NF500 / alfa romeo

According to an interview in the Financial Times, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has made a vow to “replicate the Mini phenomenon in the US”, saying that the Fiat 500 will be released Stateside after the range has expanded to include further models.

That’s a pretty high standard to set the diminutive Fiat, considering that MINI, under parent company BMW, arguably worked on completely transforming the public attitude towards small cars in the States with a highly effective (and expensive) advertising campaign. MINI had the further advantage of a well established network of successful BMW dealers who were more than prepared to put their money into the launch of the MINI brand with dedicated showrooms across the states.

It will be interesting to see how Fiat tackle targeting America with the new 500, which will follow the Alfa Romeo brand back to the USA, but it’s going to be a tall order and very interesting to watch.

The Fiat has been voted “Auto Europa 2008″ by the Italian Union of Automotive Journalists (Uiga). This is the most important accolade awarded by the Italian specialised press.

Established in 1987, the prize is awarded to the car built and sold in Europe that offers the best combination of technology, pricing and style for the final consumer. The vote, which took place last weekend in Riccione, attributed 640 points to the new super-compact from Fiat, placing it ahead of the Kia Ceèd (408) and the Peugeot 308 (325).

The official prize-giving ceremony will be held next Spring during the annual Uiga meeting. This is the tenth car from Fiat Group Automobiles to receive the title of “Auto Europa”. Previous winners have been the Alfa 164 (1988), Fiat Tipo (1989), Fiat Cinquecento (1993), Fiat Punto (1995), Fiat Bravo/Brava (1996), Alfa Romeo 156 (1998), Alfa Romeo 166 (1999), Fiat Panda (2004) and the Fiat Grande Punto (2007).

This award adds to the already impressive array of prizes under the Fiat 500’s belt, namely: “Car of the Year 2008″, “EuroCarBody 2007” and “World’s Most Beautiful Car”. The COTY award was secured with a total of 385 points attributed by a panel of 58 specialist journalists representing 22 European countries. This is only the second time that an A-segment model has won this award – the first being the Fiat Panda in 2004. The title of “EuroCarBody 2007”, the most important prize worldwide for car bodies, is attributed by a total of approximately 600 specialists from 15 international carmakers, all of them experts in bodywork engineering, materials, processes and production. Lastly, the “World’s most Beautiful Car” award was given to the Fiat 500 by an international panel of design and visual arts experts. With the maximum score possible of 18 points, the Fiat 500 won the “City cars and small cars” category for expressing “a return to the sculptural values of the golden age of car design”. The same prize was also awarded to the Fiat Bravo, in the “medium saloon” category.

These prestigious accolades for the Fiat 500 join two other important prizes recently awarded by the international press to the Fiat Grande Punto and Scudo. Just a few months after its Latin American launch, the Grande Punto was voted “Auto Interamericana 2008” by the Interamerican Federation of Automotive Periodicals (FIPA), consisting of 63 journalists from 19 American nations, including Brazil and the US. Similarly, the Scudo has also been enjoying an extraordinary success, and has been voted “International Van of the Year 2008” – with 108 out of a possible 140 points – by a panel of journalists from 20 European nations specialised in light commercial vehicles.

Fiat SpA’s share of the rapidly growing Italian market for new cars fell in July compared to June, as the revitalised automaker lost ground on European and U.S. competitors. This is according to figures from Italy’s Transport Ministry released this Wednesday.

In its monthly review of car data, the ministry said Fiat, Europe’s fifth-biggest car maker by volume, registered a total of 30.5% of all Italian new cars last month for all its mass-market car brands, including Alfa Romeo and Lancia. This is down from June’s 31.7% market share, but still a healthy 10.1% higher than the equivalent month of 2006.

These figures come as no surprise as Fiat’s own product range begins to mature and new models are brought to market by competing manufacturers.

Late in January the company, regarded as a specialist in small cars, launched the Bravo, its first major new model in 17 months. The Bravo is positioned in a segment of the market in which Fiat has struggled in the past.

July, of course, saw the launch of the new Fiat 500.

In a statement issued as a response to these latest figures, Fiat said on Wednesday they had received more than 60,000 orders for the new Fiat 500 in less than a month. The vast majority of these orders are from home market customers.

Overall, the number of new cars registered in Italy, overwhelmingly Fiat’s biggest market, rose in July to 211,475 from 192,083 in the same month a year earlier.

Sales of Fiat’s eponymous brand fell to 23.2% of all new cars registered in July from 24.1% a month earlier.

Automotive News have reported Today that the new Fiat 500, in Abarth form in particular, could well be sold in the USA.

This isn’t a new rumour, but when it’s Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne who’s the one doing the gossiping, it surely adds some rather juicy fruits to the grape vine!

Apparently Marcionne has said he would like to sell an Abarth 500 in the US in competition with BMW’s MINI Cooper and Volvo’s C30.

The bad news is that if this happens at all, it wont be until at least 2010. Before Fiat can even begin to make this dream a reality they will have to get themselves back on track in the USA with the Alfa Romeo badge (who’s design team is now headed up by Frank Stephenson, who also lead the design team on the new 500).

Could the new 500 AND the new MINI Cooper prove cult smashes in the USA? Who knows, but we’d care to bet there’d be a lot of people excited by the prospect.