NF500 / car of the year

Fiat has revealed another weapon in their onslaught of publicity stunts, this time taking the form of enormous interactive bill-boards placed in the heart of berlin, at the site of Checkpoint Charlie on the corner of Friedrichstraße.

Passers by (or just anyone who reads this and has the ability to do so) can send a text message (to number 84000 password “Fiat 500″), and said message will appear scrolling across a 20 metre metre message strip, as well as appearing like on the official Fiat 500 homepage. We’re assuming they’re monitored for decency prior to being emblazoned on a huge picture of the Fiat 500!

Apparently this latest clever piece of marketing is part of Fiat’s wider strategy to involve Fiat 500 fans from around the world, carrying the rather wordy slogan “500 people’s car, created by the people”.

This interactive “advertising cube” was created by Fiat in partnership with the communication experts Carat Wiesbaden and the agency Magic Touch of Hamburg.

This isn’t the first time the Fiat 500 has benefited from some quirky PR in Berlin, previously they took their smart thinking underground to celebrate Fiat’s victory at the 2008 Car of the Year awards.

The Fiat 500 1.3 Multijet won its category at the What Diesel Car of the Year awards 2008, it has been announced today.

The overall winner was the Jaguar XF, but the Fiat 500 came up trumps in the “small car” category.

Voted on by a panel of ten judges from the motoring world, including Sue Baker, Russell Bray and Simon Hacker, the What Diesel Car Of The Year category winners are claimed to epitomise what is the very best of modern diesel engined motoring.

In announcing the winners the Fiat 500 received an honourable mention from What Diesel Editor, Ian Robertson, who commented;

This year has seen some tough opposition join the new car market, with the Fiat 500 and Jaguar XF leading the pack.

Well, we thought it was anyway. This is basically a press release, in full, from Borealis AG that details the specification and challenges they faces when sourcing and creating the plastic parts, interior and exterior, for the new Fiat 500.

High-performance materials from Borealis, a leading provider of innovative value creating plastics solutions, have helped FIAT to create a visually, highly-differentiated small car for drivers – the FIAT 500. The 2008 Car of the Year uses polypropylene-based Daplen™ thermoplastic olefins (TPO) from Borealis on its bumpers and dashboard to achieve the superior aesthetics and excellent performance of its parts that give the FIAT 500 the edge in the small car market.

Italy’s leading car manufacturer FIAT set visual appeal as one of the top priorities for its new 500 model for both interior and exterior components. To successfully realise FIAT’s eye-catching concept of a large bumper with outstanding scratch resistance, a Class A smooth surface finish and good paintability, Borealis worked closely with parts moulder Ersi (Poland) and FIAT to find the ideal material solution.

The challenge was met with Daplen EE103AI, a high melt flow rate (MFR) TPO with excellent scratch resistance and the ability to achieve uniform thickness over a large surface area. Its low thermal expansion over a broad temperature range ensures consistent high quality for large, moulded parts and precise fitting to other exterior panels, further enhancing the overall visual impression.

The dashboard specifications set by FIAT were particularly challenging. To keep a high level of aesthetic surface appeal and avoid visual defects, FIAT specified a mono-material solution for the 500’s major interior parts. Poland-based parts moulder Plastal chose Daplen EE168AI to meet requirements for excellent scratch resistance and low gloss, while also guaranteeing a consistent finish and high quality parts integration through the material’s high dimensional stability and low thermal expansion. In addition, the excellent impact/stiffness ratio offered by Daplen EE168AI enhances vehicle safety.

Both bumper and dashboard benefit from the lightweight of polypropylene without compromising on performance of parts. Lighter weight components can contribute towards lower overall vehicle weight, resulting in reduced fuel consumption and less CO2 emissions. The FIAT 500 falls within the EU CO2 emission standard of 120g/km set to take effect from 2012.

Vehicle manufacturers are continuously seeking ways to sharpen the competitive edge of their brands

comments Franz Zängerl, Manager Business Development Automotive at Borealis.

The use of Daplen materials in both interior and exterior applications on the FIAT 500 has helped FIAT to realise its ambitions for a small vehicle with cutting-edge design features that will boost consumer perceptions of FIAT’s image and quality. The success of our materials in these components opens up exciting new opportunities for the use of polypropylene-based compounds in new automotive applications.

The coveted Car of the Year 2008 award, which was given to the Fiat 500 by a jury of 58 specialist journalists from 22 European countries, was presented this evening (28 January) at a ceremony in Berlin.

Fiat’s supermini was not only the overall winner, but it also received votes from the largest number of jury members: 57 out of 58 included the car on their short lists, and 33 put it in first place.

It is the second A-Segment car – the first was the Fiat Panda in 2004 – to win the worldwide motor industry’s most prestigious title. An extraordinary record that brings the total Car of the Year titles won by Fiat Group Automobiles to 12.

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Group Automobiles, who received the award, said:

We have gone a long way in a short space of time, and I am proud to be able to underline that Fiat was the fastest growing car brand in Europe last year. The 500 is not a final target for the brand, but just the first stage in the ongoing development of the ‘new Fiat’. Which is why we see the 500 as not just a car, but as a ‘travelling agenda’ of what we want to achieve.

The Fiat 500 marks the first time that a car of just 3.55 metres long has been awarded five Euro NCAP stars for crash safety, and the standard fitting of seven airbags is a ‘first’ for this category (the knee-bag is unique for a supermini). It is also the first car to be launched with an engine range (69 bhp 1.2, 75 bhp 1.3 MultiJet with DPF and 100 bhp 1.4 16v) that already reaches Euro 5 emissions limits, more than two years before these become law.

These are some of the winning features of a car that has become the new benchmark for its segment. And the prestigious Car for the Year 2008 title confirms the great interest it has aroused since it was presented in Turin on 4 July last year. More than 140,000 orders have been placed by European customers since the car’s launch.

Fiat in Germany is using public transport to publicise the Fiat 500 to rail passengers in Berlin.

Fiat have commandeered a special freight train that is cruising around the underground network in Berlin, ridden by a couple of Fiat 500s carrying the message “Happy New Car of the Year to You”.

Clever piece of marketing, you can read more on ItaliaSpeed.

The VOGTLAND FIat 500

TheFiat 500Cup designed by MS Design and presented on this years booth of VOGTLAND Autosport at the Motorshow in Essen gets finally has a finishing touch its sporting added by VOGTLAND suspension springs.

VOGTLAND chassis engineers designed lowering springs for more sporty driving performance and road grip with a dynamic look. Available in two applications under article no. 954050 for 1.2 litre petrol and 954051 for 1.4 litre petrol and 1.3 litre diesel. The springs are certificated by German TÜV.

Further information available at www.vogtland.com

Fiat Group Automobiles UK Ltd has shown its support for Save The Children by donating a new Fiat 500 for the aid organisation’s gala charity auction this week.

The car will be one of a staggering list of prizes due to be bid for at Save the Children’s Festival of Trees Gala Dinner in London’s Natural History Museum tomorrow (Tuesday 4 December) in the presence of charity President, HRH The Princess Royal.

The special auction will help raise money for Save the Children’s on-going work around the world. And when the charity heads decided to find a new car to put under the hammer, they knew exactly which one they wanted - the 2008 Car of the Year.

With its stylish good looks, exceptional choice of standard and optional equipment, five-star Euro NCAP crash safety rating and incredible value for money, the new Fiat 500 has been set aside as a star attraction at the auction event. The car will also be on display at the gala dinner.

The idea is that guests bid for one of the bespoke designer ‘Christmas Trees’ which come with special prizes attached,

said Save the Children spokeswoman Susannah Parker.

They might be a luxury safari, tickets to a Premiership football match or a garden re-design, and guests can also bid for a sensational prize - the new Fiat 500.

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