Fiat 500 with funky paintwork
Nokia has acquired seventy two Fiat 500 superminis with funky paintwork for use in the ‘Nokia Connectors’ promo tour. The cell-phone giant will use the Italian retro supermini to send teams of student brand ambassadors on to UK streets, parks, beaches and parties. Based all over the UK in 18 key cities and armed with Nokia handsets and Fiat 500s, the brand ambassadors will connect with potential consumers, particularly in relation to Nokia’s new 6220 phone.
Video: Fiat Strada Adventure
Look at this funny TV commercial ad with new Fiat’s small pick-up truckcalled Strada Adventure. The Fiat Strada Adventure comes to us from Brazil plants. The TV ad shows a young couple getting ready to “rock-and-roll” inside the Fiat Strada Adventure when the busty chick asks the guy for protection.
Fiat 500 vs. Audi Q7
Look at the video crash test: tiny Fiat 500 vs. Audi Q7.
- The Fiat 500 has 2 cross members in the front to provide a large surface area for impact.
- The Audi Q7 corner impact only hits a small part of the cross members, not enough to reduce all the kinetic energy from the Audi Q7.
- As the Fiat 500 and Audi’s corners compressed, the Fiat side members compressed deforming the structure and creating a hole under the driver’s seat.
- The majority of the red on the driver is caused by the deformation of the side member, impacting the driver.
Essentially, only part of the crumple zone was used causing the side impact beams to bend and hit the driver.
Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse
The ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’ is the spiritual successor to the 595 Abarth that notched up several victories in European race tracks from 1963. The new FIAT 500 will be produced in a limited run of 49 cars, developed and produced by a team of Abarth Engineers and Designers.
Equipped with a modified version of the road-going Abarth 500’s 135Hp 1.4-liter turbo engine that develops 200Hp and 300 Nm of torque, the “Asseto Corse” gets a full racing outfit that includes wider tracks, white 17-inch ultralight alloys, lowered suspension, wider bumpers, front and rear spoilers, sports racing mirrors and a place for a number on the sides.
Inside, the ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’ has been stripped of any amenities helping lower the car’s overall weight by 180 kg or 397 lbs. The cabin now features a roll-bar type-approved for racing, anatomical seats, carbon door panels and a special racing-type steering wheel.
Fiat 500 billboard
The new FIAT 500 is one of the most liked small cars in Europe. Now fans in Berlin can share their thoughts on the 500 with th everyone in the immediate vicinity. A pair of billboards installed near the former Checkpoint Charlie reflect the words of passers-by. The 3,100-square foot boards also invite viewers to send a text message to a special number. The messages then scroll across a 65-foot wide ticker on each board. Presumably the messages are moderated in some way before they appear on the boards, otherwise this PR stunt could get very interesting.
PRESS RELEASE
The Fiat 500 speaks out in Berlin
The Fiat 500 continues to get itself talked about and once again in innovative and spectacular style. In the heart of Berlin at the legendary Checkpoint Charlie, on the corner of Friedrichstraße, the new Italian cult car calls out to passers-by from the top of a huge advertising cube with videos, messages in lights and giant hoardings.
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Fiat buys Zastava to build new microcar
The process started in December when the Serbian government made the announcement, sparking interest from various automakers. The Fiat stance was that it was still considering the proposition. Well, it appears the Italian automakers has done thinking, and has signed a memorandum of understanding with Serbia to establish a joint venture that involves Fiat investing a staggering 700 million euros into Zastava’s manufacturing facilities in exchange for a majority stake in the company, known in full as Zavodi Crvena Zastava. The Serbian government will contribute some 200 million euros through tax incentives and similar measures.
Fiat has revealed that it will use the Zastava plant to produce the upcoming Topolino microcar. The vehicle will be based on the same platform as the FIAT 500 and Panda, but even smaller and positioned below either model, and share the same name as the concept car that previewed the new 500 and originally used on the 1936 runabout pictured above. According to reports, the new Topolino will be a compact two-seater measuring just 3150mm (124 inches) in length, slightly longer than the Smart ForTwo at 2692mm (106 inches). A four-seater version is expected to follow, in addition to an upscale version for the Lancia division.
Hybrid Fiat 500
The FIAT 500 hybrid is ready! The Hybrid Fiat 500 will start with a petrol-electric engine that offers incredible fuel economy and super-low CO2 emissions.
It will be based on the company’s forthcoming 900cc two-cylinder engine. The engine is mated to a motor and a battery pack, and will allow small cars like the 500 to run solely on electricity for short distances. Add a stop-start system and VW DSG-style twin-clutch gearbox, and it promises reduced CO2 emissions – engineers estimate a figure of below 90g/km!
That car debuted the 900cc twin alongside a 105bhp turbo version, and Fiat also has plans for a normally aspirated 65bhp variant. The hybrid 500 is likely to benefit from other green technologies seen on the Aria, which include low-rolling-resistance tyres. The featherweight two-cylinder engine is 20 per cent lighter than a four-cylinder motor, so owners could expect 80mpg-plus fuel economy.
And while the first petrol-electric cars may not be seen in showrooms until 2011, the all-new two-cylinder petrol engine will be available in the 500 before the end of the year
Every Fiat is 500% Fiat
Look at the new FIAT’s TV ad. The TV advert that was created by the Turin office of Leo Burnett Italia Group attempts to underline the way every Fiat car incorporates all the values that have contributed to the sales success of the new 500.
Fiat confirms two new small cars
Fiat’s Chief Technology Officer Harald J. Wester has confirmed news that FIAT is developing a new low-cost car.
The new low cost B-compact car, which will replace the Palio family range in world markets, will bridge the gap that has grown up between the A-segment Panda and the B-segment Grande Punto, a divide that has stretched with the upward push achieved by the latter model when it was introduced two years ago. The B-compact model, dubbed as the ‘new Uno’ will spawn a ‘Weekend’ (estate) version.
The second vehicle, tentatively carrying the same “Topolino” name as the concept which previewed the new 500, will be a microcar based on and positioned below the Panda, with both expected to hit the market around late 2009 or early 2010.
Wester also held out that the B-compact model could be launched under a new brand name.
Fiat launch low-cost car in 2010
Fiat plans to reveal its low cost car somewhere in 2010. The new cheap Fiat will be an even smaller car than the 500 and Panda. The new model would be a low-cost vehicle targeted at markets in South America, Russia, India and China.
If the company decides it will wear the Fiat badge, it could revive the Uno nameplate and effectively replace the Palio (pictured above), which currently serves as Fiat’s “world car”, with production in Brazil, India, Turkey, South Africa, North Korea and China, in hatchback, sedan, wagon and pickup body-styles. Fiat’s close relations with Tata, makers of the Nano, could come into play, but one way or another, nobody does small cars like Fiat, so the competition had better take note.
The new low-cost Fiat will help with the company’s position in markets such as South America, Russia, India and China. It’s not known yet whether the new low cost car will be Fiat-badged or not, as there is a possiblity of a new brand being used. Fiat is still conducting internal studies on whether a low cost model could damage Fiat’s image.