2008 and has won a sack full other accolades including CAR Magazine Car of the Year, Fifth Gear Small Car of the Year, EuroCarBody 2007 and Auto Europa 2008.

Commenting on this latest honour, Auto Express says:

Reinventing a legend is never easy – but that is exactly what Fiat has achieved with its new 500. In a class that’s now bigger than ever, the Italian star has proved itself a real winner. We define a city car as any model that has the compact dimensions and tempting price to make it perfect for urban living. Cars that have been designed with tight high street parking spaces and city centres in mind were in with a shout, so the 500 had to beat everything from smart’s fortwo to Renault’s Twingo.

So what makes the Fiat so special? In a similar vein to the MINI, the 500 manages to capture the spirit of a legend without coming across as forced or tacky. Its low prices go hand in hand with the great looking exterior and interior styling to create an irresistible package.

And the worst news for rivals is that this is only the beginning for the 500. There are technical innovations such as an ultra-efficient two-cylinder engine waiting in the wings, while the Abarth sporting brand will bring hot hatch performance to the Fiat at the end of the year. Looking further ahead, the Italian firm will also launch an estate version to rival the MINI Clubman as well as a 500 convertible. By keeping the style and spirit of the original, but adding refinement, versatility and luxury, Fiat has built a car that we will be talking about for decades to come… just like its predecessor!

Elena Bernardelli, marketing director, Fiat UK adds:

This is yet another example of the fans the Fiat 500 is winning among the UK’s leading commentators and journalists, and I am delighted to say that that same confidence in the product is being shown by customers too.

To date we have sold or taken orders for more than 11,000 Fiat 500s in the UK and there are a lot more to come yet. We are delighted with Auto Express’s choice of Best City Car for 2008 and look forward to many more important awards like this one for the 500.

Available with a choice of three frugal, ultra-low emissions, Euro 5-ready engines: 69 bhp 1.2-litre and 100 bhp 1.4-litre petrol, or 75 bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet turbodiesel, the new Fiat 500 can be ordered in three different trim levels – Pop, Sport and Lounge.

With a starting price of just £8,100, the new Fiat 500 represents outstanding value for money and positions the car well below its benchmark rivals. At the top end of the range, a highly specified version with a larger engine costs only £10,900 – a price that includes air conditioning and alloy wheels as standard.