Fiat’s feisty new 500 comes to SA

Fiat 500, the “great little car” and emblem of mass motorisation in Italy, of which nearly 3.8 million were sold and which has become firmly established in collective imaginary, was introduced in 1957.

Fifty years later, in 2007, Fiat chose to capitalise on that heritage and drive into the future: The new 500 was born and it was an immediate success.

Eight years later, with more than 1.5 million sold, the torch is being passed to the New 500 with which Fiat is preparing to take on new market challenges without forgetting its own deep roots.

Made by the Centro Stile Fiat, the car has a refreshed exterior and interior design which is unmistakably 500 and even more attractive.

It has not grown in size but it is packed with more technology, engine versions and customisation ideas: only in this way can the icon evolve and further refine the features which have turned it into a masterpiece.

Available in two versions (tin top and convertible), the New 500 will have three trim levels at launch: Pop, Popstar and Lounge. The first includes seven airbags, Uconnect Radio 5” with six speakers, AUX-IN and USB ports, and controls on the steering wheel and LED daytime running lights as standard equipment.

The Popstar version adds an automatic climate control system. The New 500 Lounge version is even richer, featuring additional sophisticated details, like a panoramic glass sunroof, 15” alloy rims, chrome-plated front grille, Uconnect Radio 5” LIVE touchscreen infotainment system and leather steering wheels with controls allowing to integrate a smartphone, use many apps on the onboard system and stay connected.

The engine line-up of the New 500 includes a 0.9 TwinAir engine (65KW or 77KW). In particular, the two-cylinder engines boast record-breaking performance: 90g/km for the 65KW engine, 99 for the 77KW.

In short, the latest arrival is even more focused on sustainable future mobility. Audacious and seductive, the New 500 has no fewer than 1 900 innovative details, all designed to enhance originality and make its style even more refined at the same time.

New are the front headlights with LED daytime running lights, the rear light clusters, the colour palette, the dashboard, and the materials. The updates are substantial but loyal to the unmistakable 500 style.

Not by chance, the iconic Fiat is the manifest of a new concept of mobility; it is a “gentle revolution” on the world’s roads because it can make apparently opposite values meet.

So, today the New 500 is refreshed under the sign of aesthetic continuity and technological evolution. This is the magical formula of being 500, the only model capable of coherently blending opposites: it is exclusive, yet accessible; it is a global best-seller with a quintessentially Italian heart; it is an elegant product which is also packed with fun. It is very personal although more than 1.5 million units have been sold.

What is more, the New 500 combines technology and sentiment to reassert itself as the benchmark in its segment from all points of view. The New 500 is compact – it is 357cm long, 163cm wide, 149cm high and has a 230cm wheelbase.

The design of the front and rear ends has been changed while remaining true to itself. The exterior style of the New 500 expresses all the distinctive elements which traditionally characterised the 1950 classic precursor and today reasserts its identity with more complete technical content.

The New 500 is also fitted as standard with seven airbags (two front, two window bags, two side bags and one for knee protection). The new model also employs the most sophisticated technical solutions to ensure that the driver is in perfect control of the car at all times.

Model Pricing

500 Twin Air 85HP Pop: R179 900

500 Twin Air 85HP Pop Star: R198 900

500 Twin Air 105HP Lounge: R224 900

500 Twin Air 85 Pop Star Cabriolet: R231 900

500 Twin Air 105HP Lounge Cabriolet: R257 900