NF500 / eric reguly

The Canadian Globe and Mail released a feature on the new Fiat 500 Today that is full of praise for the new Fiat 500.  Full of praise, yet tinged with lament.  Why the lament?  Simple really, the Fiat 500 is not planned for release to the Canadian market.  So as much as they loved the car, they simply can’t have one.

The review, brimming with superlatives and excitement, is the second article by Eric Reguly we’ve mentioned on NF500, this time round he delivers such classic quotes as

I know this car would obliterate machines like the (smaller) Mercedes Smart and the (larger) Toyota Yaris in the Canadian and American markets.

And surmises

It’s a pity the new 500 is not available in Canada. In terms of fun, driveability and space, it kills the Smart car. In terms of price, it kills the MINI. In terms of style, it kills the Yaris and rivals like the Honda Fit.

If Ford, GM and Chrysler were smart, they would build a city car like this. Fiat has made the smallest cars desirable again.

You can read the full article on the Globe and Mail website.

The reviews the new Fiat 500 has been receiving lately have been most impressive, British broadsheets The Independent and The Times have very positive driving reports, both highlighting not only the “cuteness” and design quirks of the new 500, but also stating it has substance to go with the good looks.  Excellent road manners and a surprisingly quiet cabin (for such a small car) are both highlighted as plus points.

It certainly seems the new Fiat 500 is what the World is waiting for just now.  But with sales going so well in Italy, it could be a longer wait than expected for some global markets.

As if to illustrate that the whole motoring world was watching the unveiling of the new Fiat 500 in Turin on the 4th July, Canadian publication Globe and Mail has an in depth article and appraisal of the lavish combined Birthday and Launch Party of the Fiat 500. That’s despite the fact that, at best, the North American markets can look forward to an Abarth version of the 500, sometimes after 2010! Reporter Eric Reguly certainly didn’t let that dampen the sense of occasion:

The riverside launch show of the new Fiat 500 looked like it was inspired by Disney, Cirque du Soleil and Timothy Leary in equal parts. It was clever, fast-paced, surreal at times and always imaginative.

Mostly, it was big, the type of spectacle normally reserved for millennium parties and Olympic opening ceremonies.

You can read his report in it’s entirety at that Globe and Mail website.